Chronic Migraine is a distinct and severe neurological disorder characterized by patients who have a history of migraine and suffer from headaches on 15 days or more per month for at least three months, with at least eight headache days per month being migraine. Unlike patients who suffer from "episodic" migraines (i.e., migraines that are infrequent and/or vary in duration), patients with Chronic Migraine have increased rates of medical and psychiatric co-morbidities, and are approximately twice as likely to have depression, anxiety and chronic pain conditions.

It is estimated that approximately 80 per cent of those who meet the definition of Chronic Migraine have not received an accurate diagnosis8 and, as a result, may be unaware of their treatment options. This may be due to mischaracterization of Chronic Migraine as a less severe headache disorder. The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks migraine as one of the top 20 most disabling diseases and notes that a day lived with severe migraine can be more disabling than blindness, paraplegia, angina (after walking 50 meters) or rheumatoid arthritis.

Although Chronic Migraine occurs in both men and women, women are three times more likely than men to suffer from migraines. Chronic Migraine can also be influenced by life stress, sleep habits, diet and overuse of acute medications that relieve pain associated with symptoms of headache.11 Health Canada approved Botox (r) as prophylactic treatment for chronic migraine headaches. Health Canada's approval of BOTOX® is based on data collected in Allergan's PREEMPT (Phase III REsearch Evaluating Migraine Prophylaxis Therapy) program, which was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BOTOX® as a preventive treatment of headaches in adults with Chronic Migraine.

The area to be treated is determined after a comprehensive consult with Dr. Gill. The area to be injected is usually treated with topical anaesthetics and ice for patient comfort. Most third party insurances will cover most or portion of the treatment cost.