← The Head Start: Embracing the Journey
The Head Start: Embracing the Journey
The Silent Struggle Behind the Veteran Mindset: A Conversation with Ivan Perry
00:33:04
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- [00:03]
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.
- [00:54]
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 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.
- [02:29]
Nora McInerney
Hello and welcome back to the Head Start Embracing the journey. I'm Nora McInerney. Most of us have probably heard the following phrases at some point in our lives. Suck it up. It's not that bad. Tough it out. Get over it. Maybe we heard these things from parents or coaches. Maybe we heard them from ourselves. And maybe sometimes, like say when I'm sobbing at a commercial, they were right. But if you're experiencing a migraine attack, these phrases are far from helpful. They're actually harmful. They're like telling a person that what they're experiencing doesn't matter, doesn't count. And when you hear that enough, you do tend to believe it that it's all in your head, that you're just being weak. But it's not, and you're not. Today's guest is pushing back against a culture that defines strength by the denial of struggle and is actively working to create spaces that are accessible and inclusive to people with chronic migraine and other chronic conditions. Ivan Perry is a US Air Force veteran, a diversity, equity, and inclusion entrepreneur, and a person living with chronic migraine. And as always, I am grateful to be joined by Dr. Christopher Rhine. But today more than ever, because Dr. Rhine is not just a renowned headache specialist. Dr. Rhine is also a military veteran himself. So thank you on two levels today, Dr. Rhine.
- [04:07]
Dr. Christopher Rhine
It is very much my pleasure. This is a story, Nora, that I'm really excited to dig into, because being a military brat my whole life, mom and dad are both veterans and Air Force officers. I was raised on military installations all over the country and then joined myself and an army veteran. And so digging into Ivan's story is really something that I'm looking forward to and am glad to be able to bring a little bit of headache love to the military side of things.
- [04:42]
Nora McInerney
So, Dr. Ryan, Ivan is a veteran of the Air Force. How has your experience in the military informed your practice as a medical professional?
- [04:54]
Dr. Christopher Rhine
It's so much a part of the reality that we actually have marching and fronting cadences that work to prepare these young soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, for exactly that type of difficulty. Military personnel are meant to be professionals in every way, and that has been my experience working with military individuals, whether they're veterans or active duty, and that certainly was my experience while I was serving as well.
- [05:21]
Nora McInerney
Okay, let's dive into the conversation with Ivan Perry. All right, Ivan, I have a question for you.
- [05:36]
Ivan Perry
Shoot.
- [05:37]
Nora McInerney
Do you have any tattoos that you regret?
- [05:40]
Ivan Perry
I have one that I overthink at times. I'm not gonna lie, Nora. Do I regret it? Maybe. It was at a time in my life when my brother was about to go to Korea. We were in Vegas. He was stationed in Vegas. We decided, spur of the moment, I'm gonna get a tattoo. The guy probably wasn't completely sober.
- [06:00]
Nora McInerney
You were in Vegas. You had a Vegas experience. And I have several Vegas tattoos that are a little souvenir that also. I didn't think through all that much, but I like to think of these as, like, reminders of who I was in the moment.
- [06:20]
Ivan Perry
Yes. And I usually plan so much and so far ahead that it's my reminder, and I tell my kids it's my reminder that I can be spontaneous at Times, and I don't want to cover it up for that reason.
- [06:34]
Nora McInerney
Oh, I love that you mentioned being stationed. You were in the. The Air Force. What inspired you to join the service?
- [06:43]
Ivan Perry
Actually, it was my dad. So, you know, I was a military brat. My dad did his 20 years. We call ourselves brats only because we grew up all around the place. And I loved the military so much, I went to the Air Force Academy.
- [06:58]
Nora McInerney
Wow. Wow. Yeah. My father was also in Vietnam. It wasn't his career. What I do know about the military is that there's like a big bond. Right? Like you share a bond whether or not you were in the same branch of service, but you also formed a lot of relationships in the service. Tell me about how you met your wife.
- [07:20]
Ivan Perry
The best and deepest relationship, 100%. After graduating from the academy in 05, got intelligence as a career field. And so, you know, once you graduate from your commissioning source. Mine was the Air Force Academy, hers was University of Virginia. We met down in this awesome town called San Angelo, Texas. And at the end of a nine month long intelligence school training, we waited to start dating at like month eight. And we decided, hey, we we're it for one another. Like, do you want to make this thing happen? And yeah, we did the dating long distance for months. Got engaged during that time when we were away, and we've been married for like 14 years.
- [08:04]
Nora McInerney
That's amazing because also I think I need listeners to remember what dating long distance was like before iPhones.
- [08:14]
Ivan Perry
Right.
- [08:15]
Nora McInerney
You were buying phone cards. I think you were sending letters. It was such a. It truly was a simpler time. So your last deployment, 2010, that last deployment was particularly difficult for you. Whatever you're comfortable sharing. But what were some of the circumstances behind those difficulties?
- [08:37]
Ivan Perry
2010, my third deployment to Afghanistan. My mom was diagnosed with cancer at one point, and so I had to fly home on a Red Cross mission. 2010 was rough. It was a rough deployment, especially knowing after going to visit my mom from that Red Cross mission that I would be going with her to start the chemo and be there with her for six days, but that I'd be going back into theater, literally right to where I started. And with my dad being in Vietnam, we had a heart to heart. And I told him, I don't know if I'm coming back. When you say it and you know it deep down in your bones and you kind of come to that reality that it might happen, it's hard. And so, yeah, it was rough times, I'm not going to lie.
- [09:20]
Nora McInerney
Nora, thank you for sharing all that. I have, like, goosebumps up and down my arms, too, because my dad wrote after Vietnam saying that the strangest thing was to return to a world so different from the world that he had been in and with an experience that only he had lived through. Even if there was somebody on the other end of a letter, even if you did have that conversation with your dad, even when you were having those conversations with your wife, there are parts of it that are just yours. And then you return to this world, and you have a vest on and glasses, and you're sitting in a nice office, and that's like, a huge, huge transition to make and to carry with you. When does chronic migraine start to enter the chat?
- [10:12]
Ivan Perry
Isn't that crazy?
- [10:13]
Nora McInerney
Yeah.
- [10:14]
Ivan Perry
Yeah. So I started to get headaches, but I was like, you know, babe got another headache, and after time, she noticed I couldn't sleep in bed. We lived in a nice house in a nice community. It was the first house we ever bought. I was just constantly walking and pacing up and down the stairs and walk around the house. I thought. Didn't even think anything of it. It was, like, reflexive at this point. It was just like, you just do it. But the headaches were happening so much and so often. I wasn't sleeping. We didn't have kids at the time. We just had a chocolate lab, and she would roam with me, right? We've had her forever. She's like, all right, we're walking the house again. Cool. Over a few months, I wasn't sleeping, and I was still trying to do my job. But eventually my wife kicked my butt. She said, you need to get to sick here. And when I went over there, they told me I have these things called migraine attacks. When I described to them what's happening, I was like, I get headaches. No. They're like, no, these are migraine attacks. They put me on medicine. That's when it entered.
- [11:13]
Nora McInerney
Even just hearing the word migraine, I heard it as a kid because my father had migraine. But it's hard to contextualize. And you're hearing this and you're even minimizing it, right? Which is a really natural thing to do. But I think it's especially a natural thing for men to do, especially if your job is to be tough, right? And you're like, a bad big dude, and you're working out with, like, you know, marines and Navy SEALs and, like, this expectation of masculinity is harmful to men, right? This need to be perpetually tough, that being Tough means that you don't show any vulnerability, that you don't have any weakness. I just was wondering about your experience with that and how we can make this better for men and for veterans.
- [12:00]
Ivan Perry
Yeah. Yeah, I love the question, because I've been in therapy, which I'm not afraid to say, since about 2013 with the Veterans Administration. You know, my dad didn't know how to express his experience and his struggles. It is hard for me to let certain emotions out because I was raised in a guys, be tough and don't cry and gut through it environment. But you have a valuable experience to give. And just speaking with other people and just letting them say it's okay to let down your guard in the military, sometimes you have to have a certain.
- [12:39]
Nora McInerney
Facade, but you're also dealing with chronic migraine.
- [12:43]
Ivan Perry
Over these times, I've learned what it's done to me mentally and what it's done to me physically. What it has done is put a mental strain, like keeping everything in, keeping these emotions in, keeping the. The struggles of even having chronic migraines and not openly letting people know.
- [13:00]
Nora McInerney
I love that you shared that with us. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, I want to pause for a second and dig into that. Dr. Ryan. There's, like, a certain level of, like, stoicism, toughness that's just expected, and that is a whole other podcast. But I'm pretty curious how often you see veterans in your practice and if there are any differences in treating veterans versus other patients.
- [13:35]
Dr. Christopher Rhine
That's awesome that you bring up stoicism. I actually agree with you a ton. I think that sometimes stoicism can be mistaken for professionalism, that you're a professional if you just don't say anything about it, if you don't rock the boat, if you don't make waves and talk about what you're experiencing. I see veterans on a very regular basis. My clinic is only about 30 minutes from Fort Knox, and we take referrals from VA facilities on a regular basis. As one of the only dedicated headache clinics in the region, with my time in Chicago, the VA system there is one of the largest in the country and very active, and we often had referrals to take care of patients from that location. And the thing that I find really, that is different with military personnel is trying to fight through that stoicism, to tell them that they're in a place where they can be honest about what's going on because they're so concerned about the impact that it's going to have.
- [14:28]
Nora McInerney
All right, let's get Back to Ivan. Can you put us into, like, almost like a single day or time of one of those migraine attacks and what it feels like for you in those moments?
- [14:46]
Ivan Perry
Oh, yeah. And it becomes especially tough because at that time, they were happening and I was minimizing it so much, I just kept saying, I'm getting headaches. I don't know why. Fast forward to today. I have to try to migraine proof my house. All the perfumes I used to get, my wife, my kids, deodorants. My kids should wear deodorant. My boys especially.
- [15:10]
Nora McInerney
I know. Why are these so gross? I'm like. I'm like, wear it.
- [15:16]
Ivan Perry
Yeah. All the smells, a lot of them are triggering food triggers. So smells, we have to be careful what we cook in the house, things that I eat. Heaven forbid anybody slips onions in my food. It's a huge trigger for me. Chocolate. It's, like, one of the top triggers for me. Caffeine. I love my coffee, but like my neurologist says, only drink one because I have to be careful. I have wrinkles on my forehead that my daughter loves to point out because I grimace so much. Moments when I try to get up, the pressure builds so much. And there's no relief valve when you lay down. Even in my office that I'm sitting in right now, every curtain and every window is a blackout curtain. I have the ability to completely shut off and even close my doors where I can mostly soundproof my room. I have sunglasses behind me that I can wear in the office to keep the lights dim. But just imagine someone trying to squeeze your head 15 days a month, and then you try to work and be a parent.
- [16:23]
Nora McInerney
Okay, Dr. Rhine, we just heard Ivan start to tell us some of his migraine triggers and what a migraine attack feels like for him. If any of our listeners are anything like me, they might need a little bit of a refresher course on what some of the common migraine triggers are.
- [16:39]
Dr. Christopher Rhine
Yes, let's get into it, because this is a big deal. Triggers can include increases in stress, changes in hormones. There can be external triggers that can set them off, like barometric pressure changes, weather changes, extreme heat and cold, or specific smells. Sometimes folks will have a hard time with cleaning agents or particular perfumes. There are different types of light exposure or sound exposure that can set them off.
- [17:04]
Nora McInerney
So when people are starting to notice the symptoms and migraine attacks are happening more often, why might they hesitate to seek help from a doctor?
- [17:17]
Dr. Christopher Rhine
This one's heartbreaking. A couple of years ago, a study came out that found that nearly half of people with migraine hesitate to seek care. It's a huge number and sadly not surprising. In the study, they also tried to get a better picture of why those people hesitate to answer your question. And over a third of those people said they hesitated because they were afraid their symptoms weren't going to be taken seriously. And that breaks your heart? For me, in my practice, I mean, they're internalizing all of the questioning they've received their whole life about whether or not their condition is legitimate. Are they really having symptoms that are that bad and that they're afraid that they're going to be met again when they see the physician with the same sort of cynicism and disbelief? That's why I try so hard to save a space for them to just share their story at the very beginning. It's really important for the treatment journey, but it's also really important for the trust.
- [18:09]
Nora McInerney
Yeah, it's like the trust is a foundation for the treatment journey. I've actually gotten a lot of feedback from making the first season of this podcast from people who said it took them a long time because they didn't think it was, quote, unquote, that bad. And you just have to wonder, like, how bad does it have to be? Like, how bad does it have to be like for you to feel like you're, like you matter enough to go see it? It really is. It really is heartbreaking. And especially because, you know, it feels like the earlier someone recognizes what these symptoms are and goes to see someone like you, the sooner they can receive a diagnosis and find some kind of management plan.
- [18:56]
Dr. Christopher Rhine
That's exactly the truth. I mean, I always give this example to patients. If your foot hurts so badly that you couldn't go to work one day a month, just one day a month, you would go screaming to the doctor to figure out what's going on. But we have patients who are struggling with migraine attacks who are still, you know, in the shadows, not coming forward because they're worried they're not going to be believed.
- [19:20]
Nora McInerney
We'll be right back with more from Ivan, so stick around.
- [19:36]
Botox Safety Information
Chronic migraine is 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more. Botox Onobotulinum toxin A prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. It's not for adults with migraine with 14 or fewer headache days a month. It prevents, on average, eight to nine headache days a month versus six to seven for placebo.
- [19:54]
E
Prescription Botox is 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 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.
- [20:32]
Botox Safety Information
Ask your doctor and visit botoxchronicmigraine.com or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more.
- [20:45]
Nora McInerney
Welcome back to the Head. Start embracing the journey. Let's jump back into my conversation with Ivan Perry. When you are going through migraine attacks, who is your support system and how have you built that?
- [21:09]
Ivan Perry
Oh, funny enough, it's my family. And that includes my pet Roxy that I mentioned before who used to patrol the house with me. She was our chocolate lab from Japan when we lived in Japan. But she was with us for 15 years as a purebred lab. That's a long time, right?
- [21:26]
Nora McInerney
Yeah.
- [21:26]
Ivan Perry
She was part of my support structure when I was struggling. She'd literally be like on me. Right. And dogs are amazing for veterans. I think what's interesting is that these animals are such a huge support structure. When Roxy passed, we decided to adopt a pup. And so he's like actually on the other side of this video. He's a little rambunctious.
- [21:48]
Nora McInerney
He's being so good. Are you serious?
- [21:52]
Ivan Perry
He has a chew toy and he's loving it right now. But we decided to adopt this time. He's Jack Russell in Chihuahua. So you know, I've got a Chihuahua mix.
- [22:01]
Nora McInerney
They're so nuts. They're so nuts. That dog can go for ever.
- [22:07]
Botox Safety Information
Yes.
- [22:07]
Ivan Perry
Yeah, I carry him like a football. But that's like my support structure. When I had a bad migraine attack once and I had to go into another room to shut everything down, he, as crazy as he is, he laid on my chest. Even when my kid came into the room to check on me, my daughter, he was just on my chest. He knows when to chill. And my wife and my kids at an early age. And it makes me sad. It breaks my heart too, Nora. I'm not gonna lie that they know how much I'm struggling. They know when I can't talk to dad right now cause he's got a migraine attack. Dad, I know you can't drive me to a friend's house, you know, because I see you've got a migraine attack and it happens so often and that's absolutely heartbreaking. But I know you can't see it and people on podcasts can't see it, but my daughter actually writes not, I see your monitor behind you and you have stickies, too, but she wrote me a note just saying, hey, hope you have a great day. Tell me what happened. Love, Vivi. And so things like that, man, guy, gal, woman, you know, it doesn't matter who you are. Like, just let the guard down.
- [23:18]
Nora McInerney
Yeah, kids are really good at that. And honestly, like, I understand feeling like having that break your heart a little bit, but I also think it's such a sign that you have kids who have an immense amount of compassion, which is such a superpower. And I also, there's nothing I love more than a note from a kid. Half the art on this wall is stuff that they would have thrown away, but I pulled out and I had, like, professionally framed because I just think it's, like, so cute. And I love those little notes. And that's such a beautiful picture of what a support system looks like. What is your current treatment plan, chronic migraine wise?
- [24:00]
Ivan Perry
Current treatment is. Well, I try to avoid migraine triggers as much as possible with some of the things I was telling about, like just the foods, the smells, et cetera. But right now I have a preventive treatment and then I have a breakthrough medication. There is a new program through the va and I love it for, for veterans where they're trying to increase well, and they've opened up these new clinics with a new way of thinking and offer veterans a chance to use things like physical therapy, yoga, and meditation.
- [24:32]
Nora McInerney
I really appreciate you sharing so much of your story with us. It really is. It's an act of generosity and it's really helpful to so many people. I also want to talk about your work. You have your own consulting company, Operation Aspire Group. You focus on dei. You're talking a lot about, you know, adaptations and accommodations. And yes, we've heard from almost every single person that we've interviewed for this show is how important workplace accommodations could be for managing chronic migraine. Can you share examples of what that might look like?
- [25:10]
Ivan Perry
So, from my personal experience, I've had great managers and I think poor managers where I have truly felt they did not believe whether I had chronic migraine or not. And I don't know if you've had guests where you've spoken to that. Because I've listened to quite a few of your podcasts, and I loved it.
- [25:26]
Nora McInerney
Every single person has almost said that.
- [25:28]
Botox Safety Information
Yeah.
- [25:29]
Nora McInerney
Where it's like, well, you look fine, so. Yeah, how. How bad can it be? You're here.
- [25:33]
Ivan Perry
You know, I get headaches, too. So do you have a culture in your organization where there's a culture of trust, where you can say that to your manager and your team and they actually believe you? And so that inherent trust, I think, becomes really just foundational to a culture, because are you truly even doing anything with accommodations or accommodating the right people if no one wants to say anything or they feel there's this fear of reprisal or they're going to be treated less than. And so it just starts with good conversations and focus groups within a company where they say, hey, employee resource groups. What are some accommodations if you're okay with sharing that you may need? And then they built it out from there.
- [26:18]
Nora McInerney
So it's like listening. It's a conversation, because if it's smells for you, but it's light for somebody else, it's not gonna work to just have an air filter, you know, or it's not gonna work to just have, like, the blackout curtains. That's so interesting. I really like that as an answer that it's. It comes down to, do you have the culture to have that conversation? And then who is having that conversation and putting it into action?
- [26:43]
Ivan Perry
Heck, yeah.
- [26:44]
Nora McInerney
Ivan, thank you so much for being here today, for sharing your story with us and for your service. Thank you.
- [26:52]
Ivan Perry
Likewise. It's been a lot of fun.
- [27:01]
Nora McInerney
I want to bring back my good friend Dr. Ryan, because Ivan triggered a thought or question maybe that I want to get your take on. Dr. Rhine, Ivan now does consulting work for companies to make their work workplaces more inclusive for people living with chronic migraine. What are some organizations that people can use to help them find the right way to talk to their employer about chronic migraine organizations, resources, even just interpersonal tools that you would recommend to people who are trying to navigate talking about chronic migraine in the workplace and in their own lives?
- [27:43]
Dr. Christopher Rhine
Beautiful. Yeah. So here is that call to action. Right? What can we do to improve this situation in our own lives and in the lives of those who are dealing with migraine attacks? Doctor is a Latin word that means teacher. So my very favorite thing to do is to turn folks on to these types of resources to teach in the room with them while we're going through therapeutic interventions. Understanding the disease and to point them towards places where they could get their hands on more resources. We want to promote that education and activism in the migraine space. So organizations like Miles for Migraine, which is a 5k walk, run another great organization, Headache on the Hill, which I'm excited to participate in this year and will be representing some of the physician component going to Washington, D.C. to advocate for chronic migraine management on a national level. The National Headache foundation has wonderful resources to learn more about what's going on. Free videos the American Headache Society also has the opportunity to do continuing medical education as well as other educational pieces. So both for maybe medical providers that are less familiar with chronic migraine management and obviously for patients as well to get more education and resources, it's a great place to go. These are the organizations that I have experience with and see that they do represent migraine patients as well as educate migraine patients, their families, their employers when it comes to migraine and the impact that it can have on that patient's life.
- [29:10]
Nora McInerney
Thank you Dr. Rhine. I always appreciate your insight. There is always so much to talk about every time we talk to each other.
- [29:17]
Dr. Christopher Rhine
Thanks Nora.
- [29:22]
Nora McInerney
We are so very grateful to Ivan Perry not only for his service to our country, but for so generously sharing his chronic migraine story with all of us. You can find Ivan's company, Operation Aspire Group by searching online. 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 and maybe a smile. Maybe. See you next episode and stay tuned for more important safety information. The Head Start Embracing the Journey is hosted by my 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 Soundcat Productions and Artlist.
- [30:26]
Botox Safety Information
Important safety information continued There has not been a confirmed serious case of spread of toxin effect away from the injections 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 to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc Rimabotulinum toxin, B. Dysport Abobobotulinum toxin A Xeomin Incubotulinum toxin A Jeuveau Probotulinum toxin A xvfs Daxify Daxibotulinum toxin A LANM or La Tiboxin 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 chronic migraine is 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting four hours or more. Botox Anapotulinum toxin A prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine. It's not for adults with migraine with 14 or fewer headache days a month. It prevents on average eight to nine headache days a month versus six to seven for placebo.
- [34:23]
E
Prescription Botox is 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 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.
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Botox Safety Information
Ask your doctor and visit botoxchronicmigraine.com or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more. This is an I Heart Podcast.