Botox for Migraines in Cincinnati, OH
As you know if you suffer from them, migraines can greatly interfere with your life, leaving you in bed with severe pain and other difficult symptoms. If you’re someone who experiences migraines, most likely you have a reduced quality of life. These severe headaches are impacting your work, your social life, and your well-being. It’s hard to do anything but rest when one hits, especially when you’re impacted by bright lights, sounds, and even aura. Unfortunately, you’re having this experience too often if you suffer from chronic migraines.
Other common medical treatments such as migraine medication may not provide enough relief from your symptoms, leaving you suffering from pain for too many days of your life. Fortunately, there’s a solution if you have chronic migraines, which means you have a history of migraines and you experience headaches 15 or more times a month, with at least eight of them being categorized as migraines. This means you would qualify for Botox for migraines, as this solution is FDA-approved for this medical purpose. You may think Botox is reserved for wrinkles, yet there are two different kinds: Botox Cosmetic used for aesthetic purposes and Botox used for medical purposes, migraine included.
If you’re ready to consider Botox for migraines in Cincinnati, OH, contact us at Bee Aesthetics, where our experienced team has the expertise to carry out Botox treatments with precision. Set up your consultation appointment to discuss this migraine treatment with us by calling 513.648.9900 or reaching out through the form on our website. Or if you’re not yet ready to reach out, please continue reading the following information on how Botox works for migraines, in which we aim to answer the top questions you may have on this treatment.
How Botox Works for Migraines
Botox comes from a neurotoxin called botulinum toxin. Similar to how vaccines use small components of bacteria or viruses within a medical application, Botox uses a purified small dose of botulinum toxin within a medical application. It has the effect of minimizing muscle contractions for a temporary period of time. A medical professional injects it in specific areas to target the pain centers associated with chronic migraine.
You may know of this toxin due to its association with botulism, which is a rare reaction that sometimes occurs from ingesting spoiled food. But Botox injections are safe because the toxin isn’t ingested and is used in small, purified doses through a method that has gone through medical testing and trials. Botox providing pain relief for migraines was a helpful effect that was realized when Botox given for wrinkles helped patients with their headache pain. After Botox was studied for this purpose, it was shown to help with migraine pain and was approved for this purpose by the FDA.
Research has found that Botox for migraines has provided many benefits for people with chronic migraines. It has been shown to reduce the number of days people have migraines and other headaches, and it has given them more completely pain-free days. We would love to see if Botox can help you with your headache pain in the same way.
How Does Botox Help Migraine Pain?
How does Botox specifically target the pain of migraines? At Bee Aesthetics, we would inject the Botox in specific pain areas that are associated with migraine headaches. We put the Botox near nerve endings, which it enters to block pain chemicals from being released, preventing normal pain processes in the brain and thus the misery you would experience from another migraine.
Rather than try to reduce or stop migraine pain after it starts, as is the goal of some treatments, Botox for migraine works by preventing the headaches from starting in the first place. As you can imagine, this is great news for improving your quality of life if you experience migraine headaches.
Where Does the Injection Go?
Botox is a treatment that a trained medical professional, like one of our team at Bee Aesthetics, injects into specific areas to fit the specified goal. In some cases, the professional would be targeting specific wrinkles, but in this case, the goal is to target migraine headaches.
You’re probably wondering where a professional would inject Botox to get to the source of your migraine headaches. They focus on pain centers in your head and neck. Similar to acupuncture, the professional would use a small needle to make about 30 to 40 injections around seven pain points in the head and neck. While this may sound like a lot of injections, especially if you’re hesitant around needles, it only involves minor pinpricks that stay within shallow muscles rather than going too deep. You receive injections in the same areas on both sides of your head and neck, and you can let us know if you experience the most pain in certain spots because we may need to focus more on those areas.
Generally, a Botox appointment for migraine pain only takes about 20 minutes, and the main complaint afterward is simply temporary soreness in the neck that can be alieved with the use of an ice pack. You can see from the client reviews on our website that local people like you have experienced a comfortable Botox process with minimal pain or discomfort from our experienced staff. Nonetheless, make sure you receive immediate medical attention if you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction such as hives or shortness of breath.
How Long Will It Last?
Botox provides a temporary solution, so you would need to continue with ongoing treatments if you find it helps your headaches. Botox provides relief for about three months, as that’s how long it reduces the muscle contractions in the area of the injection. While this length of time may seem short, it actually could provide extended relief of migraines for months and prevent or reduce the need for ongoing migraine medications.
Keep in mind that it may take up to six months before you notice the full effects of Botox for migraines and achieve the most relief from this treatment. Nonetheless, you should still notice some improvement before then, with people generally noticing results two to three weeks after a treatment session. It is often the case that the second treatment cuts headache days about in half, and you can notice a major difference from the treatment by the second or third treatment session. This is a long-term treatment approach you continue over time, with better results after more sessions. It’s best to have patience with this treatment method and give it a full chance before deciding whether it works for you.
A benefit of this treatment is that you can also take your migraine medications if needed without drug interactions. Nonetheless, while we can perform your Botox for migraines at Bee Aesthetics, it’s best to talk to your migraine specialist about the full range of treatments you are using for migraines.
Botox for Migraines in Cincinnati, OH
Botox can provide a helpful treatment for reducing chronic migraines. If you’re seeking a migraine treatment and considering Botox for migraines in Cincinnati, OH, we can help at Bee Aesthetics. While our focus is on beauty treatments, we are able to use our expertise in Botox for this medical purpose. Not all medical doctors are particularly experienced with Botox, but we have the experience in providing these injections and the understanding of how best to carry them out. As you know, Botox and Botox Cosmetic are different, but our team can provide either type to fit both medical or aesthetic needs.
While cosmetic injections are often off-label uses of medications and thus not covered by health insurance, Botox for migraine has the benefit of being an approved use and thus is generally covered. This is the case for adults 18 and over who were not helped by at least two other migraine treatments. For example, you may have already tried antidepressants, blood pressure medications, or anti-seizure medications that are commonly prescribed for migraine headaches, but you still get chronic migraines. You could be a perfect candidate for this treatment if you’ve been visiting a doctor for your migraines and received treatment, but you’re still not experiencing enough headache relief.
Our team of Botox experts includes Dr. Harmeyer, his wife Christine, and our Registered Nurse Injector, Elissa Finley. You’ll find our office on Kemper Meadow Drive in Cincinnati, where you can come for a convenient, comfortable, and friendly appointment rather than the stress of heading to a medical facility for your migraines yet again.
Our team at Bee Aesthetics is here to discuss Botox for migraines in Cincinnati, OH with you. We can talk about your case and decide whether this migraine treatment option could be a good fit for your situation. Make your consultation appointment by phone at 513.648.9900 or through the form on our website.
