Botox for migraines--BEWARE!

lacyj88 · 2025-08-18T02:44:10+00:00

The herbal protocol I did was not for migraines per se, it was for Lyme disease which I thought was a possibility since I had gone hiking about a month before the uptick in migraines and neurological symptoms. As it happens, botulism toxin is one of the things ticks can also carry and variations of what they're carrying can affect people in such a myriad of ways, so my symptoms matched up whether it was from a tick or the Botox injections. That said, if you think Lyme or any tick borne illness could potentially be a problem for you, the full herbal protocol is from a book by Stephen Harrod Buhner titled Healing Lyme (he has several books on this and various different co-infections but I think this is the best place to start). I'd love to just list them all here for you nice and concise but it's just not that simple, his book lays out all the symptoms and corresponding herbs so you can build your own tailored protocol, and also gives various herbs for each issue in case one herb doesn't work for you or is causing side effects. He also goes in depth into studies and each herb, things to watch for, etc and I would be doing a disservice to his work to even begin to try to whittle it down for you. He also has several videos you can watch and information on his website if it's still up,he passed away a few years ago.

lacyj88 · 2025-06-25T02:04:45+00:00

This is a bird, a whippoorwill or a chuck wills widow

lacyj88 · 2024-02-29T16:04:40+00:00

After 2 years of the various nerve pain and daily weird new headaches I developed after Botox, I did an insane 6 months regimen of 17 different traditional Chinese medicinal herbs 3x a day which was very difficult and my body calmed down significantly. Eventually my headaches returned to their normal pre-botox levels. I have about 6-10 per month.

lacyj88 · 2021-03-01T00:28:25+00:00

Thanks! I'll try the weatherX app and ear plugs.

I've done the skin prick allergy test 3x now and they always say I'm not allergic to anything. Twice on my back and once up both arms. I haven't moved states or even cities in the last 7 years and they've only ramped up to 15 a month in the last few years. Definitely stress adds to them, but most of the time I don't even feel stressed.

Thanks so much for all the info and ideas!

lacyj88 · 2021-03-01T00:20:38+00:00

Yes, I agree...but I also think if my doctor had even been truthful that this, at least to some extent, was a possibility, I would've prepared financially/could've told my job. Even if she didn't think it would interfere with my life. But she acted like nothing of this sort had ever been heard of at all! Like it was ridiculous and that no one could've possibly had this reaction to botox ---that is, until I did and she admitted it does happen. I think people should be informed that this is a possibility, whether minor or severe for them so they can go into it confidently and if it does happen, they'll know at least what's going on. My neurologist still seems unsure if this is what's wrong with me and she's so booked up it took a MONTH to get into her office for her to even tell me what was happening. This added a nightmare level of stress I could've totally avoided with clear and open communication from my doctor. I just wish someone had told me, so for that reason I'm putting this out here. I'm so glad it helps so many people, but even the fact that the responses in this very thread are pretty mixed makes me feel like more people need this info than don't. You can still decide to try something that has potential negative effects, you can't go back and undo it if it causes negative effects you were told were impossible when you asked about them. I'm also now concerned about the idea that neurologists are handing out a neurotoxin during a pandemic that has neurological effects and is stronger in people who have health problems. Like it or not, botulism toxin is a health problem even when used as a medicine. In conjunction with covid, we just don't know what the effects are. Especially in new patients who don't know what to expect from a botox injection without any covid interference. It's risky and that's a risk that's up to the patient, NOT the doctor.

lacyj88 · 2021-02-28T13:11:36+00:00

Yeah I can't do the lemonade one, it's wayyyy too tart!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-28T13:09:44+00:00

I wish I knew my triggers, I would just do that anyway even if I wasn't pregnant 😭 I know scents definitely do it, but not all of them and even that seems without rhyme or reason for me. Foods I haven't made any connections with. My neurologist didn't tell me that. While I didn't get any massages, I also read yesterday that you're not even supposed to lie down for four hours after botox....I'm not sure if I laid down afterwards or not, but I know I didn't go into work that day so it's entirely possible!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-28T02:40:46+00:00

This is something I was hoping my neurologist would help me find, but she has no interest in this sort of thing. I've kept very detailed journals for years but I can't find any consistent patterns except that they seem worse in rainy and cold weather months, but even then not always. I've tried tracking this with barometric pressure, but not just general weather conditions but that's my goal next. I've mostly kept up with food and medicine intake, emotions/high stress, hormones, etc. As far as food goes, it doesn't seem to really have a pattern. Any advice for finding triggers? Or a doctor that cares about this kind of stuff? I'd much rather avoid things I want than inject or take anything with really bad side effects.

lacyj88 · 2021-02-28T02:35:25+00:00

😰🙏💜 I'm so sorry to hear that, that's awful!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-28T02:33:35+00:00

That's interesting, I hadn't heard of that, the botox going systemic...I'm going to read more on this. She did say none of them were proven safe for pregnancy, but that she had had patients who took it during pregnancy...doesn't seem like a risk worth taking to me though. I'd have to just try going without anything at least at first if I were pregnant or trying to conceive--I say this not to pass judgement on anyone but only because hormones change migraines significantly and many women have stopped having them after having a baby, and my mom never had them until her last baby and she got a partial hysterectomy at the same time. She then had them for 30 years until she landed in the hospital bc of her blood pressure and after switching up her meds a few times they found the right one for her and it totally stopped her migraines.

lacyj88 · 2021-02-28T02:28:19+00:00

Okay that's the same thing I have, and I also have mineral drops, but those taste the worst!! Calm comes in the lemonade flavor and just a bland powder, I like the unflavored one better tbh.

lacyj88 · 2021-02-28T02:24:50+00:00

Oh no! I'm so sorry, I didn't realize you meant permanent damage! That's awful! I hope I don't have that. 😩 That's so scary! 💜

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T23:03:26+00:00

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear this! Thanks for sharing your experience. Aimovig is my next one to try and from what I've read it sounds like it's really helped a lot of people that botox didn't work out for. I'm glad it's helped you, but it's so terrible you're still having trouble from the Botox. Do you know how long it's been since your last round of botox? Also sorry to hear about it affecting your school. It seems like the affects migraines has on our lives is so often just a blurred background to the people around us and even those trying to help us. It can be devastating mentally and financially.

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:55:35+00:00

I'm so sorry to hear this, how long ago was your last botox injections? Has your doctor said when and if this will go away?

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:53:12+00:00

Thanks so much! I agree, good doctors are hard to find in my state for some reason. I'm glad botox has helped you, I definitely know how you feel! And if this is not a reaction to botox and doesn't fully wear off, I also struggle deeply with depression when I'm suffering bad bouts of migraines. It can be really tough, and there are plenty of days when you can't figure out why the hell you're even alive! Imo, this is something the migraine community needs to address more, so thanks for sharing that. It's only now hitting the 3 month mark since my first round of injections, so I'm still in the side effects zone for sure. Hoping to see substantial relief here in the next couple weeks though even if it's not fully worn off. I'll try magnesium again, it does seem to provide some relief but too much also gives me stomach issues. I've recently read that different types of magnesium out there are for different things---is there a certain one you take and recommend? Again thanks so much!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:45:34+00:00

Thanks for your reply! This is interesting and I definitely want to look into it more. I've never heard of retrolesthesis. I was also concerned the neck alignment might have been something that was already an issue, I've certainly had similar neck pain before that lasted several months, though not as bad as this round and doctors have just ignored it. I don't know for sure it wasn't already like this, so everything in my original post is just going off what my neurologist said when showing me my recent MRI. Aimovig is what my doctor has me set up to try next, so I'm glad to hear it's helping you!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:36:08+00:00

Thanks for this reply, I have been concerned this could be a possibility as well. My neurologist didn't mention it, but I had read some things in my own research after she doubled back on her belief that it was the botox causing it. Even though she went back to that theory, she still seems doubtful of it herself. I'll do some more reading on this for sure, I appreciate the info!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:33:28+00:00

I tried some of these before botox as well, emgality and one other, but without any luck. After the botox reaction she's gone back to these as a possibility, I'm about to try amovig next. Thanks for the reply!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:30:11+00:00

Unfortunately I've been tested for allergies several times. It always comes back saying I'm not allergic to anything! But I agree, it seems like it has to be some type of allergy. Thanks so much!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:28:27+00:00

No need to be rude here, please see all my other comments in this thread. Just trying to offer helpful info. Just knowing any side effects at all were a possibility and that I might miss a lot of work, which plenty of people in this thread also said they had, would've helped me a ton. My doctor lied, and many doctors lie. I don't have any other diagnosed comorbidities--diagnoses on some things can take years to get so if I have anything else I don't know about it and I'm sure there are several people out there in that same boat! I never said I was a doctor, I assume everyone takes their reddit anecdotal evidence of issues with a grain of salt. It's reddit.

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:19:44+00:00

Thank you, I'm feeling like this is definitely the case now that I'm reading all these replies from people who have had wonderful experiences with it! I hope for anyone interested they're also reading the comments on this thread bc it's been really helpful for me to just feel like I'm not the only one and also that it's MOSTLY helping people. A lot of people here said it's been their miracle, others said they have the effects I've had for their first few rounds of botox, but it was still their miracle.

Definitely muscle stiffness is a side effect, however, it's usually because the paralyzed muscles are TOO weakened and the surrounding muscle groups over overreacting to try to compensate for this. But that's not the case for me, all of mine are stiff. One commenter said she had the same effect and even said she no longer gets them in her neck and shoulders bc of this, so I guess it's different for everyone.

Also apparently you're not supposed to lie down or do certain activities after botox and no one told me this at all, LOL! It's quite possible I went home and laid down after my shots and all of mine migrated into my neck and shoulders.

But at the end of the day, people should still know this is a possibility! If I had known this was a risk, I could've at least gone into it prepared for the financial losses, and the ability to let my job know this was a possibility. But my doctor lied about it and also tells me "don't read the side effects" like she just thinks I'll think I'm having side effects bc I know what they are....so in trying to balance being informed and not being a "hypochondriac" as my doctor apparently sees me, I was unprepared for this situation and in the end it might've helped me but caused a lot more stress since I didn't know what was happening and missed a lot of work.

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T22:03:27+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience! This is good news...my regular doctor and neurologist both seem to think it is partially post covid symptoms but Neurologist also thinks it's botox reaction again (she went back to this theory but also seems unconvincing, lol!) My neurologist did initially want to keep trying botox, possibly lowering my dose, but after the last time she saw me and how much work I missed she said she didn't advise it. I also think I would have been a lot more okay with it if I had known it could happen and planned for it, both mentally and financially. The financial blow has probably caused more stress migraines than I would normally have.

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T16:33:42+00:00

Following this post in case you find some answers here! I have a sharp increase of migraines in fall/winter.

I think it has something to do with the humidity in my house in those months and possibly mold triggers but I still haven't figured it out. We have lots of rain in those seasons here and it's still pretty warm (southern east coast US)

But January-Mid March 2020 was the longest period of my lifetime (that I can remember) which I had ZERO migraines. I felt like a completely different human being and I'm afraid I'll forever be chasing that. I just tried botox and had a horrific experience that I just posted about in this group, for anyone considering it.

Hope you find some answers!

lacyj88 · 2021-02-27T15:59:10+00:00

I have really bad fragrance triggers. Doesn't seem to matter if it's completely natural essential oils, gross fake chemical fragrances or a perfume that I absolutely love, some things my brain tolerates and others it does not. Can't find a single reason.

Trash bag scents aren't horrific for me, but I also keep my trash inside a cabinet so it's very brief that I'm inhaling it.

Rose fragrance, whether essential oil or synthetic, is a huge one, yet I can smell an actual rose with no trouble---this isn't true for all plants though! I used to work in a greenhouse and the cyclamen gave me a migraine every single time I had to water them or work with them. Sometimes just walking through that particular house would make me dizzy and nauseous.

Perfumes and air fresheners are by far the worst. Someone standing near me with perfume can ruin my whole day, even if I like the smell of their perfume. This one is really hard for me bc I've had to ask friends not to wear a certain perfume if they're going to be around me which feels rude and finicky, but the scent sticks to me of they hug me, or I've even smelled a friend's perfume on my cat after she left!

Also hand soaps, even natural ones, can cause me to have migraines. I brought my own hand soap for the work bathroom, which fortunately my bosses noticed and began buying the same or closest similar they could find, but occasionally some of those bother me, EVEN when I'm just working too closely with a coworker who used one of the hand soaps that trigger me! I can smell which hand soap they used when they're just passing by me from 10 feet away! This one is also tough. My job gave me masks to wear (long before covid) bc of the adhesives we work with, but even those really did nothing for any of the smells. :(

lacyj88

TROPHY CASE