An up to date article on NICE and Botox for chronic migraines.

[MaryF]

This was on the news this morning:

bbc.co.uk/news/health-18021017

Mary F

[rosianna]

yes heard this, wonder if it will become a reality tho!!

[MaryF in reply to rosianna]

Who knows! However I would have thought that the NMC will be up to scratch with including new guidelines... and their advise, as generally I think out there... in the wider UK , headaches are not very well dealt with within confines of GP surgery! The clinic will be interested and probably know about this already. Cheers M

[rosianna]

yes they have posted on f.b about it. the difficulty will be in getting local funding for it.

[VictoriaS]

This story from Sky News even includes the NMC Medical Director, Dr Elrington in the video! news.sky.com/home/uk-news/a...

Such great news!

I've put a round up of the news stories and the joint Migraine Trust and BASH statement on the issue here too

migrainemonologues.com/

[rosianna]

thanks victoria, that was very helpful for those of us who havent got sky tv!!

[Paulacg]

My medical insurance (through my husband's job) have agreed to fund it for me (if recommended by a NMC consultant). Need to decide if I want to have it done myself before asking though.

[MaryF in reply to Paulacg]

That is good news, perhaps a debate on here to find out who has had it or who is considering it, would be very useful. M

[Paulacg in reply to MaryF]

I fit the NICE criteria - although to be honest they are about rationing to those where it would save the NHS money rather than defining who would benefit. But my migraines have a hormonal link so I'm not convinced it would work. There is also the issue of a trip down to London and having a stressful painful procedure done that could potentially take me out for the rest of the week.

At the moment I have reduced my hours at work and have a lot of annual leave this month and am working on getting the hang of pacing - I have noticed that my worst headaches come after a busy patch at work so I'm trying to learn to pace myself when things get frantic. So I may leave it until my review appt in July to enquire.

[MaryF in reply to Paulacg]

I am sure the NMC will be better informed to do the i's and fill us in on detail with their cutting edge info. M x

[rosianna]

yes i would consider having it! lets get a debate started mary!

[Letitia]

Hi, I have had chronic migraine for over 30 years and tried everything. I paid myself to have botox in February and it has made a very positive difference. I know it is not for everything but if you try it and it works then it is worth paying for. I have spent a fortune on triptans and other meds anyway. If it doesn't work then the worst scenario is you have migraine but look much better with it

[Allen59 in reply to Letitia]

I too have suffered over 30 years Letitia and I am so glad Botox injections have made a difference with your pain, I am at my wits end...literally and will try anything now, And like you said if it doesn't work at least I'll look better! If I can't get this on NHS how do I go about finding a reputable private doctor, could you help me with that? Thank you, Donna.

[rosianna]

great you had positive help from botox letita! we await with baited breath to see if the nhs funding will be made available!

[BlueSkies]

I'm confused about botox being mentioned in the press now. When I saw a neurologist in Jan 2011 it was an option we discussed as being available on the NHS for chronic migraneurs. At the time neither of us were convinced that the research showing efficacy was that impressive. I remember some research I'd read from the USA showing that whilst patients reported an improvement in severity/frequency of migraines after Botox treatment their use of painkillers/triptans actually went up after Botox.

Has there been some new research in the last 18mths that shows Botox treatment for migraneurs has improved in some way? Or is it that funding is more likely to be available? I'm just confused - which is fairly normal for me anyway.

[MaryF]

Well there will be counter opinions on this! however NICE have approved this, and they do not approve things lightly! All the best Mary F

[Allen59]

I have sufferered migraines for over 30 years and have had all the prescribed medications for pain relief and as preventatives. I have just had a migraine that has lasted 9 days straight with no mercy and I am feeling very low and so so beaten up. Is there anymore information on Botox? I am at the stage where I will try anything. My doctors don't seem to know much about this subject.

[Letitia]

Hi , sorry for the slow response . I actually live in Sydney Australia, so I am not much help when talking about the NHS. We pick our own doctor and can see as many as we need to find the right one. My best advice would be to find a GP who really has a lot of empathy for migraine sufferers. It took me years and many doctors to finally find someone who understood and I find GP's that also have migraine are a lot more willing to give things a try. According to my doctor 70% of his patients with migraine have had a positive improvement with less migraines and less severe. It is like everything to do with migraine, what works for one person may not work for another. I hope you feel better soon.