Search Results for: Botox Migraine

13 November 2017

Botox Migraine Treatment for Children?

James Discoveries & Stats, Medications, Treatments Botox, chronic migraine, onabotulinumtoxinA, The American Society of Anesthesiologists 0

A report at this year’s annual meeting of The American Society of Anesthesiologists focused on whether or not onabotulinumtoxinA, often sold under the brand name of Botox, is useful in treating migraine in children. As we know, there are a limited number of treatments that have been properly tested for the under-18 crowd.

Children with chronic migraine The report simply reviewed charts of people ages 8-17 who had received Botox treatment to treat chronic migraine. Patients received 2-3 injections each.

The results were very promising. Compared to pre-treatment, almost 3/4 of the patient’s migraine attacks disappeared. The duration of the attacks also dropped drastically, and the attacks tended to be less severe. Read the study abstract here: A Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effectiveness of BotoxÂ® in Pediatric Patients Experiencing Migraines.

There are at least two significant caveats with this report. First, there is a high “placebo effect” with the younger crowd. It would be helpful to compare onabotulinumtoxinA treatments with similar treatments to see if it’s really a lot better or not. One key here is to see what kinds of side effects could be avoided by using Botox instead of another treatment, such as Topamax.

This was also a very small study, only 9 patients. So when we have a study like this, we basically say,”Ok, that sounds significant. Let’s start up a larger study so we can see if these results are real, or just a blip on the chart.”

Even a small study like this should get specialists thinking seriously about using onabotulinumtoxinA for their chronic migraine patients.

Could non-invasive Laser Therapy replace Botox for Migraine?

James News, Treatments Botox, LLLT, low light laser therapy, onabotulinumtoxinA 0

We’ve talked before about an up-and-coming migraine treatment known as LLLT, or low level laser therapy. This is a non-invasive therapy that uses low level lasers to stimulate cells. It’s a treatment used for other pain conditions as well – read more here: Laser Therapy (LLLT) for Migraine

green lasers! Researchers in Brazil wanted to investigate how LLLT compares to the more well known Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) treatment for chronic migraine. Why? Because LLLT could end up being a lot cheaper, for one thing. Also, it’s less invasive than Botox treatment.

The study, published last month, found that LLLT treatment was indeed comparable to Botox. Both did help patients with chronic migraine. One small difference was that patients treated with Botox seems to have a little lower anxiety (as a migraine symptom) after treatment, and those with LLLT seemed to have more improvement in sleep patterns. On the downside, sometimes pain increased initially with Botox treatment, and a few patients complained of a temporary “burning sensation” with the LLLT treatment.

The researchers were quick to point out that this was a small, preliminary study. The study was open label – patients knew what they were getting. They also noted that there was more “human interaction” with the LLLT treatment, something that could improve outcomes.

Due to the newness of LLLT, there is reason to believe outcomes could improve as we learn how to use it. The same is true of Botox, even though it has become more common as a migraine treatment.

Another comparison was the LLLT treatment takes more time. But the monetary savings were still significant.

This is not to say that LLLT would necessarily replace Botox treatment. Botox still may work better for some. But if a cheaper treatment, with less danger of side effects, could be tried first, it may benefit many patients.

More on this study: Botulinum toxin A (BT-A) versus low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in chronic migraine treatment: a comparison

27 November 2017

Researchers Looking for Predictors of Botox Success in Migraine

James Uncategorized Botox, CGRP, Headache Journal, onabotulinumtoxinA, PTX3, trigeminovascular system 1

Excuse the complicated title to this article, but this is what it means in plain language. Botox, or onabotulinumtoxinA, has been very helpful for patients with chronic migraine. But it certainly helps some people more than others. Researchers want to know why, and they also want to know if there is an easy way to predict which patients will respond best to Botox.

Blood Tests and Botox Today, patients need to go through all the treatments before they know if they will work. But what if you could go for a simple blood test which would tell you ahead of time that your treatment had a – say – 87% chance of success? Or maybe a 16% chance of success? That would save everyone a lot of time and money.

A study published earlier this month in the journal Headache found that certain markers may predict Botox success.

First, CGRP levels. We’ve heard a lot about CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) lately, because of the new migraine medications that are coming out. CGRP levels an important part of the trigeminovascular system, and seem to play a role in communicating pain messages in the body. Levels were higher in patients who responded well to Botox treatment. (This is not the first time this has been observed – see Botox and CGRP – and the Future of Migraine Treatment

Second, PTX3 levels. High PTX3 (pentraxin 3) levels have been linked to inflammatory and vascular issues. Patients with higher PTX3 levels were also more likely to respond to onabotulinumtoxinA treatment.

Though this is likely one of many studies that need to be done, this kind of information will not only help us predict who is most likely to benefit from Botox treatment, but should also help us understand both disease and treatment better, so that we can make better options available in the future.

Read the study abstract here: CGRP and PTX3 as Predictors of Efficacy of Onabotulinumtoxin Type A in Chronic Migraine

17 August 2017

New Study Suggests that Botox is working for Chronic Migraine, but …

James Discoveries & Stats, Treatments Botox, onabotulinumtoxinA 8

1160 patients across Europe were a part of a recent study to see just how effective onabotulinumtoxinA (sometimes sold under the brand name Botox) was in treating patients with chronic migraine. We all hear stories, but if you take a large sample, what are the results?

First, a little background. This group was 15.8% male and 84.2% female. The mean age was 46.6 years old. About half of them had used Botox before. The study had data from over 4000 treatments.

The basic good news was that most patients – 74.4% – were satisfied or even extremely satisfied with their treatment.

This tells us that the treatment is helping, but not how much it’s helping. But for those who are curious, the treatment usually involved about 31 injection sites and a dose of 155 U. Treatments tended to be about 13-14 weeks apart, or just over 3 months.

The most commonly reported side effect was neck pain.

As we have talked about before, onabotulinumtoxinA treatment is helping migraine patients, but there is reason to believe it could be helping a lot more. There are a lot of variables that we would like to know more about. Which type of migraine is most responsive to this treatment? Which injection sites are the best? Could we get the same results with a lower dosage?

Now that we’ve seen the data, what’s your experience? Leave a comment!

5 October 2016

Botox for Migraine: One size does NOT fit all!

James Medications, Tips, Treatments Alexander Mauskop, Botox, New York Headache Center, onabotulinumtoxinA 1

We’ve talked a lot about the pros and cons of Botox for migraine here. One of the biggest challenges with Botox treatment is that it is, in many ways, still in its infancy.

That is, we still have a lot to learn about who will benefit most, what dosage to use, and where the injection sites should be. But we do know that treatment should vary depending on the patient.

After a frustrating experience trying to pass on the treatment of an 83 year old woman, Dr. Alexander Mauskop at the New York Headache Center takes the time to VENT – and to remind doctors that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all Botox treatment.

Doctors, it’s worth whie to read a little about Dr. Mauskop’s experiences. He has used Botox with many patients for 22 years, and takes the time to keep track of how well it works, how often it should be administered, and how.

Although more clinical trials do need to be done, it’s helpful to at least read about the experiences of other doctors.

To find out more about recommended needle size, treatment frequency, and dosage, check out Common avoidable problems with Botox injections.