Close Menu
Honi Soit
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Week 12 CONSPIRASOIT Editorial
    • “Thank you Conspiracy!” Says Capitalism, as it survives another day
    • Multiculturalism in Australian Theatre: Youssef Sabet Performs The Juggling Act
    • Everything is Alive at Slowdive
    • The Conspiracy of Free Will
    • Red-Haired Phantasies: The So-Called Manic Pixie Dream Girl
    • The Case for Psychoanalysis
    •  “I’m not really a flat Earther, it’s just my alter ego.”
    • About
    • Print Edition
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    • Writing Comp
    • Advertise
    • Locations
    • Contact
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok
    Honi SoitHoni Soit
    Wednesday, May 21
    • News
    • Analysis
    • Culture
    • Opinion
    • University
    • Features
    • Perspective
    • Investigation
    • Reviews
    • Comedy
    • Student Journalism Conference 2025
    Honi Soit
    Home»Opinion

    No pain, no gain

    By Erin JordanJuly 27, 2016 Opinion 3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    If you believe a simple headache could be confused with a migraine, I suggest you stop reading here. Since I was 16, I have divided the world into two types of people: those who understand when you proclaim “I was sick with a migraine last night so I was unable to do etc.”, and those who do not. I give my sincerest thanks to all those who have told me I am taking the wrong Panadol, or the wrong amount, or at the wrong time. Perhaps your insensitivity can be explained by the fact you were absent from the emergency department the night the doctor joked I had been given enough morphine to knock out an elephant. I have come to understand that, although frustrating, I will always be faced with indifference from some people.

    I refuse, however, to accept this type of nonchalance from the government. The current pre-conditions for receiving botulinum toxin (Botox) for the treatment of chronic migraines under PBS, however, reflect such nonchalance. It was only in March 2014 that Botox was finally legitimised as a treatment for those with severe migraines. It was a big hurrah for an entire community, who, at this time, needed financial support for this costly exercise. Finally, the idea that Botox could only be for frivolous cosmetic uses had been successfully challenged. For one million Australians, their struggle was finally being recognised.

    However, the pre-conditions, written only in the finest of print, prove that the stigma around Botox still persists. In fact, the print is so fine that all three medical practitioners I have visited were equally unaware of its existence or are deeply confused as to what it means. To set the record straight for anyone considering this treatment, the conditions are as follows: you must have sufficiently trialled three doses of preventative medications and experience migraines for more than half the days of the average month. These conditions may not seem too strict. However, when every other preventative medication for chronic migraines exists without these pre- conditions, I cannot help but wonder why.

    Why make those who are already in a difficult situation jump through hoops? Why force us to experiment with three heavy preventative medications, the side effects of which (mental disturbances and seizures) are often worse than the migraine the patient was trying to escape? The blurred vision that Topamax gave me had me convinced I was, at the ripe age of 21, losing my eyesight and in need of a thick prescription. For all the vivid nightmares I had on Propranolol, I believe I could have become a profitable screenwriter for American Horror Story. But nothing can beat the embarrassment of dozing off mid-sentence on Pizotifen, or the lovely fluid-filled “kankles” it would cause me to wake up with. I cannot fully express the dismay I felt upon discovering that my favourite boots would simply not fit over them.

    The only reason these pre-conditions exist is to prevent and discourage the use of Botox as a preventative, despite the fact it is the sole preventative without debilitating side effects. These conditions are borne out of an irrational fear that migraine sufferers will swamp clinics for a free facelift. As this month draws to an end, I am excited to have finally passed the government’s test: I am on my last preventative trial. However, as my journey is ending, I cannot help but feel sympathetic for those who will be forced to follow in my footsteps. The government does not feel my sympathy.

    botox health migraine PBS side effects Topamax

    Keep Reading

    The Conspiracy of Free Will

    Liberal Strongholds now Teal Havens?

    A Debate in the Heat of Elections

    Independents Day: How the Teals Could Win Big at the Next Election

    NSW Minister for Health condemned for fabricating claims of ‘cancelled chemotherapy treatment’ during ASMOF industrial action

    Artificial academia

    Just In

    Week 12 CONSPIRASOIT Editorial

    May 21, 2025

    “Thank you Conspiracy!” Says Capitalism, as it survives another day

    May 21, 2025

    Multiculturalism in Australian Theatre: Youssef Sabet Performs The Juggling Act

    May 21, 2025

    Everything is Alive at Slowdive

    May 21, 2025
    Editor's Picks

    “Thank you Conspiracy!” Says Capitalism, as it survives another day

    May 21, 2025

    A meditation on God and the impossible pursuit of answers

    May 14, 2025

    We Will Be Remembered As More Than Administrative Errors

    May 7, 2025

    NSW universities in the red as plague of cuts hit students & staff

    April 30, 2025
    Facebook Instagram X (Twitter) TikTok

    From the mines

    • News
    • Analysis
    • Higher Education
    • Culture
    • Features
    • Investigation
    • Comedy
    • Editorials
    • Letters
    • Misc

     

    • Opinion
    • Perspective
    • Profiles
    • Reviews
    • Science
    • Social
    • Sport
    • SRC Reports
    • Tech

    Admin

    • About
    • Editors
    • Send an Anonymous Tip
    • Write/Produce/Create For Us
    • Print Edition
    • Locations
    • Archive
    • Advertise in Honi Soit
    • Contact Us

    We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. The University of Sydney – where we write, publish and distribute Honi Soit – is on the sovereign land of these people. As students and journalists, we recognise our complicity in the ongoing colonisation of Indigenous land. In recognition of our privilege, we vow to not only include, but to prioritise and centre the experiences of Indigenous people, and to be reflective when we fail to be a counterpoint to the racism that plagues the mainstream media.

    © 2025 Honi Soit
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • Accessibility

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.