Your doctor may be considering botulinum injections to treat certain muscle spasms on your face or eyelids. It can also be used for some disorders of eye movement, such as lazy eye. Botulinum toxin is a standard treatment for spasmodic torticollis, a muscle spasm that causes the head and neck to pull in one direction.

Botulinum toxin is made by the same bacterium that causes food poisoning. A high dose of botulinum toxin could be fatal, just as food poisoning can be fatal. However, the dose given in injections is so small that it's unlikely you'll have any harmful effects from the toxin. Botulinum toxin has been used safely in thousands of people for more than 10 years.

Botulinum toxin is mixed with saline (salt water) and injected into the muscle with a tiny needle. You may receive 5 to 10 injections. Some people report minor, temporary discomfort from the injection. You might have some soreness at the injection site(s). If your injection site(s) get sore, you can take acetaminophen (one brand name: Tylenol) or ibuprofen (one brand name: Motrin). You can also put an ice pack on the painful area.

This will depend on the policies in place at your insurance company. Most insurance companies require that pre-certification be obtained before a patient is treated with botulinum toxin injections. If your doctor feels that you are an appropriate candidate, our office will work with your insurance company to obtain the necessary pre-certifications before botulinum toxin injections are administered. If your primary insurance company is Medicare or Medicaid, pre-certification is not necessary.

Yes, after receiving the botulinum toxin injections you should not have difficulty driving. However, if this is of great concern you may want to consider having a family member or friend accompany you to the clinic for your initial treatment so that you will not need to drive yourself home after receiving the injection. All of the information above is provided by the American Academy of Family Physicians and Dr. Karen Thomas.

FDA and USDA-FSIS identified a problem with the canning process. The problem means it is possible that spores of the germ Clostridium botulinum were not killed during canning, so could grow and produced toxin. Many products contaminated with botulinum toxin do not taste or look any different than normal. Some taste bad because they contain other contaminants. Yes, most cases of botulism are caused by improperly prepared home-canned foods or traditional Alaskan Native foods.

Botulinum toxin A (Botox®) is a chemical produced by the Clostridium bacteria. Botox® is a protein derivative of the toxin, which when injected into a muscle causes it to become weakened or inactivated. It stops the muscle from functioning by blocking neuromuscular transmission i.e. stops the chemical messages from the nerve to the muscle. Likewise, when injected into the skin, it blocks the action of the nerves that supply the eccrine glands thus preventing them from producing sweat.

BOTULINUM TOXIN TYPE A is derived from the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium produces a protein that blocks the release of acetylcholine and relaxes muscles. Type A is just one of seven different types of botulinum toxin (A, B, C1, D, E, F, and G), and each has different properties and actions. No two of these botulinum toxins are alike.

No. BOTULINUM TOXIN TYPE A has been used for more than 11 years to treat over 1 million patients worldwide, and it is approved by the health ministries of at least 70 countries.

A2: Botox is a therapeutic toxin and is used in quite large doses to release spastic muscles in children affected with cerebral palsy and adults affected with spastic limbs as a consequence of brain damage. There have been problems with Botulinium toxin internationally. This has been in cases where the supply of the toxin was not through a registered or legal supplier. It was probably also administered by a person not properly qualified or trained to prescribe and administer Botox.

Botulinum Toxin Type A is a protein that is injected into muscles to relax them, smoothing lines and wrinkles caused by repeated facial movements. In contrast, collagen is a dermal filler and is injected below a wrinkle, scar or depression in order to "fill" it in, smoothing the surface of the skin.

There can be momentary pain during each injection. Some are bothered by the pain more than others. EMLA cream (a prescription topical anesthetic) can be placed on the area approximately 1 ½ hours prior to injection and may be helpful. A cold compress (or a bag of frozen peas) applied to the injection site after the injections may also be helpful.

Most physicians start injecting with a low dosage to avoid possible side effects, increasing it as needed. If the first set of injections is not satisfactory, the physician should be notified so that he/she can personalize the treatments to suit the individual patient.

Botulinum toxin is a poison derived from bacteria. It acts to decrease messages from nerve cells to muscles. It is used in medicine in very low doses to limit muscle activity. It is injected into the muscle responsible for spasticity by a specialist familiar with its use. It then takes about a week to see results. Most patients will respond and find it easier to move the joint following the injection.

Most people find that they have no or minimal side effects. The needle used to inject is tiny but some patients do have some pain and minor bruising over the injection site, this settles after a few days. One of the more serious side effects is excessive weakness. This may limit the previous usefulness of the limb injected. This however is temporary and will resolve over weeks to months. If patients require repeated injections they may develop immunity to botulinum toxin.

Most patients have the first injection, followed one month later by another injection, and then a third injection at three months, if the injections are beneficial. Further injections may be needed and will be scheduled depending on the amount and duration of pain relief.