If you cope with migraine, you’re dealing with a condition that, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is one of the 10 most severely disabling illnesses that exists, with over 37 million American men, women, and children affected.
Unfortunately, countless patients struggle with migraine pain and other debilitating symptoms. Fewer than 5% see a provider, get diagnosed accurately, or receive proper treatment.
At Houston Neurological Associates, our caring provider team is dedicated to providing you with relief via the most advanced migraine treatments available. One that we have embraced and have found our patients are helped by is Botox® (onabotulinum toxin A) injections — yes, the same injectable that’s been used to smooth facial wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing muscles!
The injectable neurotoxin treatment has been proven to be a safe and effective treatment for chronic migraine. You’re classified as living with chronic migraine if you experience 15 or more migraine days a month. The discovery was actually accidental, when patients who received Botox as an aesthetic treatment noted that they dealt with fewer migraine headaches after the treatment.
A migraine attack is far from your average nuisance of a headache. People living with migraine often experience terrible throbbing on one side of the head that can last for hours, and even days.
They may also endure neurological symptoms such as:
These symptoms can emerge either before or after the head pain phase, as part of the overall attack.
The severe symptoms that accompany chronic migraine aren’t just physically limiting; they compromise your quality of life so much that your mental health is affected, along with your ability to carry out your day-to-day family and work responsibilities.
In other words, chronic migraine isn’t something you can simply “power through.”
Your Houston Neurological Associates provider is invested in bringing you relief in several ways from chronic migraine — creating a treatment plan that includes preventive and customized treatment strategies, and investigating what the root cause of your migraine attacks may be.
As we noted previously, we’re fortunate to have discovered that Botox can bring true relief to individuals living with migraine. This treatment was FDA-approved in 2010 for addressing chronic migraine.
Botox treatment combats migraine in several ways. Studies have shown that it:
When you come to Houston Neurological Associates for migraine treatment with Botox, we make sure you’re comfortable before your provider carefully places a series of Botox injections in your head, face, and neck areas. Patients report that getting treated isn’t painful, and that each injection feels like a mild pinprick.
This treatment works well for patients also because each in-office treatment session is brief — about 20 minutes — and you can return to your regular activities afterward. The treatment’s positive effects last for about 10-12 weeks.
When Botox enters nerve cells, it prevents them from releasing neurotransmitters — pain signalling chemicals that cause muscles to contract and that travel to your brain and cause discomfort. By eradicating the pain signals, Botox reduces the frequency of your headaches and brings you relief.
The Houston Neurological Institute team is passionate about helping you with advanced treatments to break your migraine cycle so you can enjoy a better quality of life once again.
Contact our Pearland or Pasadena office to schedule an appointment and learn more about Botox for migraine, or book one online.
