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I am writing this for other women because I wish I...
I am writing this for other women because I wish I had known more about all the bad side effects before getting botox. I'm 36 and have several friends who had it done and loved the results so I thought I would try it. I was never told about any potential bad side effects by the doctor, and friends of mine kept saying that getting botox wasn't a big deal, that it was like getting your teeth cleaned. Ladies please know this is not true- this is not a drug to be taken lightly, it has serious medical side effects that can be very dangerous for some people. I went to a very reputable doctor and only had a small amount injected in the usual spots people get done- the forehead, in beteeen the eyes, and a tiny bit for the crows feet.
A few hours after I got the injections, my tongue went completely numb and I felt like I couldn't swallow. I've never had an allergic reaction before and don't know what it feels like, so I assumed that's what it was. I downed some Benadryl and got a ride to the hospital, all the time thinking how could I do this. What if something happens to me, my kids need me. Once I got to the ER, the nurse told me not to worry, she said she had seen this many times, and that the numb tongue from botox is common and goes away in a few hours. I was told that it was not an allergy, just a common side effect of botox. Sure enough when I googled the words botox numb, the word tongue popped up as a commonly used search term. So clearly this was a common thing. I wish I knew about it beforehand, along with the unbelievably scary feeling of not being able to swallow.
In my life I've never had anxiety issues, and never had to be on any psychological type of medication. Well later on in the night the same day I got botox, I had what I can only describe as an 8 hour panic attack, my entire body was convulsing, which I have now learned is the body trying to fight off the toxin. I also kept having that feeling that I couldn't swallow which is so scary, like someone trying to choke you (and which is a listed side effect of botox that is on the box, but doctors never tell you about it before you get it). I literally thought I was having some kind of mental break. What the doctors definitely never tell you beforehand is that severe anxiety is a listed side effect of botox. My doctor only informed me of this after the fact when I told her what I was going through.
For me the worst part is that although I have never suffered from anxiety attacks in my life, I started getting them all the time even when that first one was over. My psychiatrist said it's because once your body has a very bad anxiety attack like that it's like lighting a fire that leaves embers... basically your body is in fight or flight mode and it takes a lot if time to get back to normal. So now I am on anti-anxiety meds, which cause all kinds of other side effects and are not easy to get off of because they cause physical dependency, all because I chose to get this terrible botulism injected into my face.
Never needed anti anxiety meds before. Very normal girl with a great husband and kids and friends I love. It's now been months since I had botox, and I still don't feel like I've fully recovered. Recently my body started twitching again which I had finally started getting over, and I learned from reading other peoples stories that this often happens when the toxin is leaving your body- some of the original side effects come back. My left eye has been twitching non-stop for a month, and I read that this is common when the toxin is leaving your body.
All I can say is don't do it. It's been such a nightmare for me, it's so not worth it. I wish I had done more research. Doctors are looking to make a living and aren't required to tell you all of the terrible side effects. Also, there are so many people writing these kind of botox nightmare stories, just think how many more people experienced similar things but didn't get around to writing about it. If this writeup gets even one person to avoid going through the hell I went through, I'll be so glad.
A few hours after I got the injections, my tongue went completely numb and I felt like I couldn't swallow. I've never had an allergic reaction before and don't know what it feels like, so I assumed that's what it was. I downed some Benadryl and got a ride to the hospital, all the time thinking how could I do this. What if something happens to me, my kids need me. Once I got to the ER, the nurse told me not to worry, she said she had seen this many times, and that the numb tongue from botox is common and goes away in a few hours. I was told that it was not an allergy, just a common side effect of botox. Sure enough when I googled the words botox numb, the word tongue popped up as a commonly used search term. So clearly this was a common thing. I wish I knew about it beforehand, along with the unbelievably scary feeling of not being able to swallow.
In my life I've never had anxiety issues, and never had to be on any psychological type of medication. Well later on in the night the same day I got botox, I had what I can only describe as an 8 hour panic attack, my entire body was convulsing, which I have now learned is the body trying to fight off the toxin. I also kept having that feeling that I couldn't swallow which is so scary, like someone trying to choke you (and which is a listed side effect of botox that is on the box, but doctors never tell you about it before you get it). I literally thought I was having some kind of mental break. What the doctors definitely never tell you beforehand is that severe anxiety is a listed side effect of botox. My doctor only informed me of this after the fact when I told her what I was going through.
For me the worst part is that although I have never suffered from anxiety attacks in my life, I started getting them all the time even when that first one was over. My psychiatrist said it's because once your body has a very bad anxiety attack like that it's like lighting a fire that leaves embers... basically your body is in fight or flight mode and it takes a lot if time to get back to normal. So now I am on anti-anxiety meds, which cause all kinds of other side effects and are not easy to get off of because they cause physical dependency, all because I chose to get this terrible botulism injected into my face.
Never needed anti anxiety meds before. Very normal girl with a great husband and kids and friends I love. It's now been months since I had botox, and I still don't feel like I've fully recovered. Recently my body started twitching again which I had finally started getting over, and I learned from reading other peoples stories that this often happens when the toxin is leaving your body- some of the original side effects come back. My left eye has been twitching non-stop for a month, and I read that this is common when the toxin is leaving your body.
All I can say is don't do it. It's been such a nightmare for me, it's so not worth it. I wish I had done more research. Doctors are looking to make a living and aren't required to tell you all of the terrible side effects. Also, there are so many people writing these kind of botox nightmare stories, just think how many more people experienced similar things but didn't get around to writing about it. If this writeup gets even one person to avoid going through the hell I went through, I'll be so glad.