Study Claims Botox 'Cures' Migraines
Posted on: Friday, 31 December 2004, 06:00 CST
TREATING migraine sufferers with a mixture of Botox injections and surgery significantly reduces the amount of time they have to take off work due to their headaches, researchers said today.
Scientists in the United States believe there is a link between the pain caused by migraines and the muscles in the temples and back of the neck.
About 100 patients taking part in a US study were injected with Botox to find out which muscles in the forehead or back of the head triggered their disabling headaches. The offending muscles were then surgically removed in an effort to relieve the pain of a severe migraine.
The researchers, writing in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, have revealed that the surgery reduced the frequency, intensity and duration of migraines by 92 per cent. In addition, the operation was said to have eliminated migraines in 35 per cent of patients.
The researchers also revealed that prior to surgery the migraine sufferers missed on average 4.4 days of work each month. After the operation, the patients missed just 1.2 days per month - a reduction of 73 per cent.
However, Dr Michael Prager, a cosmetic surgeon at the Harley Street Clinic in London, who runs a monthly Botox clinic held at Beauty Essentials in Dalmahoy, Edinburgh, yesterday said he was sceptical about the surgery.
"It would not be easy to do this surgery because the muscles on the face are so interwoven and do so many different functions that removing one would be very hard," he said.
"It would not be a nice operation for anybody and I would be very sceptical unless the surgeon was 100 per cent certain that it was going to work.
"Nobody knows why Botox helps to relieve migraine pain, but many of my patients say it works. However, I would not be happy removing a muscle to obtain the same results."
Trials using just Botox injections to treat migraine have so far been inconclusive.
Botox, a toxin used to smooth out wrinkles and lines around the face by temporarily paralysing the muscle underneath the skin, is not currently licensed for the treatment of headaches in the UK.
Research leader Dr Bahman Guyuron of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, said: "The economic impact of migraines on businesses is staggering due to lost employee time and productivity.
"By identifying the trigger areas for migraines and performing targeted surgical procedures, we significantly reduced or eliminated their migraines and the amount of time missed from work."
Source: Scotsman, The
Related Articles
- UK's NICE Recommends Spinal Cord Stimulation for Patients With Chronic Neuropathic Pain
- Innocoll Announces Dosing of First Patient in a Second US Phase 2 Clinical Trial to Investigate CollaRx(R) BUPIVACAINE SURGICAL IMPLANT for the Management of Post-Operative Pain
- CBRL Group, Inc. Reports 27% Increase in Income Per Diluted Share From Continuing Operations for Fiscal 2008 First Quarter
- YM BioSciences Reports AeroLEF(TM) Randomized Phase IIb Trial Meets Primary Endpoint in Patients With Post-Surgical Pain
- Surgery Deemed Safe for HIV Patients
- DURECT Provides an Update on Its Post-Operative Pain Depot (SABER(TM)-Bupivacaine) Program
- MAGNET Nationwide GPO Awards Contract to McKinley Medical for ACCUFUSER(R) and AutoMed(R) Post-Operative Pain Control Pumps
- DURECT Announces Positive Preliminary Results From Its Phase II Study for Its Post-Operative Pain Relief Depot
- DOV Pharmaceutical, Inc. Initiates Phase III Trial of Bicifadine for Treatment of Post-Operative Pain Following Vaginal Hysterectomy
- DURECT Announces Preliminary Results From Cohort 2 of Its On-Going Phase II Study for Its Post-Operative Pain Relief Depot
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds