27 different studies show Botox ineffective for migraines.
New data collected in a collaborative study between researchers in the U.S. and Japan has found that Botox is largely ineffective as a treatment for chronic migraines. According to a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, chronic migraine sufferers saw only a slight dip in frequency when using the drug.
Lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Jackson from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and his team reviewed 27 different studies including over 27,000 migraine patients. For those suffering daily headaches, Botox reduced frequency by one to two days a month. Those with less frequent migraines saw no appreciable change.
"The effect these appear to be having on migraine headaches is small - it only reduces headaches by a couple of days a month," Jackson said.
In a similar study last year, the results showed that Botox did little or nothing to help those with migraines. New guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology states, botulinum toxin (Botox) may do away with the unwanted wrinkles on your brow, but it probably does nothing at all to combat migraines and chronic tension headaches.
The guidelines were developed by researchers who reviewed and analyzed all available scientific studies on botox. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation also endorsed the guidelines.
According to the guideline author, "Based on currently available data, botulinum toxin injections should not be offered to patients with episodic migraine and chronic tension-type headaches," said Dr. Markus Naumann, head of the Department of Neurology at Augsburg Hospital in Germany. "It is no better than placebo injections for these types of headache."
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