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Botox linked to decreased migraine frequency

Category: General Health

A new study has found that Botulinum toxin type A, or Botox, may help prevent certain forms of migraine headaches.

Christine Kim, a dermatologist from Encino, California, and her colleagues studied 18 chronic migraine sufferers who were already planning to have Botox injections for cosmetic reasons. Within three months of treatment, a total of 13 participants experienced a significant reduction in migraine pain.

After looking at the data, the researchers found that Botox treatment helped reduce the recurrence of ocular migraines, which are commonly described as "crushing" or "eye-popping" headaches, Health Day News reports. However, patients experiencing "exploding" headaches showed no significant reduction in migraine frequency.

"While our results are preliminary, we are hopeful that our findings may eventually help researchers determine how botulinum toxin A injections prevent migraine pain, which patients will respond favorably, and what the proper doses and injection locations should be," said Kim.

In the study, mean headache frequency in patients with ocular symptoms decreased from 7.1 per month to 0.6 per month.

The study was financially supported in part by Allergan, the maker of Botox.