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TEMMA® vs. the Alternatives

One procedure compared with the treatments you may already have tried — frequency, ongoing cost, predictive testing, and drug-free status, side by side.

How they compare

One procedure. Not a lifetime subscription.

	TEMMA®	Botox®	CGRP inhibitors	Nerve blocks	Triptans
Frequency	One procedure — done	Every 12 weeks	Monthly or quarterly injections	Repeated in-clinic injections	As needed — taken at attack onset
Ongoing cost	One-time procedure cost	~$3,500–$5,000/year — ongoing for life	~$6,900/year (Aimovig) — ongoing for life	Varies — per-treatment office visits	Monthly pharmacy cost — ongoing
Predictive test	Yes — lidocaine screen predicts response before you commit	No — you try it and wait to see	No — you try it and wait to see	No — you try it and wait to see	No — you take one and see if it helps
Drug-free	Yes — no ongoing medications after the procedure	No — injectable medication every 12 weeks	No — ongoing injections or daily pills	Local anesthetic injections — no daily preventive pills	No — pills taken at each attack

On a phone, scroll the table sideways to see all five options.

Why TEMMA® is different

CGRP inhibitors and Botox® are trial-and-error treatments — you start them, wait weeks or months, and hope they work. If they don't, you start over. If they do, you're on them for life.

TEMMA® is the only option with a predictive test. Before any permanent decision is made, we perform a lidocaine screen that tells you — in real time — whether the procedure will likely work for your migraines. No guessing. No months of waiting. And if it works, it's one procedure, not a lifetime prescription.

Where Botox® fits

Botox® is rung 2 of our treatment pathway — an established preventive we offer in-clinic with our migraine providers. If Botox® and medications aren't enough, the lidocaine predictive test and TEMMA® are the next steps. The next steps are one referral away — inside the same practice, with the same team.

Learn about Botox® for migraine

Triptans (rescue medications)

Triptans (like sumatriptan) are abortive pills taken at attack onset — the "rescue" step, not a preventive. They work by constricting dilated blood vessels and blocking CGRP, a protein that triggers migraine pain. You take them as needed, and they typically mean a monthly pharmacy cost that continues as long as you use them.

Two limits to know: frequent use can backfire into rebound headaches (medication-overuse headache), and triptans are not for people with cardiovascular disease, a prior stroke, or uncontrolled high blood pressure. They also don't prevent attacks — they treat the one you're having.

See how the predictive test is different

Still weighing your options?

Schedule a consultation — we'll walk through every option with you, including the ones we don't perform.

Request a Consultation Call (833) 4-CORTEX