Did you have flu symptoms after Botox?
What can I do to ease the symptoms of an adverse reaction to botox? During an ER visit I was diagnosed as having a reaction to the botox I received a few days earlier. Nobody in my small town seems to be aware of this, including the dermatologist who administered the botox. What can be done to ease the flu like symptoms and extreme anxiety? Will this really last for a few months?
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1 post
6 Sep 2008
any answers to your question about flu like symptoms?
12 posts
26 Dec 2008
Same thing happened to me, anxiety so bad I've been to the ER twice with panic attacks. Xanax is helping with the anxiety, plus Prevacid for my stomach. I too want to know if this is going to last 3+ mos. Oh yeah, I got a sinus infection too. No more Botox for me!!!
unregistered guest
13 Feb 2009
I had my first Botox treatment 2 weeks ago and my flu-like symptoms started with 5 days. This is week 2 and I think I am getting worst.
1 post
20 May 2009
i have had my botox for 4 weeks and have felt terrible. it started 5 days after my botox, and i had low fever and just weak tired and no energy. i know it is the botox. i went back to the doctor that injected me and he said just like the one above that it is a coincidence. i think not. i am never sick and always have excess energy. i will never do this again if i get well. the fever is gone but i still have no energy
337 posts
21 Jul 2009
Were any of you taking antibiotics when you had the botox shots? If so, what type of antibiotics? I have had botox several times before and only experienced mild side effects. This time I was taking a tetracycline antibiotic (doxycycline) at the time and the side effects are horrendous - anxiety, nausea, insomnia, flu-like symptoms, sinus infection etc etc etc. And the effects of the botox have been exacerbated - I only had 15 units in total dispersed across my frown lines, above my eyebrows, crows feet and bunny lines. Not a lot for all of these areas. My forehead is like cement, my face has dropped (I think partly due to bad placement of the crows feet shots) and I feel completely weak and fatigued but can't sleep. I thought my anxiet was because I hated the result but now I think it is the product itself, especially because I had been taking antibiotics. Anyone else with the same problem?
52 posts
1 Aug 2009
Dear GRS,
I am sorry that you suffered the flu soon after receiving Botox. However, I suspect that the Botox had nothing to do with your symptoms.
Botox is incredibly safe. It has had a positive track record for decades. Occasionally, some of my patients develop headaches, bruising, numbness, or drooping from Botox, but not one (out of thousands) has ever developed the flu.
It is flu season. Could you have been exposed to the flu, and then you happened to get Botox on the same day? Could the flu be a coincidence? Could the ER personnel have misdiagnosed you? (Most ER physicians would rarely, if ever, administer Botox, and most probably are not aware of its safety profile.)
As you know, Botox is a purified protein. It is not derived from a virus, like the one that causes the flu.
Regarding anxiety, some Botox patients do feel a certain "frustration" from being unable to fully express themselves. However, I have never had a patient whose anxiety could be largely attributed to Botox.
Ultimately, GRS, I would recommend that you return to the surgeon who administered the Botox. He or she should assess your situation, and then you should decide whether or not you have had a (very, very) rare reaction.
Good luck.
337 posts
2 Aug 2009
Dr Pickart - Your reply is a little patronising. We all know it is not the actual flu. It is 'flu-like' symptoms, which are a known and admitted side effect of botox. Muscle weakness, chills, headache, tiredness, fatigue, general body aches, stiff neck, sore throat, blocked sinuses etc. It FEELS like I have the flu. I don't actually think I have the flu. I know I don't. I have botox side effects. Read the side effects list from Allergan. It actually notes two of the side effects as 'flu-like symptoms' and 'anxiety'. Why would Allergan list them as side effects if it never happens? Would you like to have a try at answering my antibiotic question as some of the medical literature I have accessed links concurrent administration of tetracyclines and botox to DEATH by repiratory depression and fatal apnea.
2 posts
7 Aug 2009
One week ago I was given Botox at the Mayo Clinic to treat a Dystonia. I was told before recieving it that the only issues they have ever seen with botox is "flu like symptoms" A week into this I am now experiencing these flu-like symptoms hence why I did a google search and found this site...these symptoms have been terrible and getting worse. I had a bad feeling about this crap (botox) and every doctor I was sent to before being treated at the Mayo Clinic raved about how great this stuff is with the mayo clinic being the only place that mentioned any side effects at all. I already regret taking this stuff for some reason it seems doctors are bit too trigger happy to want to give this stuff out...must be a huge profit margin. The only reason why I took this stuff in the first place was because I was forced to by my workers compensation insurance company...when I refused it the first time I was refused benefits as I was labeled "refusing treatement" and that this stuff was the cure for me.
337 posts
8 Aug 2009
Shawn31 - your story is absolutely appalling. It is shocking that you were denied benefits under your workers compensation insurance for refusing botox treatment. How dare they? Effectively this takes away your right to make an informed decision about a certain treatment option and assess whether the benefits outweigh the risks for YOU. It is outrageous and you should take it further. At least the Mayo Clinic advised you of the possible side effects of flu-like symptoms rather than denying this is a side effect of botox (as above). I was not advised of any side effects. I could not understand why I felt so bad until I did my own research on the internet and found forums like this. PLEASE report your adverse side effects to Allergan and the FDA. You can report adverse events to the FDA online through their website. I reported my adverse event to Allergan, the FDA and the TGA (Australian version of the FDA). I believe adverse botox events are significantly under-reported, which is why doctors can continue to make unchallenged assertions about how the safety of botox. Botox users either do not recognise the side effects as connected to botox, or their concerns are dimissed by doctors (as above) or they don't want to report it because they don't want to admit to using botox especially for cosmetic purposes. If enough people report adverse events to the FDA (including experiencing side effects) then it will not be possible for doctors to continue to deny they exist. Is botox as safe as doctors repeatedly claim? Maybe. Or maybe it is more a case of the statistics not reflecting reality. Who knows? Nobody will ever know until adverse events are reported properly and real data is available. How many units did you have for a dystonia? I had 15 units 4 weeks ago and some of the flu-like symptoms have decreased. My botox was administered concurrently with a contraindicated antibiotic (tetracycline) so the botox went crazy. The same doctor who gave me the antibiotic also gave me the botox. She 'didn't know' that tetracyclines can potentiate the effects and side effects of botox. My face is living proof that they do. The physical effect is grotesque and the side effects have been horrendous. I am stuck looking like this for months. Aside from the flu-like symptoms, have you got any of the other side effects? Nausea, insomnia, anxiety, increased sweating, confusion etc? Let us know how you are going. Hang in there!
337 posts
9 Aug 2009
The link for online reporting to the FDA is: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm