For migraines, there are far safer treatments than Botox

If you suffer from migraines, you have my deepest sympathy.

There’s nothing like lying in a dark room waiting for the meds to kick in feeling like there’s an ice pick in your head.

And when the FDA approved Botox over six years ago as a way to prevent them, many thought that a new era of migraine treatments would now be easily available.

But if you think there’s something a bit risky about injecting a toxin into your head (31 times in one sitting, to be exact), you’re right.

In fact, the potentially deadly side effects of all those injections can happen not just when you get them, but up to weeks afterwards.

The toxin effect

Dr. F. Michael Ferrante is big on Botox for migraines.

He’s such a fan, in fact, that he recently gave a lecture at a medical meeting in San Diego about how great it is as a preventative treatment.

Although Botox is a neurotoxin, he said, it’s really “difficult to hurt someone with it.” And with just a smidgen of training, docs can learn how to use it. They don’t have to be all that exact with injecting it in just the right spot, either — because it will spread.

But “that’s what toxins do,” he said.

And with that, Dr. Ferrante kind of spilled the beans about what makes Botox such a dangerous treatment for not only migraines, but also muscle spasms, overactive bladder, cerebral palsy and, of course, erasing those crow’s feet and frown lines.

Yep, it’s a toxin all right: a purified version of the bacteria that causes botulism and it can spread. And when that happens, as researchers recently found out, the bacteria can also travel throughout the body.

In fact, so many reports of adverse effects over Botox have poured into the FDA that seven years ago, the agency required its manufacturer, Allergan, to add a black box warning about the “Distant spread of toxin effect.” That’s something that can cause trouble talking, swallowing and breathing… and even death.

And just last summer, researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute discovered that those toxin molecules can go “unknown” distances from the injection site.

Of course, it’s unlikely that anyone getting these shots in a doctor’s office would even see that black box warning! But if you’re thinking anything that works in preventing a migraine is worth the risk, there’s something else you should know.

Studies have found that Botox was “no help” at all for those with episodic migraines (less than 15 a month) or with chronic tension headaches.

But there are things that have been found to really help. And they don’t involve popping risky meds or shooting a toxin all around your head.

For example:

• Several months ago I told you about some important findings from researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital who discovered that people with migraines are deficient in vitamin B2 (riboflavin), CoQ10 and vitamin D. They believe that it could be those deficiencies that cause migraines in the first place!
• Several studies have found that taking acupuncture treatments can be effective in cutting migraine attacks in half. As few as six acupuncture sessions were found to work.
• Recently the FDA approved two devices, one a magnetic stimulator and the other an electric nerve stimulation device, to nip a migraine attack in the bud without resorting to risky meds.

So if you or someone you love is dealing with migraines, taking vitamin D, CoQ10 and acupuncture is a far better idea than risking your life with an incredibly dangerous treatment such as Botox.

No matter what your doctor may tell you.

“ASRA: Don’t fear botulinum toxin for migraines” Randy Dotinga, November 23, 2016, Medpage Today, medpagetoday.com