Migraines are a type of headache. They cause moderate to severe throbbing or pulsing pain, often on one side of the head. They also cause:
Migraines have four phases. During a migraine attack, you may experience all four phases, or you may experience just one. These phases include:
The prodrome phase starts up to one day before your migraine hits. Early warning signs include mood swings, food cravings, uncontrollable yawning, increased urination, and fluid retention.
The aura phase can occur before or during a migraine. During this phase, you see bright lights, flashing lights, or zig-zagging lines. You may also feel like someone is touching or grabbing you, and your muscles may feel weak.
This is the most severe migraine phase. The headache starts with a pulsing or throbbing pain on one or both sides of your head. During the headache phase, you may experience sensitivity to light, sound, and smell, nausea and vomiting, and pain that gets worse when you cough, sneeze, or move.
During postdrome, or after the headache, you may feel confused, weak, or exhausted for up to a day.
At Laser Touch Medical Clinic, Dr. Hakimian treats migraines with Botox when appropriate. To ease your migraine pain and prevent future migraines, he injects the botox around the pain fibers responsible for headaches. This takes about 20 minutes.
As Botox enters your nerve endings, it stands in the path of chemicals your brain releases to signal pain. This stops pain networks in your brain from telling you that you have a headache.
Botox treatment will stop active migraines almost immediately, but it takes a few treatments for it to begin preventing them. For the best results, you should generally participate in at least two or three treatments spaced out 12 weeks apart.
The only way to know if Botox is a good treatment for your migraines is to talk to Dr. Hakimian. However, in general, Botox works best for adults who experience chronic migraine headaches.
If you think that Botox might be the answer to your migraine pain, schedule a consultation with Dr. Hakimian today. Set up your visit online or over the phone.
