I just got Botox and my throat is feeling strange. Scratchy almost, but no real trouble swallowing or breathing.

The simple answer is that it doesn't sound like BOTOX would be causing any of these symptoms.  I encourage you to call the person who actually performed your treatment and let them know your concerns.  As much as we would love to help guide you, this is really the responsibility of the person who injected the BOTOX.I hope that helps and wish you the very best!Warmest regards,Gregory A Buford MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author

An allergy to Botox is extremely rare and the symptoms you describe are unlikely due to your Botox treatment. If it persists, I recommend following up with your Doctor. Botox results resolve in 3-4 months. Best, Dr. Emer

Thank you for your question Aarrccc. I understand your concern. Botox is a purified protein used to address wrinkles associated with facial expression. When injected into the skin Botox will relax the muscles and smoothen out the overlying wrinkles. The most common areas of treatment are in the upper face. These include the horizontal lines seen on the upper forehead when one raises the brows, the vertical lines seen between the brows when one frowns (frown lines), and the crow's feet seen around the eyes when one smiles.It is difficult to make an assessment without a formal exam where the entire medical history is reviewed. However, I hope the information provided here is useful.The symptoms described here are not caused by Botox, but there may be something else such as a common cold. If I had a patient with such symptoms after a Botox treatment I would recommend that she consult with her primary care physician.With any injection, there are risks such as pain, bleeding, bruising, redness, swelling, tenderness, and infection. We take special precautions to minimize these risks such as using a painless technique. We also treat bruises with a laser as early as the next day. Bruises usually resolve within two weeks if untreated. After a laser treatment bruises usually resolve in 1-3 days, but may still take two weeks for full resolution. In addition to these risks, with Botox there is also a risk that the product spreads or diffuses to nearby structures. Spread to nearby muscles can lead to side effects such as the temporary appearance of droopy eyelids or a temporary asymmetric smile.After a Botox treatment, I recommend that my patients avoid heat exposure, alcohol consumption, and strenuous exercise for 24 hours and not lie down flat for four hours. This is because all of these activities may possibly lead to the movement of the product and consequent side effects such as droopy eyelids as described above. Although there have been no definitive studies shown that these actually occur and some physicians do not provide such aftercare instructions, in the absence of data I err on the side of caution and recommend that my patients avoid such activities.Please consult with a doctor for specific recommendations. Good luck!