Medical Injectable Treatment

Chronic Migraine Treatment

Chronic migraine treatment in London uses injections to reduce headache frequency in adults who have headache on fifteen or more days a month and have not responded to preventive medication.

Book Consultation

Consultation room at UNTIL Marylebone where Dr Harriet treats chronic migraine

The short answer

What chronic migraine treatment is

Chronic migraine means headache on fifteen or more days a month, of which at least eight have migraine features, sustained for longer than three months. It is a genuinely disabling condition and quite different from occasional migraine.

Dr Harriet is highly experienced in using injectable treatment for medical conditions as well as aesthetic ones, including migraine, bruxism and excessive sweating. Her background as a practising GP means the assessment covers your headache history properly rather than treating you as a cosmetic patient who happens to get headaches.

Areas treated

What migraine treatment involves

A preventive option for adults with chronic migraine
Assessed by a GP as well as an experienced injector
Headache diary reviewed properly as part of the assessment
Recommended by NICE for patients who have not responded to preventive drugs
Delivered in a private clinic setting with continuity of care
Honest referral where a neurology opinion is the better route

Boundaries of practice

What's not treated

Good practice means saying no when indicated:

Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Known hypersensitivity to botulinum toxin or any component of the product
Active skin infection at the proposed injection site
Neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis or Lambert-Eaton syndrome
Medication-overuse headache that has not yet been addressed
Red-flag headache features requiring urgent investigation

Patient journey

What to expect from migraine treatment

Consultation & preparation

Keep a headache diary for at least four weeks before your appointment recording the days affected and their character, since the diagnosis depends on the pattern. Bring a list of every preventive medication you have tried, with doses and how long you took each one.

During treatment

Who is this treatment for?

NICE recommends botulinum toxin type A as an option for the prophylaxis of headaches in adults with chronic migraine that has not responded to at least three prior preventive drug treatments. Chronic migraine is defined as headache on at least fifteen days a month with migraine features on at least eight of those days. If your pattern does not meet that definition, Dr Harriet will say so.

What does the assessment involve?

A full history of your headaches, including frequency, character, triggers and what you have already tried. Dr Harriet will ask you to keep or bring a headache diary, because the diagnosis depends on the pattern rather than on any single episode. She will also review your current and previous preventive medication and check for medication-overuse headache, which is a common confounder.

How is treatment delivered and reviewed?

Treatment is given as a series of small injections across defined sites on the head and neck. It is preventive rather than a treatment for an attack in progress, so the measure of success is fewer headache days over the following weeks rather than immediate relief. Response is assessed against your diary, and treatment is not continued indefinitely where it is not working.

When would you refer me instead?

Where your headache pattern suggests something other than chronic migraine, where there are red-flag features needing urgent investigation, where medication-overuse headache needs addressing first, or where a neurologist is better placed to manage your case. Dr Harriet practises as a GP and will be straightforward about when this treatment is not the right answer.

Aftercare

Continue your headache diary so response can be measured against your own baseline. The effect is preventive and builds over the following weeks rather than relieving an attack in progress. Dr Harriet will review your diary at follow-up before deciding whether to repeat treatment.

Pricing

Chronic migraine treatment cost

Medical treatments

Chronic migraine assessment and treatment Not on the published price list. Get in touch for current pricing

By consultation

Booking

New patient deposit Redeemable against the cost of your treatment

£50

Written and medically reviewed byDr Harriet Turnbull, Aesthetic Doctor and GP: BMBS (Hons), MRCGP · NICE TA260: botulinum toxin type A for the prevention of headaches in adults with chronic migraine.

FAQ

Chronic migraine FAQs

Am I eligible for this treatment?

NICE recommends it for adults with chronic migraine, meaning headache on at least fifteen days a month with migraine features on at least eight, that has not responded to at least three preventive drug treatments. Dr Harriet will assess whether your pattern meets that definition at your consultation.

How is this different from anti-wrinkle treatment?

The medicine is the same class but the indication, the injection pattern and the assessment are entirely different. Migraine treatment targets defined sites across the head and neck to reduce headache frequency, and it is a medical rather than a cosmetic treatment. Any cosmetic effect is incidental.

How quickly does it work?

It is a preventive treatment, so it does not relieve an attack in progress. The measure is a reduction in the number of headache days over the following weeks. Dr Harriet will ask you to keep a headache diary so that response can be assessed against your own baseline rather than an impression.

Do I need a referral from my GP?

Not necessarily, but bring your GP records or a summary of your headache history and preventive medications if you can, since the assessment depends on that history. Dr Harriet may write to your GP to keep them informed, and will refer you on where a neurology opinion is the better route.

Get Started

Ready to begin?
Book today.

Dr Harriet Clinics • 1 Orchard Street, UNTIL Marylebone, London W1H 6HJ

Book

Appointments typically available within 1–2 weeks