Answer #10 - Botox is a medication that is fairly new to the migraine field. Its been around in neurology however for a decades. We have also been using Botox for treatment of spasdicity, dystonia. We use it for treatment in children with cerebral palsy and so it’s not new to us. Botox as you know comes from Botulinium toxin, so it’s a paralytic agent, it’s a toxin that comes from…it’s a poison basically. However in the doses that we use its’ not at all toxic in these dosages.

Many patients have heard of Botox for cosmetic purposes and in fact that’s quite the explanation on how Botox was discovered for treatment of migraine. Patients who were receiving Botox for treatment of wrinkles in fact were coming back to their physicians saying their headaches were gone. And that’s what prompted some of the studies for treatment of migraines.

There have been several studies but they were fairly small studies up until recently. There has been a large study, the results at this point to be released, but Botox is certainly being used as treatment of headache, it’s not officially approved in Canada for treatment of migraine at this time. There is a fairly safe drug for the dosages that are being used in the treatment of headache, and there are not long term side effects.

It’s given locally into the frontal muscles and into the posterior muscles for headache. It can be given into the neck for neck pain as well. The effects last 10-12 weeks, and then it’s absorbed and some patients are having some success with Botox treatment for their headache.