PARIS, Ill. —While Botox may be most known for its use in reducing the appearance of facial wrinkles, it is also used to treat a number of other health conditions, including painful and recurring headaches.
At Horizon Health, certified pain management professionals administer Botox injections to decrease the symptoms and frequency of chronic migraine headaches. Botox, a protein, is effective in relaxing the muscles of the face, head and neck, providing a reduction in the symptoms of chronic migraine for three months at a time, according to Adam Schneider, certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and pain management provider at Horizon Health.
“Botox treatments
are safe and effective for reducing – and even preventing – chronic migraines,”
Schneider said. “The injections enter the nerve endings, blocking the release
of chemicals involved in pain transmission to the brain.”
According to the
International Headache Society, a chronic migraine is a headache that occurs on
15 or more days a month, for more than three months. Migraine sufferers often
experience a throbbing or pulsating pain that usually begins on one side of the
head. The person also may be sensitive to light, sound, or smell, and
experience nausea and/or vomiting.
Nearly 40 million
Americans have migraines. Women are roughly three times more likely to
experience them than men. The Federal Drug Administration approved the use of
Botox for chronic migraines in 2010.
Candidates for
Botox treatments include men or women who experience more than 15 “headache
days” a month, eight of which are migraines, Schneider said. “A thorough
history of your headache symptoms will be completed to determine the treatment
that is right for you,” he added.
Botox treatments
are performed in Horizon Health’s Pain Management Clinic. A treatment takes
about 15 minutes to complete and involves several injections with a very small
needle. A second treatment is given 12 weeks later. Depending on individual
results, treatments may continue every 12 weeks thereafter.
“Headache symptoms
typically start to decrease about two weeks after the first treatment,”
Schneider said. “Typical results include a 50 percent decrease in headache
severity and headache days after two rounds of Botox treatment.”
Botox treatments at
Horizon Health are provided by certified registered nurse anesthetists who are
specially trained in pain management. They are Adam Schneider, Lee Webber, and
Scott Williamson.
A medical referral
is not required to receive Botox for migraines, but is preferred, Schneider
said. Treatments are covered by all major insurance carriers, including
Medicare and Medicaid.
For more
information about Botox for migraines, call the Horizon Health Pain Management
Clinic at 217-466-4226.
