[wdl6591]

I have suffered from PCS after a mTBI in October of 2011. My neurologist finally suggested that I try Botox for my chronic headaches after exhausting all other medical and non-traditional (acupuncture, biofeedback, etc.) therapies. He modified my diagnosis, since at the time Botox injections were only approved by insurance companies for migraine headaches. I have had two series of 30 injections (about 6 units), spaced 12 weeks apart. The treatments help with severity of my headaches, but not the frequency is which has been constant for 24 months. After the first series, my relief lasted approx. 10.5 weeks. After the second series, approx. 9 weeks. I'm not due for my third series until next Friday and the last two weeks have been miserable, with elevated pain levels, light sensitivity, fatigue and minor cognitive impacts. Has anyone else had this experience with Botox and the diminished longevity of effectiveness? It's basically the only thing that has given me relief and if the effectiveness continues to wane, I'm not sure where to turn.

[berkeleybrain]

Hiya,
Is there an update with the effectiveness of botox for headaches/ migraines?
I'm almost 20 months pcs and having daily headaches and weekly migraines.

My neurologist has suggested botox injections as well, but I was wondering what the feedback has been?

[NormaW]

I am scheduled to try Botox injections this summer. My neurologist told me they would be 3 months apart and if by 2 series of injections you have not seen improvement it will not work for you.

He says there is alot of good research for botox for migraines but as of yet there is no conclusive research for botox for pcs. He thought it was worth a try since the only other thing he could off is Topomax but the side effect for Topomax is kidney stones and I have a history of kidney stones so this is not an option for me.

Do you think that since you were experience less pain that you increased your activity too much. The hardest thing for me to figure out about new treatments is whether you are on the same playing field. Life has a lot of ups and downs and it may not be the medication but stress, infection or some other complication.

I would say you have to try it longer to see. I have not talked to anyone with pcs who has had the botox injections.

Good luck.

[LauraM]

My Physical med doc thinks I should try them. He thinks one set of shots in my case would be like a reset button. I have had mostly 6-10 level headaches fort going on 15 months. My headache doctor is not opposed to trying it, but there are a few other meds he thinks I must try before insurance will cover it.. he also said there is no studies to show how well it helps PCS patients, and most certainly would not be a reset button. So looks like if I get them it will be 4-5 months down the road. I did find a blog of regular migraine patients who did receive injections comments. I will post a link for you if you like. They go back over several years.