What Is Migraine Botox?
Migraine is a headache disorder that is often felt on one side of the head, has a throbbing quality, and may come with nausea and sensitivity to light or sound. If headaches occur on 15 or more days a month, at least eight of them have migraine features, and this has continued for more than three months, it is called chronic migraine.
Migraine Botox is a scientifically studied treatment option used for prevention in chronic migraine. Botulinum toxin is thought to work by reducing the release of certain substances involved in pain transmission. It is not given to stop pain during an attack, but to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks over time. For episodic migraine, in which headaches occur on fewer days per month, it is not a treatment with proven effect.
Chronic migraine is not limited to the days with pain; it can also affect work and social life, sleep and mood. Migraine Botox is one of the options that may help ease this burden and, in suitable people, can be considered together with other preventive treatments.
Who Is It Suitable For?
- People who have been diagnosed with chronic migraine by a neurologist
- Those who do not get enough benefit from preventive migraine medications or cannot use them because of side effects
- Those willing to keep a headache diary to track the effect of treatment
- Those who can set aside time for a treatment repeated at regular intervals
For headaches that are new, change in character, keep getting worse or occur with neurological symptoms, a neurological evaluation is always needed first. Headache related to frequent use of pain relievers should also be addressed separately in the treatment plan.
How Is the Treatment Performed?
- Your neurology evaluation supporting your diagnosis, the medications you use and your headache diary are reviewed.
- Injections are given into the muscles of the forehead, between the eyebrows, temples, back of the head, neck and upper shoulders, at points defined by standard protocols.
- A small dose is given at each point with a very fine needle. The procedure usually takes 15–20 minutes.
- Treatment is usually repeated every 12 weeks. Whether you are benefiting is mostly assessed after 2–3 treatments, using your pain diary.
What Should You Keep in Mind Afterward?
- It is recommended that you do not lie down and do not massage the treated areas during the first 4 hours.
- Avoid heavy exercise, saunas and steam baths for the first 24 hours.
- Do not stop or change your migraine medications without consulting your doctor.
- Keep up your headache diary regularly; the number of headache days, severity and medication use are important in assessing the treatment.
Possible Side Effects and Who Should Not Have It
Pain, tenderness and small bruises may occur at the injection sites. Some people may have neck pain, a temporary feeling of weakness in the neck, or a temporary increase in headache in the first days. More rarely, drooping of the eyelid or a change in the shape of the eyebrow may develop; these effects are temporary.
Treatment is not performed during pregnancy and breastfeeding, if there is an active infection in the treatment area, in neuromuscular conditions such as myasthenia gravis, or in the case of an allergy to botulinum toxin.
Dr. Fulya Koç’s Approach
Dr. Fulya Koç does not see migraine as a problem to be managed with injections alone. Triggers such as sleep pattern, nutrition, stress, hormonal changes and pain reliever use are also discussed at the consultation. Migraine Botox is planned not as a replacement for neurology follow-up, but as an option that goes alongside it.
The goal is not a promise to eliminate headaches completely; it is to improve your quality of life by reducing the number and severity of headache days. The response is reviewed regularly together, and if you are not benefiting, this is discussed openly. Transparency and shared decision-making guide every stage of treatment.
Fulya Koç
Frequently asked questions
No. Scientific evidence shows that it provides benefit especially in chronic migraine. When headaches occur on fewer days per month, other treatment options are considered first.
Treatment is usually repeated every 12 weeks. To assess whether you are benefiting, 2–3 treatments are mostly needed. Whether to continue afterward is decided together, based on your response.
Because the treatment includes the forehead and frown muscles, the lines in this area may soften. However, the aim of migraine Botox is not cosmetic; it is to reduce headache.
You should not stop your medications on your own. As you respond to treatment, any reassessment of your medication needs should be done together with the neurologist who follows you.
The information on this page is general. Whether the treatment suits you, its possible risks and the results you can expect are assessed individually at your consultation. Results vary from person to person. Image is illustrative.
