Neurological Botox
Neurological Botox is a specialized treatment using safe and controlled doses of botulinum toxin A to relax overactive muscles or block pain signals. It can help manage and bring relief for a range neurological conditions, such as chronic migraine, muscle spasticity, drooling, and dystonia.
At Affidea neuraCare, you’ll receive personalized care from a world-class team every moment of your journey. Backed by deep experience and the latest innovations, we work to bring you the full potential of modern medicine to help you feel more like yourself again.
Read on to learn how neurological Botox could help you and what to expect from treatment at Affidea neuraCare.
Neurological Botox is one of the main treatments for migraine and can help reduce or prevent migraines from happening. It can also be used to manage common symptoms in a number of neurological conditions in adults.
They include:
- Spasticity – to help relax the muscles, reduce stiffness and pain, and improve or maintain movement in people with high muscle tone
- Dystonia – to help reduce muscle activity in one or two areas of the body
- Drooling (sialorrhea) – to help reduce saliva production in the salivary glands
While it can be an effective therapy option, it may not be suitable for everybody. Your neurologist considers your condition, how it’s affecting you, and your past treatments when deciding whether neurological Botox is suitable.
It may not be suitable if you’re allergic to Botox or any of its ingredients, are pregnant or breastfeeding, have an infection at the injection site, or have had Botox injections in the last three months.
Treatment plans for neurological Botox depend on your symptoms or condition. Together with your multidisciplinary team of specialists, your neurologist will design a plan with the best possible outcomes for you and discuss it with you before moving forward.
If you’re having neurological Botox as part of a clinical trial, the process will be different. As the benefits are not fully proven, you’ll be closely monitored before, during, and after treatment to protect your wellbeing. This may mean extra appointments, tests, and scans. Your neurologist will discuss this with you before you make a decision to take part.
How it’s given
Neurological Botox is given as an injection into the treatment site. This can be the forehead and neck for migraines, or the face and jaw for drooling. How many injections you have depends on your condition. For migraines, this can be 31 to 39 small injections.
For some areas, your neurologist may use an ultrasound to guide the procedure. They may also use local or general anesthetic to help you feel more comfortable.
It may take some time before you see the full benefits of treatment. For some conditions, this can be two to three days, whereas others may take up to 10 days. If you have any concerns about your treatment, speak to your neurologist.
How long treatment lasts
For some conditions, the results of neurological Botox can last between three to six months. For others, it can last up to nine months. This will depend on your condition and your individual response to treatment.
Your neurologist will assess your progress in a follow-up consultation. If the Botox is helping your symptoms and you tolerate it well, you’ll have repeat treatments at regular intervals to support your long-term comfort and wellbeing.
Your neurologist will also work with other specialists, such as your physiotherapist or speech and language therapist, to help increase and maintain the benefits of your Botox treatment.
How it affects you
While neurological Botox therapy is generally well tolerated, it can cause some side effects. Most are mild and temporary, and can be managed with medication. They include:
- Pain or bruising at the injection site
- Muscle pain or weakness around the injection site
- Flu-like symptoms
- Drooping eyelid after migraine treatment
- Dry mouth and changes to facial sensitivity after treatment for drooling
Others can be more serious, such as difficulty swallowing after Botox for drooling . The risk of this happening is very small as treatment is accurately guided by ultrasound. If you notice any difficulties eating or swallowing, let us know and we can offer further guidance or therapy.
Before starting treatment, we’ll take the time to discuss any potential risks with you and answer all your questions so that you can confidently move forward with your care.
