Another study of Botox for migraines.
Curtis Schreiber and Roger Cady reported their study at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study Another study of Botox for migraines. Curtis Schreiber and Roger Cady reported their study at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study (that is the most reliable kind of a study) of patients who had disabling headaches and had difficulty complying with their previous prophylactic treatment. 60 received Botox and 21 received placebo injections. There was a significant improvement in headache frequency, headache impact (so called HIT-6 measure) and treatment satisfaction in patients who received Botox compared to those who received placebo. There are about 100 published reports on the use of Botox for migraine headaches and the experience of most headache experts in the US is very positive. However, many insurance companies will not cover Botox because the FDA has not yet approved it for migraines. Allergan, the company that manufactures Botox is conducting the FDA-required trials (we at NYHC are participating in one of the two trials), but the earliest possible time for approval is 2009.
Initial worsening of pain for 1-2 weeks can occur even in patients without fibromyalgia. We always warn our patients about this rare possibility and if it happens we managed pain with various medications. After 1-2 weeks pain usually improves and the benefits of Botox injections last for up to three months. Subsequent Botox treatments may not cause this initial worsening of pain.
I spent $400 on one Botox treatment for headache and was left with a huge increase in pain that lasted over 2 weeks. The doctor forgot to tell me that there is a risk when one has Fibromyalgia of Botox making things worse. Have you seen any reports of this?