Adverse Reactions from Botulinum Toxin Administration

Abstract

As a biopharmaceutical, botulinum toxin has increasingly been administered for therapeutic indications both approved and not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Local adverse effects from its administration have been recognized since its original introduction, but recently generalized and remote adverse effects have been witnessed, some life threatening or fatal. While uncommon, these effects are currently unexplained and necessitate practitioner familiarity with their potential occurrence as well as requiring clear and consistent education of patients as to the risk, benefits and early signs of adverse reactions after botulinum toxin administration.

KEYWORDS::

• BOTOX^®
• Botulinum toxin Type A/ Type B/adverse effects
• Deglutition disorders/chemically induced
• diplopia
• muscle weakness/chemically induced
• Polyradiculoneuropathy/chemically induced
• Ptosis
• Strabismus

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.