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Thanks for sending this , quite interesting! More FDA talk

today :) LOL. When can I get some botox for these eye wrinkles?!

Debbie Abby's mom DOCGrad

MI

> Thought some of you would find this article interesting as botox

was

> discussed here a few times. Still seems very risky even though it

seems more

> commonly used!

>

>

> (Nov. 22) - There was a time -- say, last decade - when botulinum

toxin was

> best known as a poison so deadly that a single gram could

reportedly kill

> millions of people. Now a household name, Botox is the most widely

used

> treatment for so-called " frown lines. " But one expert raises the

issue of

> whether we really know the potential long-term effects of this

> wrinkle-smoothing drug.

>

> " In this atmosphere of 'Botox parties,' it is easy to forget that

botulinum

> toxin is a potent [nerve toxin] and that its very long-term effects

are still

> unknown, " neurophysiologist V. Misra, MD, writes in the Nov.

23 issue

> of the British Medical Journal.

>

> Misra says his editorial is not suggesting that Botox is unsafe or

has

> " unknown " side effects.

>

> " To the best of my knowledge, the safety record of Botox has been

well

> established, " he tells WebMD. " [The purpose of the editorial] was

to point

> out that the indications for Botox use are expanding, and relevant

clinical

> studies need to be performed to establish efficacy and best

standard

> treatment for these conditions. "

>

> When injected in small doses into specific muscles, the toxin

smoothes

> wrinkles by paralyzing those muscles. Though the FDA has approved

Botox only

> for wrinkles between the eyebrows, the toxin is commonly used

cosmetically in

> other areas, such as the forehead and around the eyes.

>

> Botox is still a key ingredient in biochemical warfare, and there

are reports

> that Iraq " favors " this toxin over anthrax and other poisons. But

research

> suggests the same effect that makes it so effective in weapons of

mass

> destruction provides for some darn versatile medicine. Recent

studies

> indicate that Botox's muscle-freezing action appears effective in

treating a

> host of conditions - including bladder dysfunction, excessive

sweating,

> cerebral palsy, post-stroke spasticity, back pain, and even anal

fissures.

>

> Some of the most promising research, however, has been in using

this " wrinkle

> remedy " as a treatment for migraines and headaches. In June,

findings of 13

> studies presented at the American Headache Society annual meeting

suggested

> that Botox was effective in reducing migraines and other severe

headaches.

> The reason isn't clear, but some researchers believe Botox blocks

nerves that

> relay pain messages to the brain and relaxes muscles, making them

less

> sensitive to pain.

>

> " The biggest advantage to Botox is its lack of side effects,

especially

> compared to other medications, " neurologist Ondo, MD, of

Baylor

> College of Medicine, said in June in an AHS news release.

>

> " The FDA's first consideration is always safety, and I feel this

product is

> very safe, or, obviously, I wouldn't have recommended its

approval, " says

> dermatologist Ella L. Toombs, MD, a former FDA official who served

on the

> committee that approved Botox as a wrinkle treatment.

>

> What isn't widely known, Toombs says, is that drugs such as Botox --

> considered a lifestyle enhancer more than a lifesaver -- actually

fall under

> more FDA scrutiny than proposed treatments for serious conditions.

>

> " Every product the FDA evaluates looks at its benefit-to-risk

ratio, " she

> tells WebMD. " If you look at it from the standpoint of a cancer

patient, one

> might be more willing to accept the adverse events of a certain

drug more

> readily than when using a product that you don't necessarily need

to improve

> health. Therefore, we really look at their safety. "

>

> Prior to its approval as a wrinkle treatment, the FDA initially

approved

> Botox in 1989 to treat two eye disorders -- uncontrollable eyelid

spasms and

> misaligned eyes -- and in 2000 to treat a condition that causes

severe neck

> and shoulder contractions. It was a Canadian eye surgeon who first

noted its

> wrinkle-reducing properties.

>

> In other countries, such as the U.K., Botox has already been

approved for

> other conditions, including excessive sweating and spasticity.

>

> " Interestingly, except for cosmetic use, the U.S. is usually far

behind other

> countries in the drug approval process, " says Allergan spokeswoman

> Cassiano, who acknowledges that Botox is currently being studied by

private

> researchers and in corporate-funded clinical trials to test some of

its other

> potential uses.

>

>

> SOURCES: British Medical Journal, Nov. 23, 2002 • V. Misra,

MD,

> consultant clinical neurophysiologist, National Hospital for

Neurology and

> Neurosurgery, London • Ella L. Toombs, MD, former director, FDA

Office of

> Cosmetics and Colors, and dermatologist, Washington, D.C. •

> Cassiano, Allergan spokeswoman • American Society for Aesthetic

Plastic

> Surgery • American Headache Society annual meeting, June 18, 2002.

>

> © 2002 WebMD Inc. All rights reserved.

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Debbie,

I love how the Doctors say, " to the best of their knowledge its safe " -

everytime I hear that, I think, here's another Doctor's opinion instead of

real hard research. If terrorists are considering this as a weapon against

us, there is no way I would put that in my body or my child's. I wanted to

share that because it explained also how it paralyzes the muscle, I don't

think that is your best defense in fighting tort, especially when for many

stretches are an " easy " non-invasive answer. You don't have wrinkles anyway!

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  • 2 years later...

,

No research out currently specific on CMT. But Botulinum Toxin A has

some positive effect on treating movement disorders, for spacisity

after stroke, to help urinary problems, headache and back pain in

adults with Cerebral Palsy.

Gretchen

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  • 2 months later...
Guest guest

In a message dated 4/15/2005 5:11:18 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,

GfijiG6@... writes:

He explained that Botox will cause paralysis

and why give CMT persons more grief? I hope you will make sure to check this

out fully and ask other CMT doctor/experts.

I want botox so bad. I wish they would do a trial on it. Like that would

happen, LOL

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Guest guest

Hi,

I'm just getting the Botox injections in my back where I'm getting muscle spasms

they will paralyse the muscles to stop the spasms as far as I know that is the

only medical use for botox that I've herd of and

insurance companys don't pay for it and it's very expensive about 500.00 a vile

and I need two but I'm on Workers Comp and they pay for it if they think you

need it so after the first treatment I will be

fighting with them to get more treatments. I'm not getting them any place where

I have problems with my CMT like my legs or arms and hands so I don't think it

should be any problem and I'm going to ask the

neourologest that I'm going to Monday to get an EMG since the last one I had was

in 97. Thank you for your concern and input I realy apretiate it.

Tommmy

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  • 1 year later...

Hello Gretchen and Kathy,

Look up Botox in Wikipedia. It says it is one of the most potent

neurotoxins known. As injections go they must be extremely weak so as to be able

to tolerate them. My guess is that the injections would cause some muscle

weakness and numbness as a byproduct.

EdM from NH

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Ed,

When I received word from Dr. that Botox was not good for CMT,

that was good enough for me. He explained that even tho it is used in

some neuromuscular situations, those of us with CMT already have

problems with our muscles and why add more? I have complete respect

for Dr. and the answers he provides to my questions.

I'm happy with working out and taking Vit. E :)

~ Gretchen

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