Could Botox Fight Low Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Headaches?

Low Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Headaches can be tricky to diagnose and difficult to treat.  Could Botox (Botulinum Toxin A) provide relief for some?

Low CSF pressure can lead to other neurological symptoms besides just headache (such as nausea, neck pain, neck stiffness, vertigo, and visual disturbances).  But the headaches can be anywhere from nagging to completely disabling.  The dehydration after a night of drinking can actually change levels of the fluid, leading to a hangover headache.

Needles used for a lumbar puncture

But low CSF headaches generally come after a lumbar puncture, which makes them easier to track down.  However, some people have low CSF pressure for other reasons.  If the low pressure is suspected, tests can usually lead to the proper diagnosis and treatment.  If.

Common treatments include bed rest and re hydration, epidural blood patch (an injection of your own blood at a key location), and some types of surgery.

A recent case study on Botox published by the Mayo Clinic has raised interest in using Botox for chronic cases.  In this case, a women who had been suffering the pain of low CSF headache for 25 years found preventative relief from Botox injections.  The intensity of her headaches went from 8/10 to 3/10 for the three months after the treatment.

This raises new questions about what triggers the headache pain, and how Botox fights it.  But this new treatment may allow other patients that have not found treatments to live a normal life.

Read more about Low Cerebrospinal Fluid Pressure Headaches here.