The Youth Drs Academy are proud to announce the introduction of the first Botulinum Toxin A (BTXA) Course for Chronic Migraine.
This procedure has been approved by NICE and it has published some info for the public regarding this treatment.
What is Chronic Migraine?
Migraine is primarily a headache disorder manifesting as recurring attacks usually lasting for 4 – 72 hours involving throbbing head pain of moderate to severe intensity. It is often accompanied by nausea, sometimes vomiting, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound, and/or other sensory stimuli. Some people can have warning symptoms called an aura, before the start of a headache. (NICE guidelines, 2011)
Prevalence of Migraine
It is estimated that there are 190,000 migraine attacks experienced every day in England and 6 million people suffer from migraine in the UK. Prevalence has been reported to be 5 – 25% in women and 2 – 10% in men (NICE guidelines, 2011)
Effect on sufferers
Chronic can have a devastating effect on a patient’s physical, social, emotional and working life. Some these effects are:
- Missing social, family and leisure activity
- Absence from work
- Missing household activity such as shopping or housework
- Difficulty coping with parental responsibilities
- Depression and low mood
What is the aim of this treatment?
The aim is to reduce the severity of chronic migraine headaches, decrease the frequency and improve life quality. It does not cure the condition but helps relieve the symptoms.
Who can have BTXA for chronic migraine?
The NICE guidelines state that BTXA has a UK marketing authorisation for the prophylaxis of headaches in adults with chronic migraine.
If you have been diagnosed with chronic migraine (by a consultant neurologist, it is defined as:
- Headaches for 15 days a month, with migraine on at least 8 days of these days and:
- Tried 3 medications for migraine which have failed and,
- You are not taking too many pain killers or using them too often
When should we stop offering BTXA to chronic migraine patients?
- The number of days you have chronic migraine headache each month hasn’t reduced by at least 30% after two courses of BTXA treatment or
- Your chronic migraine changes to episodic migraine (that is you have fewer than 15 days with headaches each month for 3 months in a row)
Migraine in the NHS
There are migraine clinics in some of the NHS trusts, with a waiting list about 12 – 16 months to receive the treatment.
You can have the treatment on the NHS for free. If you want a quicker treatment then you can either go to a private clinic or attend as a model to pay almost the cost price.
What does the procedure involve?
You will receive a few small injections in certain areas in the head which are identified by the trainer. Each injection includes a small dose of BTXA. The whole procedure takes 10 – 15 minutes. It is a very light procedure and we normally don’t use numbing cream as it is painless but we are happy to provide numbing cream if you think it will make you feel more comfortable.
Our Migraine Course
Our courses are supervised by neurology consultants and we have based our treatment according to the NICE guidelines and recent evidence.
There are many reasons why to book as a model in our course such as:
- You pay almost cost price of the BTXA only. We don’t aim to make a profit from you
- Can have your treatment quicker
- All the delegates who inject you are medically qualified doctors, dentist and nurses
- We use original BTXA from UK certified pharmacies
- Every injection is closely supervised
- You will have a medical assessment before the treatment
- We provide you with a headaches diary to follow your progress
- Will be provided by a complimentary drink upon arrival
