tames_fish

Botox Injections Significantly Reduce Migraines! - Nashville, TN

Long-term use of Botox has saved me from frequent, agonizing, migraine headaches! I survived a serious head injury (auto accident) that left me deaf in my right ear, fractured my skull in two places and left me with post-tramatic seizures and headaches. I suffered through headaches and my seizures lasted for 5 years then subsided. Frequent headaches were part of my life and I would often end up in the ER getting injections of Imtrex and Flexeril. 12 years after my accident (at the age of 30) I was introduced to Botox for cosmetic purposes. To my pleasant surprise, I noticed less and less headaches. I have regularly (every 4-5 months) received 30-40 units of Botox on my forehead and above my eyes and at the temple to alleviate my migraines. The biggest thing I notice is that once I get to about month 3, my headaches return with a vengeance! I have a Rx for Trexamet which, although it works, it certainly doesn't prevent the horrific headaches from occurring and ruining my day (or my job, etc). The medicine makes me feel tingly and knocks me out for nearly 8 hours after I take a pill. The downside is of course, the cost. I pay $11 per unit to receive my injections from a NP. She does a far superior job to the plastic surgeon and cosmetic surgeons who have injected me in the past. Nurses are always cheaper and tend to give shots regularly (hence their better technique). Surgeons are just that, surgeons, so they have little expertise in just giving shots.
I spend (out of pocket no insurance) about $800-$1000 a year to get these shots and although I have had to go up to 6 months in between because of budgetary constraints, I always return to the shots as soon as I can afford them because there is simply no substitute. I understand insurance companies make you go through all kinds of hoops to get the cost approved (plus I don't get headaches in the back of my head or back of my neck and don't like the idea of getting long needles put into the back of my head just so I can save a couple of hundred dollars). I hope this information is helpful as I don't know anyone (besides myself) who has actually used botox for 12 years and is a chronic migraine sufferer.