Before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botox as a cosmetic treatment for wrinkles in 2002, it had been used for more than a decade to treat other muscle conditions. In 2000, it was discovered that Botox could also serve as a temporary treatment for a condition that ails approximately 28 million Americans: Migraine headaches, headaches that can be so severe that sufferers often describe them as blinding or paralyzing.

In studies, it has been found that 80 percent of migraine patients who underwent Botox injections experienced migraine relief for four to six months, suffering fewer and less intense migraines over that time period. Studies also found that patients injected at various sites - the brow, eyes, forehead, side of neck and back of the head near the neck - sometimes experienced immediate relief from migraines.