BOTOX® & Headaches

What To Expect From Treatment

Whether you’re considering BOTOX® treatment, or have already received treatment, here’s what you need to know.

Your first treatment
For Chronic Migraine patients, the FDA has approved a specific dose and injection pattern for BOTOX® treatment—31 injections are given over 7 key areas of the head and neck once every 12 weeks to prevent headache days.

Here’s what to expect during your first treatment:

Injections to 7 key areas of the head and neck

  • Very fine needles are used for 31 total injections
  • Injections feel like tiny pinpricks—you may feel mild discomfort

The most common side effect in Chronic Migraine clinical studies was neck pain experienced by 9% of BOTOX® patients (vs 3% in placebo)

  • Other side effects include headache, migraine, slight or partial facial paralysis, eyelid drooping, bronchitis, musculoskeletal stiffness, muscle weakness, pain in 1 or more muscles, ligaments, tendons, or bones, muscle spasms, injection-site pain, and high blood pressure.
  • This does not cover all the possible serious side effects of BOTOX®. Please see the Important Safety Information including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide and talk to your doctor

BOTOX® Injection Sites

*Injections are on both the right and left side of the head.
When to expect results
In clinical trials, BOTOX® provided a significant reduction in headache days after the first treatment. After the second treatment (at 24 weeks), BOTOX® prevented up to 9 headache days a month (vs up to 7 with placebo injection).

Why commit to 2 treatments?
Committing to 2 treatment sessions is important in order to see how BOTOX® is working for you, since BOTOX® showed significant reduction in headache days at 24 weeks. Talk to your doctor about your progress, and as you start to see changes in the amount of headache days you’re having each month, keep track with our Headache Diary.

What happens next: a 12-week treatment schedule
Based on your progress, you and your doctor will discuss re-treatment every 12 weeks. Remember: BOTOX® is a preventive treatment, which means it’s taken to prevent headaches and migraines from occurring. So, it is recommended that treatment be given once every 12 weeks.

The best way for you and your doctor to know if BOTOX® is meeting your treatment needs is to give it time to work, so talk to your doctor, and stay on track.