Migraine Treatment
A migraine can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head.
A migraine can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. It's often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can last for hours to days, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your daily activities.
For some people, a warning symptom known as an aura occurs before or with the headache. An aura can include visual disturbances, such as flashes of light or blind spots, or other disturbances, such as tingling on one side of the face or in an arm or leg and difficulty speaking.
If you suffer from frequent migraines, we are pleased to share our method of preventing them!
Botox can help prevent the pain of a migraine before it even starts!
Onabotulinumtoxin A, or Botox, was approved in 2011, in Canada, for adults who get chronic migraines.
When Botox is injected around the pain fibers that are connected to headaches, it blocks the release of chemicals involved in pain transmission. This prevents the activation of pain networks in the brain.
One treatment lasts for 10-12 weeks, and patients can experience less severe attacks, less intense “baseline headache” or “baseline neck pain”, a higher tolerance to triggers, and improved overall function.
Botox is best for patients who:
- Have a history of migraine headaches
- Suffer from headaches (including tension-type) on most days (15 or more) of the month of which 8 are migraine
This is not an approved treatment if you:
- Get headaches 14 or fewer days each month
- Have other types of headaches, like cluster headaches
Neuromodulator Post-Treatment Instructions
After Care
After the injection of a neuromodulator (e.g. Botox Cosmetic / Dysport / Xeomin), the purified protein will work its way into the treated areas, and you will begin to feel and see some changes in approximately 2 - 3 days. The full treatment effect is two weeks from your treatment date.
Possible side effects include:
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Pain
- Redness
- Discolouration
- Itching and
- Tenderness at the injection site
These side effects may last for a couple hours after your treatment.
You may take Tylenol, if allowed by your family doctor. While it is rare, these side effects, including red or swollen bumps, may last for 2 - 3 days post treatment.
Avoid wearing make-up over the injection sites for the remainder of the day, however if needed, you may apply make-up after 6 hours post treatment using gentle pressure.
For 1 hour: Exercise the areas that were treated (e.g. practice frowning, raising your eyebrows or squeezing your eyes closed).
For 3 hours: Remain upright (do NOT lie down) and do not rub the treated areas.
For 24 hours: Refrain from strenuous physical activity, hot tub, sauna, facials, alcohol or aspirin/Advil.
We recommend that you book your follow-up appointment for two weeks from your treatment - you can book this upon check-out today. The purpose of the follow-up is to confirm that we have the correct recipe for your initial and future treatments, especially after your first neuromodulator treatment with us. We will take your two week after photos at this follow-up for medical purposes.
Your neuromodulator treatment is a temporary treatment with results lasting approximately 3 months. By consistently receiving neuromodulator treatments, based on your medical professional’s recommendation, over time the results may last longer than 3 - 4 months and require fewer units to maintain a similar treatment result.
