POSTED UNDER Botox for Migraines Reviews
46 Year Old Female - 24 Years of Chronic Migraines - Waterloo, Ontario
UPDATED FROM debbieleegd
16 days post
46 Year Old Female - 24 Years of Chronic Migraines - Waterloo, Ontario
$990
I haven't really had many side effects. As far as migraines go I have seen a reduction in number of migraines so far. I'm trying to figure out how to accurately describe how my actual migraines have been affected :). I believe that the pain level of my migraines has definitely gone down. I don't actually consider myself to have a migraine unless I have some kind of an aura or my head pain is a level 6 or above. So its a combination of: the pain level has decreased and/or the number of actual migraines have gone down. The procedure has already helped me by a decrease one way or the other by about 20%. Keep in mind its only 2 1/2 weeks since I've had the procedure. Appearance wise: My 11 lines are gone. All center forehead wrinkles are gone BUT the doctor is not treating wrinkles but migraines so.....while the middle wrinkles on my forehead are non-existent the side wrinkles of my forehead, end of my eyebrows are much MORE pronounced now. You win some you lose some. I had no neck stiffness but the doctor did NOT inject me in the neck or shoulders. No droopy eyes. I would recommend getting it done especially if its covered. My drug plan cover @ $838 of the medication. I paid $28 of the medication and the doctor $150 for dispensing it for me. I have had very little luck with any medication for my migraines. This is actually helping a little already and they say that I should see better results after the 2nd and 3rd treatment.
ORIGINAL POST
After 9 years of debating and 4 doctors suggesting...
After 9 years of debating and 4 doctors suggesting I get therapuetic botox for my migraines I finally took the plunge today. A little background history: I got my first migraine when I was 22 and pregnant with my first child. From the description of my symptoms my family physician thought I might have MS. I suffered speech loss, vision loss and a temporary stroke on the right side of my body. After 1 visit with the neurologist she said it was migraine. 24 years later I have tried every kind of medication out there. Some (not many) worked but only for a short period. Most medications made me feel worse by causing vomiting. You name it I tried it. After 16 years I was prescribed Tylenol #3's and Demerol and I have been using these to control or at least minimize my migraines. I have @ a 5 minute window from my first aura in which to take my medication which normally contains it from getting worse. I suffer from a migraine on average 26 days a month and the other 4 or 5 days I have a headache. I do not allow my migraines to interfere with my work. I am seldom sick from work with a migraine. To me migraines are part of my life I don't really know any different. I have learned to recognize the signs that one is coming and now only suffer @ 4 migraines a year in which I am experiencing a "temporary stroke". Ok history over...I received 31 needles (forehead, above eyebrows, bridge of nose, both sides of scalp above ears, both sides of jaws near scalp) 3 hours ago. Had a small migraine when I went in. Pain/Sensation: It was uncomfortable...it felt like being stung by a bee over and over. I have a high pain tolerance level. Immediately after I was a tiny bit disorientated. I was a bit nauseous. My face stung but it wasn't unbearable. Its now 3 hours later other than my headache my face feels a bit stiff. I will try to update in a few days.
Replies (5)
Wow, thank you for sharing! I really hope this procedure helps you out and that you find relief. Yes, please keep us posted on how you're doing.
Do you know how much Botox they injected in each site or in total?
Sorry Chris I didn't even think to ask. I just wanted to get the heck out of there but I will ask next time. I did take 2 full vials with me...so 200ml went with me but no idea how much was injected.
Thanks for sharing your story...how are you doing? Was this treatment helpful?
I haven't really had many side effects. As far as migraines go I have seen a reduction in number of migraines so far. I'm trying to figure out how to accurately describe how my actual migraines have been affected :). I believe that the pain level of my migraines has definitely gone down. I don't actually consider myself to have a migraine unless I have some kind of an aura or my head pain is a level 6 or above. So its a combination of: the pain level has decreased and/or the number of actual migraines have gone down. The procedure has already helped me by a decrease one way or the other by about 20%. Keep in mind its only 2 1/2 weeks since I've had the procedure. Appearance wise: My 11 lines are gone. All center forehead wrinkles are gone BUT the doctor is not treating wrinkles but migraines so.....while the middle wrinkles on my forehead are non-existent the side wrinkles of my forehead, end of my eyebrows are much MORE pronounced now. You win some you lose some. I had no neck stiffness but the doctor did NOT inject me in the neck or shoulders. No droopy eyes. I would recommend getting it done especially if its covered. My drug plan cover @ $838 of the medication. I paid $28 of the medication and the doctor $150 for dispensing it for me. I have had very little luck with any medication for my migraines. This is actually helping a little already and they say that I should see better results after the 2nd and 3rd treatment.
After many many years of migraines and recently having as many as 25 a month, I finally obtained insurance approval for botox. It took only a few minutes to get the "injections". No more uncomfortable than a mosquito bite. During the first week I had a couple of migraines. The doctor toldme to give it two weeks before I'd feel the full effects. At the end of the second week, I'd had another migraine. But no more! It feels wonderful not to have a headache all of the time! And when I do have one, I use my abortive medication, which now works much faster and with complete resolve of the migraine. This is the best thing! I really didn't expect it would work for me at all. At first your forehead feels a bit tight and as the botox works it's way down, I got a it of droop of the eyelids. But I'll take that over the migraines any time! The physician billed insurance for ver $1500. The insurance authorized a bit over 900. If you divide that over 3 months, that's only $300 a month and abortive migraine medications are way more costly. Since I'd met my insurance deductible, I'm left with only owing about $180! I get another treatment in December. I'd highly recommend botox for anyone who suffers these awful beasts known as migraines.
It sounds like you have a rare form of migraine called Hemiplegic Migraine, which is what I have. Mimics a stroke. You should use Naproxen 550mg and Phenergan or another nausea med with it. 25 mg. This rescue can only be used 8 days a month (3x/day) or you could have rebound headaches. Do not use Triptans. I'm on many other preventive medicines also.
Thanks for the advice I do appreciate it. The first 5 or 6 months of my migraines I did use Naproxen and it did work. I have tried 3 different preventative meds and every migraine med on the market. That is what led me to the botox.
Replies (1)