Botox for Migraines?

botoxEvery year, treatments originally designed to battle the signs of ageing are being proven to battle so much more. Botox, which is now being used to relieve the symptoms of hyperhidrosis, can apparently cure migraines too.

Pamela Mason, a 47 year-old woman from Oxfordshire, has been suffering from head aches for over 30 years. She recently told her story to the Daily Mail.

After spending most of her life with terrible migraines, Pamela didn’t believe there was much to be done about her condition. She had been to countless doctors, each baffled by her recurring pain and the fact that the migraines appeared incurable. Treated with Triptan tablets (each of which cost the NHS a whopping £8), Pamela only found herself feeling worse as time went on.

Finally, after searching desperately for an alternative method, Pamela found an article by Doctor Thomas Muehlberger, clinical director of the Migraine Surgery Centre in London. The article proposed that by removing the corrugator – the muscle which allows us to frown – migraines could be significantly relieved.

Unfortunately the surgery wasn’t available through the NHS, and after a year of campaigning Pamela still had no results. Nonetheless, she saved up to have the operation in Germany, and jetted off with hope for the future. A number of tests were carried out before the surgery, including the injection of Botox to freeze the corrugator. This can determine whether the removal of the muscle will rid the patient of migraines, and Pamela’s tests showed that surgery would indeed help. Pamela went under the knife, and the success of her surgery speaks for itself: ‘People say life begins at 40. For me life begins at 47.’

Migraines cost the NHS around £2.25 million a year, and migraine surgery costs £3,500.

However, this story does raise the possibility of using Botox to treat migraines. Botox has been proven in medical testing to reduce migraines in sufferers and has been approved by the rigorous standards of the FDA for migraine treatment.

So instead of considering surgery, or trying to manage on prescription medication, Botox could be the answer for millions of migraine sufferers.

Botox injections with Dr Barbara Kubicka are available from £250.