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Suzanne Greenberg had been dealing with debilitating migraines for years.

“It was horrible. I couldn't do anything. I was not much fun to be around,” says Greenberg.

The pain finally went away with Botox injections. Recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat chronic migraines, it's yet another application of a drug that's proving to go a long way to treat a variety of health woes.

“The first treatments of Botox were applied to predominantly children with conditions called blepharospasm and strabismus, which were muscular issues with the eyes,” explains plastic surgeon Dr. Adam Kolker. “And the treatments were found in some of the older kids to minimize wrinkles, so that led to the exploration of Botox for cosmetic purposes. Other similar side-effects were minimizing sweating. And another side-effect was minimizing headaches.”

Botox, which is botulinum toxin, has actually been proven to be safe with few side effects. Chronic migraine sufferers get injections about every three months. It takes about two weeks for patients to feel the full effects.

“What happens when we get a migraine is that there's a lot of things going on in the brain itself, but also, there's inflammation being released into the body,” says Dr. Juline Bryson, a neurologist at St. Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital. “Now, when that inflammation is released, it can also trigger another migraine. And that's what makes the feeling of soreness, when people touch their head if they have a migraine and they touch their head it hurts, or if they comb their hair, or if they pull it back in a ponytail, that's because of inflammation. So what Botox does is it works at the nerve endings, so there's less inflammation released.”

While doctors have been using Botox to treat migraines off-label for years, one thing they are hoping FDA approval will help with is insurance.

“The Botox itself is about $600, and then the injections can range from $400 to $750, depending on where you go,” says Bryson. “And that can be really prohibitive for a lot of people in pain.”

Greenberg's injections are already covered by insurance – something she says she's grateful for, because other than the additional perk of having smoother skin, she's finally feeling some relief.

“I didn't realize how bad my quality of life was. I didn't realize what it was like to constantly be in pain and how good it felt to not be in pain,” she says.