Botox is emerging as a remedy for migraine headaches. An injectable cosmetic treatment for facial lines and wrinkles, Botox is actually a neurotoxic protein, called botulinum toxin type A, produced by the anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming bacteria Clostridium botulinum and which causes botulism. In its cosmetic application it acts by limiting the mobility of muscles underlying wrinkled skin, thereby rendering lines and wrinkles less noticeable.

Severe head pain, nausea and visual or light sensitivity problems are some of the symptoms associated with migraine headaches. Slurred speech and temporary paralysis have also been frequently observed in severe cases. Botox for migraines had been shown to be a safe and effective treatment, actually relieving most if not all of the symptoms of migraines, in clinical studies conducted as early as 1999.

A number of patients receiving Botox injections for the treatment of deep wrinkles on the forehead stopped having migraine headaches or had significantly fewer migraine headaches since starting the injections. About half of them completely recovered from migraines and there was partial improvement in about a third. When this was discovered by doctors, research on the use of Botox for migraines was begun.

Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. William Binder and three other doctors conducted a formal study in 1999. They divided 100 patients in to 3 groups. Patients who definitely had migraines composed the first group. Patients who probably had migraines went into the second group. The third group consisted of patients who did not have migraines. At the conclusion of the study, it was established that migraine headaches completely disappeared in about half of the patients while the severity and/or frequency of migraine headaches was reduced by half in about 37 per cent.

Four months after receiving Botox injections, the patients who reported that they no longer suffered from migraine headaches said that their symptoms had disappeared. In addition, complete benefit was experienced within one or two hours by 8 out of 13 patients who had acute migraines. The disadvantages were far outweighed by the benefits. Slight bruising and temporary local pain caused by the injections were the only adverse effects reported in the administration of Botox for migraines.

The study proponents were surprised at the response of migraine headache patients to Botox treatments, although previous research had shown that Botox effectively reduces tension type headaches by relaxing the muscles. This is because tension is not the principal cause of migraine headaches. Based on the results, the conclusion researchers arrived at is that the administration of Botox for migraines certainly helped relieve the symptoms but it can not be said to be a cure.

Slightly different results were shown in other researches which were done more recently on the use of Botox for migraines. 18 out of 24 patients experienced four to six months of migraine relief following injections of Botox in a study conducted in 2000 by Dr. Richard Glogau, professor of dermatology at the University of California San Francisco. In a study conducted by Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Arizona's Dr. David Dodick in 2005, the frequency of migraine headaches in patients dropped from an average of 14 to only 6 a month after receiving Botox injections.

Although approved for the treatment of neurological disorders such as cervical dystonia (also known as spasmodic torticollis), blepharospasm, and strabismus, the medical use of Botox for migraines is not yet approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. However, since Botox is an effective therapy for certain neurological syndromes, there is a major indication that there is hope for relief from Botox in those who suffer migraines.