Use of Botox in TN Treatment

[Jan]

Use of Botox in TN Treatment
my notes of the TNA Conference

There have been some very limited studies done on the use of Botox for the treatment of TN.  The first report came from a group of 13 patients in Brazil who were treated with injections of Botox into the skin of the face.  (Cosmetic injections of Botox are normally given into the muscle).  Within 10 days all 13 people reported a decrease in TN pain.  By the end of 60 days, only 4 of the 13 remained pain free.
Since the active ingredient is actually a protein that is a “neurotoxin”, they believe the best results would come from the injection of the Botox into the skin near the trigger points for TN.  Neurotoxins prevent nerves from functioning properly and in the case of TN interrupting the function of the Trigeminal Nerve may be a good thing.

The number of patients studied so far is very small and they have not been able to do proper follow-up evaluations or blind study comparisons.  However, Dr. Krusz who presented this session thinks the use of Botox for TN should not be discounted.  He thinks it merits more study.  His closing comment was to “stay tuned” for further information.

The Botox used for medicinal purposes comes from one particular strain of the Clostridium Botulinum.  It is purified and processed so that there is no danger of a person getting food poisoning from these injections.    There are currently a few studies on the use of Botox for the treatment of Migraines.  One is being done at the University of California.  Dr. Glogou has reported that 75% of his patients treated with Botox have 4 - 6 months of no migraines.  He says “Though the mechanism for migraine relief is not known, Botox® injections paralyze the muscles in the face and head. Botulinum toxin A may stop the expression of pain by stopping muscle contractions that lead to spasm, he explained, or it may inhibit nerves that transfer pain responses to the brain and spinal chord. In all likelihood, it does both”.

[Bevh]

Hi everyone.

Just thought i would drop in to let yous know how my botox treatments are going. I just had my treatment five days ago and my face is setteling down now. It makes my face hurt lots at first but within ten days it stops and then i am out of pain. I have had botox for facial neuralgia for a year and a half, every three months. The first few days i have had alot of pain but it is setteling down now. The botox makes my whole forehead, chin and scalp area numb and i dont feel a thing. 

I have a bit of bruising on my right eye area from the needles so my husband is in hiding until that goes away because every one is glaring at him. LOL It doest hurt much getting the needles. It just stings a bit. And the areas that he puts the botox doesnt move because it relaxes the muscles. So my forehead doesnt move at all. and there is not a wrinkle to be found on my forehead or eye area. That is one of the perks of getting botox for pain in the face. So I have to say it is working great for me.

I still cannot lower my medication down from 800mg of tegretol cr. But it controls the breakthrough pains and i dont have to take pain meds. My last treatment in April lasted for two months and 22 days which was great. I usually only get two months out of it but we have increased the amount of botox to 200cc and that has made a big difference. My husbands work covers the cost of the botox which is 800 dollars every three months . So thank heavens for coverage because otherwise i would not be able to afford to pay for it.

I will be calling Bonnie agian as she has went for her second treatment and hopefully she has better success this time with it. Every person reacts to the botox differently. But as for me i will continue to have it done because every day without pain is a good one. I will check in soon and let every one know how im doing.

Take care and stay smiling
Bev

[Jan]

Great news.  I'm glad it works for you and you are happy with the results. 

So let me see if I have this right - you are wrinkle free - but only on one side of your face??  Cute.

I have not seen any current studies on the use of Botox although I think there are a couple of Universities in the USA who are doing actual studies.   It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

[BonnieG]

Unfortunately, for me, Botox did not work the second time....in fact I had some pretty major sinus headaches from it.  By the end of the 2nd month, the pain level was reduced and so was the pressure.  So, even though my insurance company approved 3 Botox injections, I will not be doing it again.  I guess everyone has to try and see what works for them.  Good luck.