As the controversy rages on regarding BOTOX and its cosmetic use - who's too young, who isn't getting it, who has gotten it - the FDA has recently approved the use of BOTOX injections to treat migraines.
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Esteemed Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Dr. William J. Binder, has used the neurotoxin BOTOX to treat migraine patients since the early 1990s. A pioneer in the field to using BOTOX injections for therapeutic use, Dr. Binder discovered and developed the usage of the neurotoxin to prevent the often debilitating onset of migraines for millions of patients who could not be helped by traditional medications.
Dr. Binder says, "Current pain medications available for chronic migraine patients are often ineffective for many patients, and they offer no hope for preventing headache episodes. When administered properly, this BOTOX treatment offers long-acting, well-tolerated, preventative therapy and fulfills an unmet need in the treatment of these patients."
Since the news of the U.K.'s Drug Agency approval of BOTOX as a treatment of migraines in July of 2010, it came as no surprise to Dr. Binder that the FDA would soon officially approve BOTOX injections for preventing migraines. A pioneer in the truest sense, during one of the original studies on the use of BOTOX to treat facial wrinkles in the early 1990s, Dr. Binder discovered that the neurotoxin also relieved and prevented migraine headaches.
Dr. Binder developed the injection protocol which is the basis of the current FDA approved BOTOX migraine treatment. His findings have been presented to principal neurological and surgical organizations and academies. Dr. Binder continues to successfully treat many migraine patients with BOTOX.
An estimated 36 million people suffer from migraines in the US alone. The FDA's approval of BOTOX for migraines can now provide relief to chronic migraine sufferers, for whom previous medications could not help. For many, the BOTOX injections could mean at least a 3-month respite from migraines. Injection location and dosing is crucial in treating migraines with BOTOX but done correctly, the procedure can take up to 20 minutes and provide patients with much sought after relief for 3 or more months.
While it remains to be seen if other similar botulinum toxins such as Dysport or Xeomin will also be used to treat migraines, the federal approval of BOTOX for migraine treatment may offer patients migraine relief that was previously unachievable.
