Chronic migraine is a complication of migraine and is characterized by the fact that the patient suffers from a headache for more than 15 days each month for many months. The headache does not necessarily have the classic characteristics of a migraine every day. Usually in this difficult situation, the patient overuses painkillers or triptans at the same time and suffers from depression. Many times the usual pharmaceutical-preventive treatment cannot deal with this condition. Since 2012, the administration of the well-known Botox for medical reasons in this case has been approved and granted in Greece through the insurance agency.
The procedure is as follows: the neurologist injects BOTOX with insulin syringes at 35-39 points throughout the skull: forehead, side (temple), low at the base of the skull at the back and even lower at the neck. It is a standardized procedure for which the neurologist who performs it is trained. The fund grants two bottles of Botox every three months at no cost to the patient, if the request is made by a qualified neurologist and the patient suffers from chronic migraine and has failed at least two previous drug treatments.
The great advantage of this treatment is that BOTOX only acts locally on the injection sites and does not burden the body. Side effects that can occur are neck pain in 10% and eyebrow drooping in 3% patients. However, if any side effect appears, it will disappear in 100%.