Living with Chronic Migraine in the Grind Culture: A Conversation with Lauren Browning

Summary

The Head Start: Embracing the Journey – Episode Summary: "Living with Chronic Migraine in the Grind Culture: A Conversation with Lauren Browning"

Release Date: May 14, 2024

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Introduction to the Episode

In this compelling episode of "The Head Start: Embracing the Journey," hosted by Nora McInerny, listeners are invited into an open and honest conversation about living with chronic migraine in today’s high-paced, “grind” culture. Partnering with AbbVie, the podcast aims to build a community of support for those battling this invisible disease, offering insights from experts, doctors, and individuals like Lauren Browning who share their personal experiences and coping strategies.

Guest Profile: Lauren Browning

Lauren Browning joins Nora as a guest to share her journey with chronic migraine. Diagnosed at the age of 22, Lauren is not only navigating the challenges of chronic migraines but is also an entrepreneur—the founder of Ricky Beach Club, a sustainable swimwear line. Her story intertwines personal struggle with professional ambition, providing a unique perspective on managing health while pursuing entrepreneurial dreams.

Lauren's Personal Journey with Chronic Migraine

Lauren opens up about her early experiences with migraines, emphasizing the emotional and physical toll they took on her life. Reflecting on her past, she shares:

"I had a migraine attack every other day. It was overwhelming to say the least. I didn't really know about treatments for chronic migraines."
[16:00] – Lauren Browning

One of the most harrowing moments for Lauren was experiencing temporary vision loss during a migraine attack, a symptom that was difficult for others to understand:

"When you have a migraine attack, you don't look sick... It almost makes people not realize the severity until something visibly drastic, like vomiting, happens."
[16:00] – Lauren Browning

Impact of Chronic Migraine on Career and Entrepreneurship

Lauren delves into how chronic migraine has influenced her career choices and entrepreneurial path. Initially working full-time in corporate jobs, the constant migraine attacks made her realize the unsuitability of such environments for her health:

"I realized with the pandemic, I couldn't keep doing a full-time job and trying to do this side hustle and decided to go to business school."
[09:23] – Lauren Browning

Transitioning to entrepreneurship allowed Lauren to set her own hours and create a work environment tailored to her needs, significantly reducing migraine triggers.

Managing Migraine Triggers While Running a Business

Balancing business responsibilities with chronic migraine management requires strategic self-care and boundary-setting. Lauren emphasizes the importance of flexibility and self-compassion:

"I've just been really trying to lean into giving myself grace. If I don't get a good night's sleep, I need to communicate to my team that I need to take time to recover."
[20:29] – Lauren Browning

She discusses practical steps she has implemented, such as creating a “sleep cocoon” with tools like a noise machine and weighted blanket to ensure quality rest, which is crucial for preventing migraine attacks.

Familial and Genetic Aspects of Migraine

Lauren’s experience with migraines is deeply rooted in her family history, having seen her mother and grandmother struggle with the condition. This familial context provided her with both emotional support and a better understanding of managing her own health:

"Having family members who understand this and physicians in my family gave me the wherewithal to keep questioning things and advocating for myself."
[22:55] – Lauren Browning

Dr. Christopher Rhine adds to this by highlighting the genetic components of migraines:

"There is a familial and genetic element of who gets migraine attacks. Studies have shown that being related to someone with migraine greatly increases your chances of experiencing migraine attacks."
[24:37] – Dr. Christopher Rhine

Insights from Dr. Christopher Rhine

Dr. Rhine provides a healthcare professional’s perspective on chronic migraine, emphasizing the significant impact it has on patients' lives beyond the physical pain. He underscores the importance of feeling understood and believed by healthcare providers:

"I believe their symptoms, I believe their struggle, and I believe that we can help them."
[20:06] – Dr. Christopher Rhine

He also discusses common workplace triggers for migraines, such as bright lights, screen time, and loud noises, and advises on early consultation with healthcare providers to manage the condition effectively.

Conclusions and Takeaways

This episode underscores the resilience required to manage chronic migraines while pursuing personal and professional goals. Lauren Browning’s story is a testament to the power of self-advocacy, the importance of supportive relationships, and the benefits of creating an adaptable work environment. Dr. Rhine’s insights further validate the struggles faced by those with chronic migraines and the critical role of understanding and supportive healthcare.

Key Takeaways:

• Self-Advocacy: Communicating needs and setting boundaries are essential for managing chronic migraines alongside professional responsibilities.
• Support Systems: Family and empathetic relationships significantly aid in coping with the invisibility of chronic migraines.
• Workplace Adaptations: Creating a work environment that minimizes migraine triggers can enhance productivity and well-being.
• Early Intervention: Seeking medical advice early can lead to more effective management and treatment plans for chronic migraines.

This episode not only sheds light on the challenges of living with chronic migraines but also offers hope and practical strategies for those navigating similar journeys.

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If you or someone you know is struggling with chronic migraines, consider reaching out to a healthcare professional to explore treatment options and support systems.

Transcript

[Nora McInerney]

Life sometimes has a way of blindsiding you with a feeling of being overwhelmed at the worst possible time. That's why you have your self care, your coping strategies. That's why you have us. I'm Nora McInerney and this is the Head Start Embracing the Journey, a podcast where we'll be taking all those things you usually save for your friend group out into the open so we can all find a bit of optimism for those battling chronic migraine. These conversations are going to be even more helpful and relatable, so definitely stick around. This show is brought to you in partnership with AbbVie. So first let's hear some important safety information and stay tuned to the end of the podcast for more.

[Botox Safety Information]

Indication Botox Anabotulinum Toxin A is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to prevent headaches in adults with chronic migraine who have 15 or more days each month with headache lasting four or more hours each day in people 18 years and older. It is not known whether Botox is safe and effective to prevent headaches in patients with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days each month or episodic migraine. Important Safety Information Botox may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems. Anytime hours to weeks after injection of Botox, problems swallowing, speaking or breathing due to weakening of associated muscles can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are pre existing before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months. Spread of Toxin Effects the effect of Botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms including loss of strength and all over muscle weakness, double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, trouble breathing and trouble swallowing. Please stay tuned for additional important safety information within this podcast.

[Nora McInerney]

Hello and welcome back to the Head Start Embracing the Journey. This is season two so if you are new here, there are eight episodes of our first season available right now for you to binge making this show has been an honor and a true education and the people that we have met along the way are incredible. So here we are, Season two and the journey continues. One resounding thing we have heard from all of you is how difficult it can be to have an invisible illness like chronic migraine. And I'm not just talking about the physical symptoms, but also the fact that the struggle that you're experiencing is invisible to the world. You look like you're doing just fine. Even if you're having auras or temporary vision changes or stomach turning nausea, you look fine. So you must be fine. If only the reflex to fake it till you make it is real and it's pervasive. Think about every good vibes only welcome mat you've seen every time someone asked how you were doing and you said fine, even when the truth was you were really truly struggling. But one thing I've noticed is that speaking openly and honestly about our lives growing creates the space for other people to be open and honest about theirs. It normalizes our personal human experiences. It helps us find connections with each other. It helps us build support systems. There is a power in honesty, but there's a real vulnerability to it too. Not everyone is going to show up the way we need them to, if they show up at all. Some people will do and say the wrong thing, because even good people do that sometimes. To kick off our second season, we have a conversation with guest Lauren Browning. Lauren has been living with migraine attacks for a long time and was diagnosed with chronic migraine at 22. Lauren is also an entrepreneur and the founder of the sustainable swimwear line Ricky Beach Club. We sat down to talk with Lauren about entrepreneurship, support systems and living life with chronic migraine. But first, as always, I'm joined by my friend and headache specialist Dr. Christopher Rhine. Dr. Rhine, I know you've said to call you Christopher. I'm calling you Dr. Rhine, at least on the show.

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

Nora, what's going on man? I love being able to hang out with you and talk about chronic migraine and to walk through the stories of these really brave people who not only deal with this in their day to day life, but are willing to come forward like this and share their stories with us and how they experience chronic migraine.

[Nora McInerney]

Me too. I have learned so much from you and so much from them. And I have heard from so many people who listened to season one and felt seen and that makes this work feel even better.

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

Agreed. The saddest part of chronic migraine is how unfortunately people feel misunderstood with what they're going through. But I think something like this show helps shed a light on what they're experiencing and like you said, makes them feel seen.

[Nora McInerney]

Okay, let's dive in. You've worked with many, many, many patients like Lauren who are living with chronic migraine. How familiar is her story to you?

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

It is profoundly common, unfortunately, and I really wish it wasn't the case. And I see this every day in my clinical practice, the Global Burden of disease study from 2019, which really looked at the impact that migraine attacks have. World found that women under 50, for them, migraine is the number one reason for years lived with disability. And the impact is exactly what Lauren is going through. Here is a motivated, educated, tough as nails lady who knows about the impact that chronic migraine is going to have on her. And it's profound. Right. She still remembers stories about her grandmother from her childhood, talking about the impact that chronic migraine has had. So this is a condition affecting loved ones from our past and are present and can be a generational one often times. And Lauren's story really comes across that way.

[Nora McInerney]

Dr. Ryan, thank you as always. We'll be chatting in just a bit, but right now, let's jump into my conversation with Lauren. Lauren, welcome to the show.

[Lauren Browning]

Thank you.

[Nora McInerney]

I am looking for some reading recommendations. Have you read anything good lately? I have.

[Lauren Browning]

I have it actually right next to me. It's called the Lioness of Boston. It's about Isabella Stewart Gardner, who is an art collector in Boston.

[Nora McInerney]

Is it getting you excited about living on the east coast again?

[Lauren Browning]

Yeah, I want to go to her museum. She has, like, this amazing museum in Boston. So, yeah, that was a really good one.

[Nora McInerney]

So, Lauren, we want to get to know you and get to know your story and your business before we start talking about your journey with chronic migraine. What inspired you to start your own business?

[Lauren Browning]

Yeah, I think about this a lot because I kind of think I'm crazy for doing it sometimes because it's an emotional rollercoaster. But it honestly started and I know that you relate to this as well. I lost my dad and I was 20 years old, and I just felt really lost. I entered the workforce shortly after and felt like I was really mediocre or not good at any job I was doing. And that was a feeling that was something I wasn't used to. I was always a good student, always really involved, and I just felt like I wasn't figuring it out. So through that whole experience with him, I like cliche. Lee learned life is really too short to be spending 50 plus hours a week doing something that doesn't inspire you and you don't like and doesn't make you feel good. So I'm from Rhode island, grew up around the water, and swimwear and beachwear and fashion have always been a large part of my life. So it's been a very slow, intentional build over the last eight years to just really learn and absorb everything I can and launch a beachwear brand.

[Nora McInerney]

Tell me what your business is called and what you do.

[Lauren Browning]

So it was previously called Ricky Rum because my dad's name was Rick and we lived on Rumstick Road and my brother in law would call him Ricky Rumstick, so I just kind of shortened it. Everyone always asks, who's Ricky? Because that's obviously not my name. And he actually went by Rick. So I don't know. But it's now Ricky Beach Club.

[Nora McInerney]

So you're an entrepreneur. You are a small business owner and you mentioned that you jumped into this without having any sort of formal background in fashion and in retail. Tell me about what that experience has been like and have you felt like there's been a lot of pressure?

[Lauren Browning]

Yeah, there definitely has been a lot of pressure, but really it's internal. But it's been tough because the past six months have been the first time I've ever been my own boss. I started my business while I had a full time corporate job and always really like relied on that. I was like, you know what? Like, it's just my side thing. It's just my side thing. I explained away, you know, why I wasn't growing and why I wasn't, you know, really trying to push it farther. But I realized with the pandemic, I couldn't keep doing a full time job and trying to do this side hustle and decided to go to business school. So in business school, it was great to find people also on this entrepreneurship path because I, you know, I felt like such an imposter. I was like, who am I to be doing this? And going to business school really helped build my confidence. It helped me learn how to talk about the business and fundraising and all that.

[Nora McInerney]

You're a female founder and you're a female entrepreneur in 2024, which means it has been over 10 years of, you know, really female culture leaning in, right?

[Lauren Browning]

Yep.

[Nora McInerney]

But you're also running your own business while living with chronic migraine. How has your experience with chronic migraine affected, impacted or informed your entrepreneurial journey?

[Lauren Browning]

So it's actually been a huge part of it because when I was working those first jobs out of college, I was running to the bathroom and throwing up like almost daily because of my migraine attacks. You know, sitting under those fluorescent lights. I realized that a lot of things trigger my migraine attacks, whether it's something I accidentally eat or drink or just like not having a good night's sleep. So a lot of things are playing into why I wasn't loving my first jobs. And I worked for some amazing people and with some amazing people being My own boss has been great because I set my own hours. Sometimes I'm like, you know what? We're gonna take three days off instead of two this weekend because I know if I don't reg right now, I'm going to be out on my back for three days.

[Nora McInerney]

I love that you're a compassionate boss to yourself. So, Dr. Ryan, I am always glad that we have you here, but I'm especially glad to have you here to give a healthcare provider's perspective on this. So a huge part of Lauren's story is how chronic migraine affected her career and how entrepreneurship has helped her build a career that makes space for her Chronic Migraine Migraine how has chronic migraine affected the work lives of your patients?

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

Nora There is no doubt it has a tremendous impact on their lives and on all of those components, really. Following along the story that we see from Lauren, nearly all of my migraine patients discuss the impact of their working routine educational situation and how chronic migraine has a deep impact on that. Everything from working overnights or third shifts, pursuing their education while working part time, maybe even the environmental realities of their working conditions like extreme heat or cold. They all play a role and managing chronic migraine becomes another one of the sort of stones that they have to carry through their day. From what my patients tell me, the hours that patients work, the stress levels associated with that work, are typically contributors to triggering migraine attacks associated with the workplace.

[Nora McInerney]

What can make these workplaces such a tough place for people who are living with chronic migraine?

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

There are so many common triggers in the workplace. The bright light, staring at a screen for long hours, loud, distracting noises. You could also meet with or walk by someone that has a really strong perfume or cologne that could trigger a migraine attack. And also the fact that sometimes it's easy for you to forget the basics like hydrating during the day when you're working hard and focused on other things. Add all that on top of the stress that comes with a working day and it's a trigger all in itself.

[Nora McInerney]

We'll be right back with more from Lauren, so stick around.

[Botox Safety Information]

What is chronic migraine? It's 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more. Botox Onobotulinum toxinae prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. It's not approved for adults with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days a month. Ask your doctor about Botox.

[Botox Safety Information Continued]

Botox is a prescription medicine injected by your doctor. Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk.

[Lauren Browning]

Risk.

[Botox Safety Information Continued]

Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue and headache. Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms and dizziness. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions including als, Lou Gehrig's disease, Myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton syndrome and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.

[Botox Safety Information]

Talk to your doctor and visit botoxchronicmigraine.com or call 1-800-4 for Botox to learn more.

[Nora McInerney]

Welcome back to the Head. Start embracing the journey. Let's jump back into my conversation with Lauren Browning. I want to talk about where you were leading up to your chronic migraine diagnosis. You were in that beginning of your career. You just moved to New York City. And as exciting as these things are, you mentioned these are also things that kind of challenge this whole situation. What else were you juggling at the time and what were your migraine attacks like?

[Lauren Browning]

Yeah, so I had just moved to New York. It was a lot at the time. I didn't really know about treatments for chronic migraines. I also had gone through like this horrible breakup. So I was like, I'll never love again and all this stuff. I'm getting a migraine migraine attack every other day. It was overwhelming to say the least. Oh, and I didn't know where to start. Yeah, I really didn't. Yeah.

[Nora McInerney]

Can you share with us a memory of one of those migraine attacks, how it affected you and when it just became too much?

[Lauren Browning]

Definitely. So one of the scarier migraine attacks was when I had a temporary vision loss in my left eye. That's not ever happened before. But to my roommates, I look fine. When you have a migraine attack, you don't look sick. It almost and it's hard to describe it like, yeah, make me want to throw up. And it's not until like there is like that actual, you know, act of throwing up. Okay, maybe she actually is sick. So I think a lot of it was like I felt like I had to convince people that I had this disease. I really just tried to hide it. I remember the first time I was with my mom and she actually suffered from migraine attacks. So fortunately I was with someone who understood and she immediately like got me in a dark room, got a Towel for my head. So that time was a real bummer. I mean, I had a migraine attack on Hawaii to Mardi Gras and I powered through that. I powered through that so hard, my friends, like, didn't understand. And then, like, I, like, went home that night and just like, I was like, I probably shouldn't have, I probably shouldn't have come to this. But honestly, there's been a lot of life moments, big and small that I've gone to and attended with a migraine attack. Yeah, because it was either just power through it or miss it altogether. When you were getting them 15 days a month. It's crazy when all of a sudden it comes on. Most times it's like a Mack truck and you don't know how to communicate it with people around you. Fortunately, I have really kind, empathetic people in my life who like, believe me and let me take care of myself or help take care of me. But yeah, like, when it came to work, and then when I was in business school too, there were times where I'm like, the way you're looking at me, you think I'm faking this, but I promise you I'm not.

[Nora McInerney]

You also had an experience in business school where there was a professor who suggested that you had mentioned, I'm having a migraine attack. And they had said, well, you look fine. How do you respond to this and manage that stigma?

[Lauren Browning]

So I, I didn't handle this instance well. And it did happen this past year. I was like, I was 31. So, like, this, you think I would have learned at this point. I started crying and not like a full on sob, but I just like, couldn't help. My eyes welled up and she's like, oh my gosh, this, this isn't anything to get worked up over. And I was like, I'm so sorry. I don't know how else to say it to you, but like, if I don't get out of here right now, like, I'm going to, like, puke on your shoes right here. And I, I just, I can't. So unfortunately, I kind of fell apart in that moment. Like in the past with bosses and then later with that professor, I did talk to her. I was like, it's one of these things that it's, to the naked eye you're fine, but inside I won't be well. And just communicating that to them, that kind of makes people understand, like, okay, like, this is something serious. And then there have been times in the past where I was out for days.

[Nora McInerney]

Dr. Rhine I want to bring you back in here. Before we mentioned the global burden of migraine disease, I'm curious about the concept of a shared burden where people with chronic conditions like chronic migraine feel this need often to educate people on the disease so that their experience can be understood. How often do those sorts of conversations come up in your practice, Nora?

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

Really, conversations like this are the number one reason why patients become tearful in my clinic. While the discomfort of the migraine attack is profound, the frustration of not being believed or understood is far more sinister. I often will start my communication with patients by letting them know that I believe them. I want them to dive into their story, discuss their experiences in an authentic way. I need them to feel able to express themselves and the experiences that they've had with chronic migraine. Because the only way to have a kind of conversation is to make clear with them that I believe them. I believe their symptoms, I believe their struggle, and I believe that we can help them.

[Nora McInerney]

Let's pick up our chat with Lauren. Now that you are an entrepreneur, which a lot of people have romanticized, how have you carved out space or protected that space to help avoid your migraine triggers and care for yourself when these migraine attacks happen?

[Lauren Browning]

Yeah, I've just been really trying to lean into giving myself grace. Because when you are an entrepreneur, you set your limits. I've been working on this full time since business school, since June, and I really didn't fall into a rhythm till six months in because it's hard to just stay motivated. Some days I was working 15 hour days, other days I was putting in like 30 minutes of productive time. I just have learned the hard way that if you push yourself too hard, you are going to burn out. And like I said earlier, you're going to be a bad coworker to the people that depend on you and you're going to waste their time. And that's what's really led me to putting boundaries in place. If I don't get a good night's sleep, I need to make sure that I communicate to my team that, you know, I'm going to be on like this part of the day, but then after that, like, you can reach me on my phone, but I'm not gonna be like actively checking things. Sleep is really big. I've made this like sleep cocoon, if you will. Noise machine, weighted blanket. Sleep has been the biggest thing that I put in place. And then just communicating.

[Nora McInerney]

Yeah. What's interesting about your journey with chronic migraine was that your mother you mentioned also experiences Migraine attacks, And so did your grandmother. Do you remember that as a part of growing up?

[Lauren Browning]

Huge part of growing up. So with my mom. So she started getting them in her 40s, and as a child, like, I remember having to bring up, like, trays of food to her and just, like, help take care of her because she was out all the time. So that was a huge part of growing up. Like, I always kind of liked the role of caretaker or nurse, but, like, I hated seeing her struggle. Yeah, that was really tough to see. And then my grandma, like, never admitted that she would get migraine attacks. Used to visit her every February break. So it was around Valentine's Day. She loves chocolate. And we'd give her one of those giant chocolate hearts. Like, we'd bring that in our suitcase, and she'd eat the whole thing. And then she would get a horrible migraine attack. I'm like, grammy. She's like, I just have. I just have a headache. We're like, this is more than a headache. And she's like, I have no idea what caused it. We're like, we have an inkling. She was so in denial because she was such a chocoholic. And so that's actually how I started to think about what was triggering mine.

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

And.

[Lauren Browning]

And I'm actually triggered by caffeine.

[Nora McInerney]

So you had support from family members who got it. How do you think that impacted your chronic migraine journey?

[Lauren Browning]

I think it was very helpful. So when my migraine attack started to get really bad, my mom was like, we need to find you a neurologist. So I found one, started the treatment plan, and it helped, but I wasn't meeting my treatment goals. He was like, sorry, that's the only thing we can do. Like, there's nothing more. And I think if I hadn't grown up with physicians in my family, My dad was a physician. My sister's a physician. I was like, there's no way that's true. Like, there's gotta be other treatment options. Mm. So I found this amazing migraine clinic in New York City, and when I saw that neurologist, she was like, oh, my gosh. Like, we have so many options to try. Like, everyone has a unique treatment plan, and we're gonna find the one that fits you. But, yeah, I think having, you know, family members who experience this and physicians in my family kind of gave me the wherewithal to keep questioning things and advocating for myself. And as I've become, you know, more of an adult, it's crazy how much we have to advocate for own health.

[Nora McInerney]

Yeah. Lauren, thank you so much for being here today. I am a fan of you professionally and now personally as well.

[Lauren Browning]

Well, I'm very grateful. Thank you.

[Nora McInerney]

Dr. Ryan. Lauren is really lucky to have really strong familial and generational support systems. She can lean on her mom. You know, she had the experience of seeing her mother and her grandmother also live with migraine. So how much of migraine and chronic migraine is genetic? Is this something that is passed down or or shaped by environmental factors?

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

Yes, there is a familial and genetic element of who gets migraine attacks. There are studies that have shown that being related to someone with migraine greatly increases your chances of experiencing migraine attacks. But the area is still very new and it's kind of being researched and looked at still at this time. Because migraine symptoms can look different person to person, it can be difficult to identify those ties. But yes, there very much is a family trend in migraine.

[Nora McInerney]

So walk us through some things here. Let's say you have someone in your family who's living with migraine. You start to notice similar symptoms in yourself. Is it important for you to talk to a doctor early?

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

Yeah, I don't think it's ever too early to reach out and talk through your situation with a doctor because fundamentally, the sooner that we have that conversation, the sooner we make the diagnosis and the earlier we can get to a diagnosis, the earlier we can get to a treatment plan.

[Nora McInerney]

Thanks, Dr. Ryan. Always great to talk to you.

[Dr. Christopher Rhine]

You too, Nora. You're the best.

[Nora McInerney]

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, but I hope that this conversation with Lauren gave you the inspiration to start or to keep going and regardless of what your chronic migraine journey is. I loved what Lauren had to say about the power of self advocacy, of raising your voice and making yourself heard. This has been the Head Start Embracing the journey. Thank you to our guest, Lauren Browning, the founder of Ricky Beach Club, for sharing her story with us. If you haven't found a chronic migraine treatment plan that is working for you, please reach out to your headache specialist to explore your options. I truly hope this has helped you find a bit of comfort. Comfort and maybe a smile.

[Botox Safety Information]

Maybe.

[Nora McInerney]

See you next episode and stay tuned for more important safety information. The Head Start Embracing the Journey is hosted by myself, Nora McInerney and executive produced by Yvonne Sheehan. Our EP of post production is James Foster. Our supervising producer is Sierra Kaiser, our writer is John Irwin and the show is mixed by Nick Cipriano for Bang Audio Post Original music by soundcap Productions and Artlist.

[Botox Safety Information]

Important safety information continued There has not been a confirmed serious case of spread of toxin effect away from the injection site when Botox has been used at the recommended dose to treat chronic migraine. Botox may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems or dizziness within hours to weeks of receiving Botox. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery or do other dangerous activities. Do not receive Botox if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in Botox. See Medication Guide for ingredients had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such Myobloc Rima Botulinum toxin B. Dysport Abobobotulinum toxin A Zeomin Incubotulinum toxin A Jeuveau Daxify Daxibotulinum toxin A Lanm or Lataibo Ladibotulinum toxin AWLBG this may not be a complete list of all botulinum toxin products Have a skin infection at the planned injection site. The dose of Botox is not the same as or comparable to another botulinum toxin product. Serious and or immediate allergic reactions have been reported including itching, rash, red itchy welts, wheezing, asthma symptoms, dizziness or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you experience symptoms. Further injection of Botox should be discontinued. Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions such as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, Myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton Syndrome as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of Botox. Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have or have had bleeding problems. Have plans to have surgery had surgery on your face, have weakness of forehead muscles, trouble raising your eyebrows, drooping eyelids and any other abnormal facial change. Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Botox can harm your unborn baby, are breastfeeding or plan to it is not known if Botox passes into breast milk. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over the counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. Using Botox with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received Botox in the past. Tell your doctor if you received any other botulinum toxin product in the last four months. Have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc, Dysport, Xeomin, Jeuveau, Daxify or Letibo in the past. This may not be a complete list of all botulinum toxin products. Tell your doctor exactly which product you received. Have recently received an antibiotic by injection Take muscle relaxants take an allergy or cold medicine take a sleep medicine take aspirin like products or blood thinner. Other side effects of Botox include dry mouth, discomfort or pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, neck pain, eye problems such as double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids and dry eyes, drooping eyebrows and upper respiratory tract infection. For more information, refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit abbvie.com Patient Access Support to learn more. What is chronic migraine? It's 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more. Botox Onobotulinum Toxinae prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. It's not approved for adults with migraine who have 14 or fewer headache days a month. Ask your doctor about Botox.

[Botox Safety Information Continued]

Botox is a prescription medicine injected by your doctor. Effects of Botox may spread hours to weeks after injection, causing serious symptoms. Alert your doctor right away as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems or muscle weakness can be signs of a life threatening condition. Patients with these conditions before injection are at highest risk. Side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue and headaches. Allergic reactions can include rash, welts, asthma symptoms and dizziness. Don't receive Botox if there's a skin infection. Tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions including als, Lou Gehrig's disease, Myasthenia gravis or Lambert Eaton syndrome and medications including botulinum toxins as these may increase the risk of serious side effects.

[Botox Safety Information]

Talk to your doctor and visit botoxchronicmigraine.com or call 1-844-BOTOX to learn more. This is an iHeart podcast.