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coreyman317 t1_iur1lg9 wrote

Reply to comment by ravingriven in Jury awards $21m to family of patient after simple leg surgery left him in a vegetative state by TheFullerTron

So take poison for migraines? You’d have to be stupid to do that lol

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zanraptora t1_iuri7b4 wrote

We use purified toxins all the time in medicine. Botox specifically was cleared by the FDA in 2010. Turns out a paralytic compound is pretty great at stopping headaches caused by misfiring musculature that doesn't have much practical use.

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craznazn247 t1_iuro1fr wrote

Warfarin is the primary ingredient in rat poison, but we do controlled microdoses with frequent monitoring, and that has been the gold standard for blood clot prevention for decades. Factor Xi drugs are now the gold standard but only due to slightly less bleeding risk than warfarin. Last I checked the clot prevention is still considered equal to warfarin, but those new drugs are expensive as hell at over $500/month if your insurance doesn’t cover it.

Besides, some of us get migraines so painful and enduring that in the moment, that being prescribed a bullet starts to sound reasonable. Botox is safely used for wrinkles and overactive sweat glands - things that people can easily live without. So why not use it in situations where it can alleviate chronic pain and suffering with minimal (or even desired) side effects if done right? Other than the localized effects, it can have a lot fewer systemic effects than some of the drugs used.

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