FDA approves botox use for headaches

Botox helps headaches.

Yes, not everything we do for beauty is frivolous.  I have many patients who have headache issues who started botox for the headache- the wrinkle free appearance was just a bonus.

That Botox helps headaches is NOT new news.  We have seen research on this for the past decade.  It is well known many kinds of headaches respond well to botox injections. 

I had a patient who was a nurse who ended up in the ER for Toradol injections once a month.  She had debilitating headaches and had failed all the oral medication outlets.  I suggested she try Botox.  When she had the botox injections she was headache free for three months.  As the botox wore off, the headaches gradually returned.  As long as she stayed current on the botox she was headache-free.  It was revolutionary for her. 

Botox injections don’t work well for everyone.  For those whom it helps, the injections differ.  Some respond to the simple injection between the eyebrows (glabella); some need injections in multiple areas in the temple and neck. As for insurance coverage, you usually need to show failure of traditional oral medication therapy.  Maybe the FDA approval will change things.  Regardless, it is nice to see recognition of something we have known for years.

http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm229782.htm