Botox for pain

[worried878]

My new pain doctor is going to try botox..not on my face  LOL  but in my tight muscles in my neck and shouler area...he gave me shots/4 of them/in my facet area of my thoracic spine last week..not sure what they were called..maybe "facet block??"  next week i go back and get those in my low back...then the next week i get the botox....has anyone else had this done?  the botox?  i am wondering why he is doing the facet injections on 2 separate appt's ..maybe to make more money i hate to say cos it seems as if he coulda done all of these facet shots at once?  I do like him tho and i am going to do as he says cos i am getting better..any experience would be appreciated

[helena333]

Hi, I had botox injections in my upper lumbar spine, a few years ago. Yes they did help for a few weeks---my muscles stopped going into spasm, and causing more pain. The Dr who did them said they have to be repeated every few months, and the idea is that gradually, your muscles relax more (bit like the wrinkles in your face) I did ask him if any was left would he turn me over and use in on my face! After a few weeks,the spasms came back, and because it didn't help with restof my pain, I decided the gain wasn''t worth the pain. hope this helps you to decide.

[worried878]

not a very good outcome for most it seems...i am gonna be sure my insurance cover s this before i do it especially if it may not work..i talked to someone who said it worked great for her migraines..course backs are bigger muscles than foreheads/where she got hers/ or facial muscles for wrinkles so maybe it doesnt have the umph to help those big muscles like shoulders etc...if my insurance covers it then i will try it..why not?  I will not get my hopes uup but if i could get rid of this spaming going on in my neck and shoulder i think i could get relief..i am not married so i pay dearly for massages weekly and i really need them daily..who can afford that!  and muscle relaxers are no0t my idea of a good time and after a while they quit working anyway..i do my ice and heat..sauna infrared/love it/got one for the house///have an infrared heating pad too and it wont burn u if i fall asleep on it...chiropractic weekly..and my insurance doesnt cover chiropractic or massage..i am going broke here trying to get relief...popping pills is cheaper for sure!

[Lilkim703]

I forgot to mention that my back has hurt all day long.  I've looked on the internet and posted something previously on this board and I do not recall anyone saying that it was effective.  There is no clear scientific evidence that it works.  My doctor said it was expensive if not covered by insurance so in retrospect, I certainly would not pay out-of-pocket for the (lack of) results I have experienced from botox.

[Lilkim703]

Before conducting the procedure, the doctors' office called the insurance company for pre-approval - and like worried878, it was explained that it was needed for medical purposes and everything was covered.  I live in Virginia so it can be approved in the U.S.  I am also not prescribed any pain meds - I'm trying to avoid it as long as possible because I have not had great previous experiences being at work and doing taxes on opiates.  

[babygirl149]

when i had the botox injections because it was needed for medical reasons my insurance did cover it. But it could also be because im from Canada... Goodluck

[babygirl149]

I myself had some botox injections and they worked for only five minutes other then that it didn't do anything for me.......

[xmelax35]

A doctor had mentioned botox to me and other people too, but my insurance I don't think will cover it either.  I thought about paying for it myself, but I suppose it is expensive.  On to something you said about placebo effect.  That is interesting.  I sometimes wonder if they give us placebos.  For instance, I was given a prescription for vicodin from the ER, however, I have had it before and this time it does Nothing at all.  I can't even tell I took it.  I had 2 left in the medicine cabinet from several months ago and took one of them and it worked.  I swear my other prescription is a placebo.  So your post is interesting.  I think we can sometimes tell the difference or maybe it could be that your pain is so bad that and the underlying cause is not allowing it to work.  

Anyway, I wish you luck.  I am in a ton of pain and no pain meds.  My doctor will not prescribe them, even though I am not addicted or anything.  He is being well....it is a long story.

Hope you feel better.

[Lilkim703]

I had botox in my upper back/shoulder area exactly a week ago.  For the first couple of days I thought it might be working - at this point I don't really think that it is.  Maybe it was a placebo effect at first because I wanted it to work so badly.  It almost seems as if the exact point of injection feels a bit better but the pain just seemed to shift. Anyway, tonight I had to use Activon backache, my theracane and my maxie backsie roller just like usual.  I'm also about to take some Doans and aspirin because it still hurts.  Unless the botox takes awhile to kick-in, I have not noticed much of a difference at this point.  My insurance covered it but I made sure to get pre-approval before the procedure.  

[worried878]

gosh..i hope my insurancde will cover...doctor said it would but he doews not really know probably...i can se how it will work cos my shouler and neck feel like concrete..i will keep u posted

[HR_PuffnStuff]

I have desperately wanted to try Botox for my migraines but ins. doesn't cover. Please let me know how it works for you. I know you are not getting it in your head but I'm curious as to how well it works in the body in general. Good luck to you and I truly hope you find relief.

[Tuckamore]

Hi Worried,

I have not had Botox. It is suppose to work by freezing muscles to stop spams for up to 3 months. They began using it for this purpose around 1994. People suffering from intense pain often have a combination of nerve pain and muscle pain. Therefore, reducing muscle pain may either stop a spiraling cycle of pain, or at least relieve it temporarily.

Please let us know how well it works for you both short term and long term. We learn from one another. Thanks for sharing and I am hoping this will continue to have good results for you. Take care, Tuck