PREEMPT Migraine Protocol
Botox is licensed for the treatment of chronic migraine, which is defined as three months or more of at least 15 days of headache a month, of which at least eight days have features of migraine (such as nausea, light or noise sensitivity, pulsating or lateralised pain).
How does Botox work in migraine?
It is thought that the botulinum toxin gets into the small nerves that carry pain from the head to the brain, known as C-fibres. This reduces the amount of chemicals released from the nerve ending, reducing migraine and headache.
How is Botox given?
Botox is given as a series of 31 to 39 tiny (0.1ml) injections under the skin or into the muscles in and around the head or the forehead, above the ears, and into the neck and shoulders.
The injections are repeated every 12 weeks until the patient no longer has chronic migraine, or until it is clear that treatment is not working.
Normally, those patients who benefit will see an improvement after the first or second set of injections. About one in ten people respond to a third set of injections if the first two sets fail.