FDA reviewing safety of Botox

[JBean]

WASHINGTON The popular anti-wrinkle drug Botox and a competitor Myobloc have been linked to some deaths and other severe side effects suggestive of botulism, the government warned doctors Friday.

Shares Irvine-based Allergan Inc., which makes Botox, sank more than 6 percent.

Botox and Myobloc use botulinum toxin, which blocks nerve impulses to muscles, causing them to relax.

But in rare cases, the toxin may have spread beyond the injection site to other parts of the body, resulting in such problems as paralysis of respiratory muscles and difficulty swallowing, the Food and Drug Administration said.
http://www.ocregister.com/news/fda-b...-bye-reactions

[believe09]

here is a story of a similar vein from yahoo:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080208/...NyiG0v3rWs0NUE

(Heavy Sigh) Injecting children with a toxin? The deaths were caused from OD's of the botox? I mean come on....

[Taximom]

believe, I didn't read your link yet, but I know several children that get botox for spastic muscle issues. It really helps them. I don't know if it works for all the kids like this, but it does for these two. One can move her legs and arms quite well after a session, whereas before they are stuck in one position.

[believe09]

Originally Posted by Taximom

believe, I didn't read your link yet, but I know several children that get botox for spastic muscle issues. It really helps them. I don't know if it works for all the kids like this, but it does for these two. One can move her legs and arms quite well after a session, whereas before they are stuck in one position.

Thanks, TM-yes, the injections were done to alleviate spasms from cerebral palsy. I just wanted to point out that clearly you are playing with fire if you do not know exactly what you are doing. Big oops. Sort of like giving an OD of heparin etc...and in this case there may be anecdotal evidence to support giving the injections, but it is not what it is approved for. And these were little ones...

[capps]

Well,I knew this was coming...
I always thought that botox was going to be one of those things,that a few years down the line the FDA was going to say "uh oh this stuff is not so good."

As tempted as I was sometimes to try it,my better judgement told me,that I would pay for something that messes with the nerves in my face.

I guess I can live with my laugh lines.

O/T I've been having the worst time in the last 2 days using WS...hard to log in,going from one thread/post to another taking forever,acting mighty strange.

[Taximom]

Thanks for the link, believe. I just read it now. I'm sure the parents I know are going to be considering all this. It's so sad because the benefits are amazing. But I don't know if I'd do it if my dd could die. From what I recall they do inject all up/down the muscle area, and that's a lot more than someone would get in their forehead for wrinkles.

[Karole28]

The Real Housewives of the OC will start visibly showing emotions soon??

[Floh]

I never considered Botox for a solitary second, thank goodness!

i'll keep at the creams.

[Kandi372s]

I have a son who was born at 26 weeks. He has many medical issues including a tracheostomy and cerebral palsy. He does get botox every 3 months so he is not stuck in one position (Legs straight, locked, and crossed he has actually pulled his hips out of joint and his arms fisted up to his face) With the botox he is able to use a stand up wheelchair and is mobile enough to go to school and even sit in a carseat and chair where before botox he could not. He has been getting the botox for 2 years and when we started it we knew then that it was a dangerous drug. It is nothing new. It took us a year to decide to do it and we do not go to a cosmetic doctor to get it done. I am not trying to start anything here I just wanted you know why a child would recieve botox.

[j2mirish]

Originally Posted by Kandi372s

I have a son who was born at 26 weeks. He has many medical issues including a tracheostomy and cerebral palsy. He does get botox every 3 months so he is not stuck in one position (Legs straight, locked, and crossed he has actually pulled his hips out of joint and his arms fisted up to his face) With the botox he is able to use a stand up wheelchair and is mobile enough to go to school and even sit in a carseat and chair where before botox he could not. He has been getting the botox for 2 years and when we started it we knew then that it was a dangerous drug. It is nothing new. It took us a year to decide to do it and we do not go to a cosmetic doctor to get it done. I am not trying to start anything here I just wanted you know why a child would recieve botox.

Kandi- welcome to ws
thanks for the info- how old is your son now? sounds like the botox is working wonders, and sometimes the "lesser of two evils" makes alot of sense to me-

[concernedperson]

Originally Posted by Kandi372s

I have a son who was born at 26 weeks. He has many medical issues including a tracheostomy and cerebral palsy. He does get botox every 3 months so he is not stuck in one position (Legs straight, locked, and crossed he has actually pulled his hips out of joint and his arms fisted up to his face) With the botox he is able to use a stand up wheelchair and is mobile enough to go to school and even sit in a carseat and chair where before botox he could not. He has been getting the botox for 2 years and when we started it we knew then that it was a dangerous drug. It is nothing new. It took us a year to decide to do it and we do not go to a cosmetic doctor to get it done. I am not trying to start anything here I just wanted you know why a child would recieve botox.

This is wonderfully received. I am so glad your child has something that helps. I understand it a dangerous drug but for his life affirming benefits than it is worth it. Now, for the cosmetic beauty queens forget it. Grow old gracefully.

I guess we get inundated with lips and other procedures with vanity type people. I never knew the other alternative type situations. Thanks for helping us to understand. Bless your child and you.

[Floh]

Originally Posted by Kandi372s

I have a son who was born at 26 weeks. He has many medical issues including a tracheostomy and cerebral palsy. He does get botox every 3 months so he is not stuck in one position (Legs straight, locked, and crossed he has actually pulled his hips out of joint and his arms fisted up to his face) With the botox he is able to use a stand up wheelchair and is mobile enough to go to school and even sit in a carseat and chair where before botox he could not. He has been getting the botox for 2 years and when we started it we knew then that it was a dangerous drug. It is nothing new. It took us a year to decide to do it and we do not go to a cosmetic doctor to get it done. I am not trying to start anything here I just wanted you know why a child would recieve botox.

Welcome to Websleuths Kandi. i wish the best for your boy.

[southcitymom]

Originally Posted by Kandi372s

I have a son who was born at 26 weeks. He has many medical issues including a tracheostomy and cerebral palsy. He does get botox every 3 months so he is not stuck in one position (Legs straight, locked, and crossed he has actually pulled his hips out of joint and his arms fisted up to his face) With the botox he is able to use a stand up wheelchair and is mobile enough to go to school and even sit in a carseat and chair where before botox he could not. He has been getting the botox for 2 years and when we started it we knew then that it was a dangerous drug. It is nothing new. It took us a year to decide to do it and we do not go to a cosmetic doctor to get it done. I am not trying to start anything here I just wanted you know why a child would recieve botox.

Thanks for posting, Kandi - and welcome. I am so glad the botox helps your son.

[believe09]

Originally Posted by Kandi372s

I have a son who was born at 26 weeks. He has many medical issues including a tracheostomy and cerebral palsy. He does get botox every 3 months so he is not stuck in one position (Legs straight, locked, and crossed he has actually pulled his hips out of joint and his arms fisted up to his face) With the botox he is able to use a stand up wheelchair and is mobile enough to go to school and even sit in a carseat and chair where before botox he could not. He has been getting the botox for 2 years and when we started it we knew then that it was a dangerous drug. It is nothing new. It took us a year to decide to do it and we do not go to a cosmetic doctor to get it done. I am not trying to start anything here I just wanted you know why a child would recieve botox.

Welcome-thank you for your perspective, and much love to you and your family for being brave and thoughtful when it comes to the treatment of your son.

[deanws]

Originally Posted by southcitymom

Thanks for posting, Kandi - and welcome. I am so glad the botox helps your son.

I am also happy that this drug is helping your sweet son. Welcome to WS! Glad to have you here!

[Chloekins]

Botox was only approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of blepharospasm which is uncontrollable blinking of the eyes and strabismus which is a misalignment of the eyes. It was later approved for use in cervical dystonia and frown lines. It was never tested for any other use. I think if people truly knew the extent in which this treatment is misused they would be appalled. IMHO dermatologist should be not able to dispense this as they are not trained in neurology.

[JBean]

Originally Posted by Chloekins

Botox was only approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of blepharospasm which is uncontrollable blinking of the eyes and strabismus which is a misalignment of the eyes. It was later approved for use in cervical dystonia and frown lines. It was never tested for any other use. I think if people truly knew the extent in which this treatment is misused they would be appalled. IMHO dermatologist should be not able to dispense this as they are not trained in neurology.

I was in the derm the other day. I was reading a little pamphlet while I was waiting for her to come and look at my suspicious*mole*. Anyway we got to talking about it and she told me that it has only been approved for use on the frownlines on the brow area between the eye brows. Every other cosmetic use on the face is off label. I found that to be intersting because I know people use it way more places on their face than just between the eye brows, like for crows feet. I even went to their website and they only talk about injections in that brow area forc cosmetic purposes.

eta:
What about BOTOX® Cosmetic?
BOTOX® Cosmetic received FDA approval in 2002 for the temporary treatment of moderate to severe frown lines between the brows in people 18 to 65 years of age. BOTOX® Cosmetic is available by prescription only.

[Filly]

Originally Posted by Chloekins

Botox was only approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of blepharospasm which is uncontrollable blinking of the eyes and strabismus which is a misalignment of the eyes. It was later approved for use in cervical dystonia and frown lines. It was never tested for any other use. I think if people truly knew the extent in which this treatment is misused they would be appalled. IMHO dermatologist should be not able to dispense this as they are not trained in neurology.

Wow. Interesting, Chloe. I'm sure everybody going to their dermatologist for the injections never even looked it up in advance.

[Taximom]

Welcome, kandi, and thanks for explaining that usage better for me. I think it's a miracle for these children, and hope that the process can be refined so that fewer children die as a result.

JBean, I hope the mysterious mole turns out to be nothing. ((JBean))

[JBean]

Originally Posted by Taximom

Welcome, kandi, and thanks for explaining that usage better for me. I think it's a miracle for these children, and hope that the process can be refined so that fewer children die as a result.

JBean, I hope the mysterious mole turns out to be nothing. ((JBean))

It was nothing. She didn't even have to biopsy it. She looked at it and said, perfectly harmless; that will be 200 please.

along those lines..interesting new study:

Natural Secretion Marks Difference Between Ordinary Mole and Melanoma

IGFBP7 protein may prove a targeted treatment for metastatic cancers, study suggests

THURSDAY, Feb. 7 (HealthDay News) -- An anti-cancer protein that's naturally produced and secreted by the body can make the difference between a common mole and deadly melanoma skin cancer, a new study says.
If this IGFBP7 protein can be produced and delivered to tumors, it may prove effective as a targeted treatment for metastatic melanoma, which is currently untreatable. It may also prove useful in treating other cancers with mutations in the BRAF oncogene, said Michael Green, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyl...ndex_lifestyle

[Chloekins]

Originally Posted by JBean

Natural Secretion Marks Difference Between Ordinary Mole and Melanoma

IGFBP7 protein may prove a targeted treatment for metastatic cancers, study suggests

Us squints in the oncology field are very excited about this. Standard treatment for Stage VI Melanoma only works in roughly 20% of patients and unfortunately though mostly trial and error. This is big big news. Very exciting! I read the journal article in Cell. It looks pretty promising. There is a long road ahead of this but the idea is very intriguing.

[Linda7NJ]

My friend's mother gets shots in her eyes because her Parkinson's sometimes locks her lids shut. It completely stops that from happening.

[JBean]

Originally Posted by Filly

Wow. Interesting, Chloe. I'm sure everybody going to their dermatologist for the injections never even looked it up in advance.

IT is FDA approved for the frown lines between the brows .

[MissieMt]

OMG something containing botulism can hurt people?!?! Who knew.....

Yet another deadly blow to our good friend Common Sense.

[hipmamajen]

It's my understanding that a lot of medications are prescribed "off-label," their approved for one thing, but prescribed because they actually help another condition. The way it was explained to me is that, once the FDA approval has taken place for one use of a drug, many manufacturers can't/won't spend the money for the testing of that same drug for something else.

For instance, I used to take a medicine for my migraines that was FDA approved for people with seizure disorders.

Botox is also used sometimes for people with migraines, although it's never been a medication that I've needed