Is Botox Treatment Safe?

Photo: Luis Alvarez

Today the Food and Drug Administration issued a notice to the public about possible safety issues linked to the use of Botox. There have been some bad reactions to Botox, especially when it was used to treat spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. (Using Botox for spasticity has not been approved by the FDA.) The agency says that the reports of adverse effects came from approved uses, as well. No word on if any of these cases were from the use of Botox for chronic neck or back pain, although that is one type of pain management procedure some doctors give to their spine patients. To my knowledge, the only back or neck pain condition for which the FDA approves the use of Botox is cervical dystonia.

The FDA is currently looking into this issue by reviewing studies provided to them by the manufacturer, their own adverse event reporting system and medical literature. We don’t know how long this review will take, but when it is finished the FDA says it will announce the conclusions, recommendations and any regulations to the public. I’ll keep you posted, but in the meanwhile here is the info from the FDA.