Migraine treatment

Migraines are severe headaches that can bring nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light. Anxiety, stress, exposure to light, caffeine, alcohol, hunger, hormonal changes (for example, during pregnancy or around menstruation) and lack of sleep can all prompt this kind of unrelenting headache.

The good news is that a neuromodulator (a wrinkle-relaxing injection) is now approved by Health Canada to help counteract chronic migraine headaches. It is still important to choose the right migraine treatment for the frequency and severity of your headaches.

Living with chronic migraine

People with chronic migraine experience many symptoms, including:

• Intense, sometimes throbbing or pulsing headache pain
• Nausea or vomiting when headaches occur
• Sensitivity to light or sound that increases the pain
• Pain made worse by routine physical activity, such as walking or climbing stairs

Because they have lived with these severe headaches for so long, many people find it hard to remember what not having a headache feels like. Even on good days, they often worry about when the next migraine will strike. As a result, many chronic migraine sufferers are affected socially and may also deal with depression, anxiety and other chronic pain.

Lying down in the dark, taking over-the-counter painkillers or having a nap rarely brings much relief, and when it does, the relief is temporary: within a few hours the headache or migraine returns.

How neuromodulators help

The use of neuromodulators for migraines was discovered by accident. Patients who had migraines noticed that their migraines improved after cosmetic neuromodulator injections to reduce brow and forehead wrinkles. Today, the neuromodulator botulinum toxin type A is a Health Canada approved, dermatologist-recommended treatment for chronic headaches and migraines in adults.

Neuromodulator treatment for migraines offers these benefits:

• It has been proven in clinical studies to reduce the number of days patients have migraines.
• It is minimally invasive, and discomfort during the procedure is minimal.
• Results may be long-lasting, with patients able to go 12 weeks between treatments.

Acute migraine treatments are designed to be used after a headache has started. A neuromodulator is different because it prevents migraines before they occur. On average, the treatment can prevent up to nine headache days a month.

Who can be treated

This neuromodulator is a prescription medicine injected into the muscles. For headaches, it is not available for children and has specific criteria: migraines or chronic headaches lasting four hours or more a day, on 15 or more days a month, in people over the age of 18.

What to expect

1. Assessment Your dermatologist reviews your medical history and current health in depth.
2. Injections The neuromodulator is injected into the muscle with a needle. The procedure is simple and takes very little time.
3. Relief Patients can expect symptom relief within two to three weeks.
4. Repeat treatments Injections are usually given every 12 weeks. First-time patients may need two to four treatments to see the best results, and ongoing relief from chronic migraines will likely mean injections every 12 weeks.

Safety

Neuromodulators for migraines and chronic headaches are a safe and regularly practised treatment. The medication has been in use since 1989 and has an excellent safety record, and Health Canada approved this form of treatment in 2011. Even so, we always recommend checking with your doctor before starting treatment.