Chronic Pain? Botox Might Help

Not yet approved by the FDA yet and still pretty costly....BD

People will try almost anything to get rid of pain: heat, ice, nasty smelling oils, magnets or even the potentially toxic chemicals found in spores of deadly bacteria.
That's right — for some, a purified form of the botulinum toxin, better known by the brand name Botox, may be a solution for recurring pain. For starters, botulinum toxin type A has only won the U.S. Food and Drug Association's approval for treatment of wrinkles and a handful of rare medical conditions, not including muscle pain. A patient must decide whether ending the pain relief is worth the risk of going "off label," not to mention the $600-per-bottle price tag rarely covered by insurance.
For now, at least, the risks of side effects are only part of the list of considerations for patients. Until botulinum toxin gets FDA approval for use in pain relief, the price of treatment might be more painful than the pain.