Headache & Sweat Management
There are many kinds of headaches, including migraine and chronic daily headaches. Headaches can also be caused by serious conditions, like tumors and infections. For this reason it's important for patients with frequent or severe headaches to be evaluated by a neurologist. Treatments can include everything from physiotherapy to migraine treatment with BOTOX®. Mississauga and Toronto patients need not jump immediately to treatments like BOTOX for headache, or to daily medication, when simple measures will often suffice. However, it is good to know these options are available for those who need them.
Our Royal College certified staff neurologist, with extensive experience in headache treatment and in using BOTOX for other neurologic conditions like blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm, gives a brief overview of migraine headache treatment in Mississauga as follows:
- Avoid triggers to avoid headaches – e.g. chocolate, cheese, red wine. Keep a diary.
- Simple analgesics to treat moderate headaches – Advil and Tylenol with coke or coffee.
- Triptans for specific acute migraine therapy – shrink and calm inflamed, enlarged blood vessels of vascular headaches.
- Prophylactic measures to reduce frequency and severity – oral medications and herbal remedies, massage, acupuncture, and orthopedic pillows can all help in some cases.
- BOTOX for headaches that are chronic – The recent PREEMPT studies I and II suggest benefit for those with chronic migraines. Many private health insurers will cover the cost.
Side effects and contraindications exist for all these options and need to be discussed during a detailed consultation with a headache specialist.
To obtain more information on headache treatment, call us at 905-273-3045 (Mississauga) or 416-207-9090 (Toronto). If you require a consultation regarding headaches, please have your family physician fax a referral to the office.
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Treatment of Excessive Sweating with BOTOX in Mississauga and Toronto
Hyperhidrosis is a term used to describe excessive sweating. It can have negative emotional, social and physical impact for many individuals. Focal hyperhidrosis affecting an area such as hands, feet, face or underarms, typically has no specific underlying cause. At our Mississauga Sweat Clinic, you can obtain information about the various methods of treating this problem including:
- Topical treatments
- Iontophoresis
- Botulinum toxin type A (therapeutic BOTOX)
- Surgery
- Oral medications
Topical treatments for excessive sweating in our patients can include over the counter products containing aluminum chloride and alcohol, as well as prescription medication. Side effects can include skin irritation.
Iontophoresis treatment involves soaking the area (usually hands or feet) in a water bath through which a low grade electrical current is passed. It is effective in some individuals, and is simple to use and inexpensive.
In Mississauga and Toronto, BOTOX for hyperhidrosis is a common treatment choice for those with moderate to severe sweating. Between 83 to 95% of people participating in studies of BOTOX for sweating responded to treatment. Average length of response was 7 months in studies, but a significant number of people get benefit for as long as a year (and some have shorter lived response of 3 to 4 months). Side effects can include some local bruising or swelling, and in rare cases, increase in sweating in another area.
Surgical options can include a sympathectomy (nerve cutting) for treatment of hands or feet, or removal of sweat glands for underarm sweating. Side effects of surgery need to be discussed in detail before the procedure but can include such things as nerve damage or infection. Some people can develop compensatory increase in sweating elsewhere, and in some cases results are not permanent, and sweating returns.
Use of oral medication for focal sweat reduction is rare because of the potential side effects of medication, and is usually considered more in patients who have more generalized sweating or who have financial constraints.
The cost of hyperhidrosis treatment is often covered by private health insurance. Our sweat management specialists in Mississauga and Toronto can help you submit the required paper work.
