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I have had migraines since I was 12 years old. I have had vascular migraines which were controlled by various blood pressure medicines. Treatment has also included fiorcet, Imitrex. Then I got hormonal migraines. Now at 52 I just get migraines! Luckily they have been controlled by accupuncture the past couple of months. My doctor is also going to try Botox if they come back. Have any of you had Botox for migraines?
Replies to "I have had migraines since I was 12 years old. I have had vascular migraines which..."
Hi, @sandytoes14. I, too, have had migraines since I was 12-13 years old and have run through the gamut of treatments over the years. I have now received Botox injections for migraines for over 10 years. I get the injections every 3 months. While they do not get rid of the headaches, they do typically reduce the frequency and the intensity of many of the headaches. The pattern that I have seen is that about 2-3 weeks prior to the injections, the migraines begin to peak again in frequency and intensity. It takes another 2-3 weeks typically after injections before I get the full benefit of them. I call it the honeymoon period; for the next 2 months, many of the migraines are milder and respond better to medication. I still have migraines that take the full complement of drugs and don't respond. So far, Botox has been the therapy I have been on the longest. For me, medications eventually lose effectiveness and need to be changed. I have tried acupuncture and experienced mild benefit but not enough to continue. I also tried the Cefaly device and did not experience improvement. Because I tried during a bad flare of migraines, I spoke to my neurologist and he though trying it again might be warranted. So, I am going to try the Cefaly device again as I would love to have a treatment that is cheaper and does not involve a medication and doesn't end up causing rebound headaches. I definitely recommend trying Botox injections. Botox is expensive so be sure to check with your insurance company before getting any injections so you know what your financial responsibility will be. Hope this this information is helpful.
Botox has helped me reduce migraines from about 5-6 per week down to 2-4. Adding the Emgality injection has been a game-changer for me. My migraines are less intense and less frequent on the Emgality. I’m thinking about going longer between my Botox to see if the Emgality is enough.
For rescue meds, the triptans knocked me out for 2 days. I’m using Nurtec now and it too has been life-changing. Far fewer side effects.
I’m in perimenopause too and pray my migraines will reduce or go into remission once I’m on the other side.
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Hi @sandytoes14, I'm tagging @jals, @fedge, @staceybeyer, @gaylordgout, @marymaggy, @amritze, @dberktold, @mla23 and @jks0924 who have all written about Botox for migraines in the past, in the hopes that they'll share their experiences with you.