About Chronic Migraines
Migraine headaches are a common condition and can lead to depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. They can cause significant absences and reduced productivity at work, school, and home.
Chronic migraines are defined as having more than 15 headaches per month over at least 3 months with more than 8 headaches having classic migraine features such as throbbing pain, light sensitivity and nausea and vomiting.
Chronic migraine headaches affect 2-3% of people and can cause significant disability. They affect people of all ages but are more common in women and in people with other medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance.
There are several types of rosacea, and some people may suffer from one or more types. It often presents as transient or persistent redness, dilated blood vessels, swelling, and inflammatory lesions. There may also be burning, stinging, dryness, or itching of the skin. Some patients have eye symptoms including inflammation of the eyelids, cornea, or whites of the eyes.
Migraine headaches have a complex genetic and environmental basis which is not fully understood.
Symptoms of migraine headaches can vary. Some people experience warning signals including mood changes, frequent yawning, feeling cold, swelling, neck stiffness, and food cravings 1-2 days before a migraine. Others may experience auras such as visual symptoms, ringing in the ears, reduced hearing, weakness, numbness, difficulty speaking or pins and needles sensation that immediately precede or present simultaneously to a migraine. Migraine attacks generally last from a few hours to a few days and can include throbbing or pulsing pain in the head, light and sound sensitivity, and nausea and vomiting. Many people feel tired, dizzy, and confused for up to a day after experiencing a migraine. The severity and frequency of headaches may improve with age, especially after menopause.
Many factors including weather changes, stress, lack of sleep, loud noises, smells, alcohol, hormonal changes, bright lights, skipping meals, medications and over exertion can increase your chances of having a migraine headache.
Chronic migraines can be treated with lifestyle modifications and medical therapies. Lying in a dark, quiet room, placing cold packs on the forehead, and staying well hydrated can help to relieve symptoms. Medication can be very effective, but can also cause significant side effects, rebound headaches, and drug interactions. Botulinum toxin (Botox®) is a safe, effective, Health Canada approved preventative therapy for chronic migraines.
Botulinum toxin (Botox®) can reduce the number of headache days per month, the duration of headache on headache days, and the number of moderate to severe headaches. Botox® can safely be used long-term with continued improvement in these factors over repeated treatment cycles.
The cost of Botox® for chronic migraines may be partially or fully covered by private insurance. You will need to check with your provider regarding your specific coverage. You must have been diagnosed with chronic migraines by your neurologist and have supporting documentation from them. There is an injection fee associated with the procedure which is generally not covered by insurance.
Treatments should be done every 3 months for continued benefit. Not everyone sees a benefit after the first treatment, and a minimum of 3 treatment should be done before determining if this treatment is beneficial for you.
