Botox

[Artemis]

I'm thinking of haveing Botox (Self funding) as I've again suffered 2 back to back migraines before Christmas which left me shattered and with chest pains again.

My question is as I suffer from permanent migraine aura and dizziness which I think is all connected. Will the botox help these as well. Can anyone advise. I've heard it's very effective.

[teadrinker]

I would say a lot of people get good results but be aware that it doesn't work for everyone, and that you might still need other medication / strategies to keep the migraines under control.

I've been having it for some time for chronic pain, and as some of the injection sites for my pain are the same as for migraine treatment I have had some success in that botox has reduced the intensity and duration of MOST of my migraine headaches, but I went through a bad patch recently and have started taking medication again - with reasonable results. What botox hasn't done for me is prevent migraine aura symptoms, but I can live with that.

I've self-funded a few treatments (eg physio / osteopathy) and have come to the conclusion that you need to go in with a clear plan about what you realistically want to achieve, how much your budget is and how long you are prepared to try something for (ie if it's not working immediately how long do you persevere with it?). If you're going privately always look for a doctor who has experience of treating migraine.

[Artemis]

Thank you Teadrinker. Most helpful. I have a clinic in mind (which I've used before for varicose veins). They do specialise in medical Botox as well as cosmetic. They have said that I would need to have injections every 4-5 months which isn't too bad. We are not particularly well-off, so would have to make sacrificies to have the treatment. I get about 8 migraines a year, but they can last up to a week at a time & as I've had them for 45 years (now nearly 60) I feel I've had enough of the pain and inconvenience they cause.

I thought I would have it done this year (so probably about 3 treatments) and then evaluate how I am at the end of the year. I always get some bad ones around Christmas, so it would be lovely to reduce them.