Methods for treating headache

Abstract

A headache can be treated more effectively by co-administration of a botulinum toxin and a triptan drug to a patient and/or the effectiveness of a triptan medication can be increased. The botulinum toxin can be botulinum toxin type A and the botulinum toxin can be administered to or to the vicinity of where a patient experiences or is predisposed to experience pain or a headache.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for reducing the occurrence or alleviating a headache in a patient in need thereof, the method comprising local administration by injection of a composition comprising a botulinum toxin type A, wherein the number of injection sites is 23 to 58, the number of muscle areas injected is 6 to 7 and the botulinum toxin type A dose is 105 to 260 units, and wherein at least the frontal/glabellar, occipitalis, temporalis, semispinalis, splenius capitis or trapezius muscles are injected. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the headache is a migraine headache. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the headache is a non-migraine headache. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the administration is subdermal or subcutaneous. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the administration is intramuscular. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the botulinum toxin is selected from the group consisting of botulinum toxin types A, B, C 1 , D, E, F and G. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the botulinum toxin is a botulinum toxin type A.