Migraines

• Severe headache
• Visual disturbances such as spots or flashing lights
• Sensitivity to light, noise, or smells
• Nausea and vomiting
• Tingling sensations, pins and needles, and weakness or numbness in the limbs

Injections of botox, or botulinum toxin, are more often associated with treatments for anti ageing wrinkles and more recently in the media to help stop underarm damp patches for celebrities and patients with hyperhidrosis (over sweating condition).

However, BOTOX® is also now approved as a preventive treatment for chronic migraine. It is not exactly clear why it may work in chronic migraines but it is thought that, as well as being a muscle relaxant, it may work to block pain signals.

The team at Cosmedics Skin Clinics have been aware of the link between botox and resolving headaches for a number of years, but have been cautious in offering this as a specific treatment until the presence of firm scientific evidence.

Dr Perry now says:

“The fact that botox can now be used safely with the knowledge it will help with headaches is a great step forward for both patients and doctors. Having the FDA approval will help an awful lot of migraine sufferers who really do find this a difficult area to come to terms with due to limitations of treatments available”

“I feel that we have to look at this holistically and say if a patient who has been through all the right channels and tried simpler and cheaper methods that don’t work as well as having the diagnosis confirmed by a neurologist then I don’t see why patients can’t use qualified doctors to inject their botox. The only issue is they will have to pay as I am sure the NHS is unlikely to roll this out to everyone with a headache.”

All information on this page is for patient education and at present we don’t specifically offer headache or migraine treatments. We advise patients to consult their GP in the first instance for treatments and investigations into severe/worrying/persistent headaches. Where patients have had a full check up and diagnosis then BOTOX® treatment for migraine may be can be trialled to see if offers sufferers longer lasting benefits.