“Feeling Dizzy After Botox”

sucks, I call it bo-somnia. I couldn't sleep for 5 weeks, gets in the system. How did it work out for you?

It sounds like anxiety.

crosses brain stem, systemic reactions. Will try like 2 units see if that feels okay

I feel dizzy too. How long did it last for you? Is there anything you did that made you feel better?

I am so relieved to hear that someone else has the same problem. I had botox in my crows feet last year and had no problems, but decided to go a bit further and have it between my eyebrows 12 days ago, and have been feeling dizzy and "disconnected" since. I thought it may have been a sinus infection, but sinus medication has had no effect. How are you now? And how long did this awful feeling last? I certainly will not be having botox again, unfortunately, it's just not worth feeling like this.

it lasts about5 weeks, i could not even laugh or smle, like it froze my emotions...alcohol pills, nothing worked..depersonalization, not to mention wicked sinus infection for a week...it crosses the brain stem rides on the neurons or something. I smoked pot to sleep, only thing that worked over sleeping pills, the works! That's the only remedy I found, earth's natural weed. How many units you do there anyway? I did 12

I think it was 16 units. That's what I was charged for anyway. I have since done a bit of research and one website said that the botox can seep into the ocular nerve and slow down the eye muscle, causing double vision. This sounds like my problem. I can't believe that people are not warned about this possible side effect. It's 16 days since my treatment and I still have double vision and dizziness.

that sucks, i had a lazy eye, like a broke doll...lasted 5 weeks....yyou get a sinus infection?

how are you felling now? i just had botox 3 days ago and i am felling so axious and dizzy too, also i have a head ache and some doble vision at times on one eye,. this is not worth the trouble also i started to feel weer on my neckas if sometimes i can swallow i am freking i will go to the doctor in the am. any advice?

I am feeling much better now. It took probably 6 weeks before the symptoms wore off. As much as I liked the effect of the botox, I won't be putting myself through it again. But just remember, it will wear off and you'll start to feel normal again soon!

I am amazed. I have had similar reactions after botox but never attributed it to botox. I just thought it was a coincidence that I always happened to have bad sinuses and the flu after botox shots (especially in the forehead). I have looked around on the web and lots of other people write very similar things on blogs. Also upset stomachs, vomiting, uncontrollable crying, inability to socialise, lack of concentration etc etc etc, which I have too. The doctor who replied may not have come across it but if your read the hundreds of stories describing the exact same symptoms then I do not see how such little credit is given to these "rare, rare" side effects. It would suggest that they are not all that rare after all. Was anyone who experienced these side effects taking antibiotics at the time of the botox shots of shortly thereafter?

no, never

Yes, the first time I had botox was only around my eyes, but the second time I had it in between my eyebrows, and I only had the bad reaction on the second treatment. I agree, there should be more information on these possible side effects. I was so relieved to find that other people had suffered the same symptoms, because I seriously thought I was going mad. My last treatment has nearly worn off though....and I have to admit, I hate those lines that are starting to appear! Maybe I'll try just around the eyes again. I wasn't taking antibiotics, but I stupidly took some ibuprofen just before the treatment thinking that it would help with the pain of the injections, and found out later that ibuprofen makes you bleed more easily. That may even have been the cause of my weird side effects. Did anyone else take ibuprofen or aspirin before the treatment?

Major panic attack today guys! Really thought I was losing it. I just spoke with the "medicalsupp" guy (that's his user name) in New York - yes I made a cell phone call to the US from Australia I feel so terrible - and he would encourage anyone with these symptoms to send him a private email. He is doing some research into the emotional side effects of botox that most doctors deny exist. Please contact him. He is extremely nice and very helpful. He will not make you feel that it is all in your head.

Hi jayne01 It would appear that, aside from not being 'with it' (probably just a result of your double vision!) your side effects are all physical. However, I certainly think that the side effects of botox can be both physical (vomiting, double vision etc) and emotional/psychological (anxiety, disorientation etc). The latter does not seem to have happened to you. My response was really posted for babalulu and in korea who identify side effects of insomnia and anxiety (which can also cause feelings of dizzines and not being with it).

It took me 6 years of getting Botox to realize that every time within 12 hours, I experienced sudden and severe insomnia, extreme anxiety, panic attacks, and a rapid slide into depression. I have always been very even keel, not terribly moody, and sleep like a champ, so the difference is drastic and obvious, and certainly not psychological. Suspecting the connection, I began to keep "mood charts" over the last 2 years, documenting what happened to me after having Botox. The link is absolute and very clear -- it's the Botox that is causing the problems. If you search message boards, MANY other people have experienced exactly the same thing. Doctors and Clinicians deny such "side effects" are common, even real, and yet they are being widely reported all over the internet. The problem is, because we do not expect such a response to Botox, we do not directly connect the reaction. It has quite devastated my life -- leading to a misdiagnosis from a Psychiatrist, and eventually taking 5 dangerous mind-altering medications to "treat" the misdiagnosis. Of course, my "mental illness" strangely went away every time the Botox wore off, but try explaining that to a Psychiatrist! Once I realized what was really going on, I weaned myself successfully off all medications working with a Naturopathic Doctor, and a Nutritional Psychiatrist (yes, they exist!) -- and of course I stopped having Botox. I think it will be years before the true effects of Botox become apparent. I wonder if there is any link between the drastic increase in RXs for sleeping pills, anti-anxiety meds and antidepressants in the last 10 years -- and the advent of Botox during the same period. It's hard to know -- because these side effects are not disclosed by the manufacturer of Botox -- so Doctors don't know to expect or look for them. They automatically dismiss them as probably psychological, when clearly they are not. I think the key problem is people probably don't realize Botox is doing this to them, because a) they don't expect it, and b) they want to focus on the positive outcome of Botox. Until more people speak up -- and file "adverse event" reports with the FDA as I did -- nothing will change. You can file an "adverse event" report here: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm

memoo - I read a previous post of yours and got the link to the FDA website for online reporting from that. Thank you. It at least made me feel that I was doing something proactive. I have filed an adverse event report with the FDA in relation to both the side effects I experienced and the interaction with the tetracycline antibiotic (which exacerbated the side effects) as well as created the horrible physical effect that I have right now. You are right about not expecting the side effects and perhaps looking past them if the result is positive. Clearly that is not the case for me this time. I look at old photos of myself and just cry. What did I do to myself? It is appalling. In respect of botox side effects, unfortunately they are too easily explained away by doctors as something else. When I say I feel like I have the flu (achy, fatigued, weak and generally unwell) I don't actually think I have the flu. I know I don't. I have botox side effects. Same deal with the sinus pressure and dry throat. The other side effects like insomnia, agitation, irrationality, dizziness, disorientation, confusion, memory problems and anxiety etc are too easily put down to stress by doctors. I am no more stressed than I was before the botox - in fact my life was taking a turn for the better before this disaster! Now I am getting through every day on Valium (Aussie Xanax) which is ridiculous. My doctor is sceptical about botox side effects - he described it as a 'conspiracy theory'. He is WRONG. I am refusing to take anti-depressants because I know I am not clinically depressed. I did not feel this way before the botox. I am only four weeks in to this nightmare. I look like a zombie and I miss the bright, sparkling blue eyes I used to have so very much. I fear that so much damage has been done both physically and emotionally that it will never come back to normal.

U will be back to normal, give it another week, its traumatic, smoke pot at night instead of pills, I don't know why but it really works and u sleep, not stay up and trip, like one would think.

Thanks for the tip babalulu, but unfortunately in my line of work I will have to rely on prescription meds! It is half way into the 5th week now and I am sleeping a little better. Down from 4 x 5mg Valium at night to 2. Still look like crap but that will obviously persist for some time.