I Asked my Doctor How Long He Kept the Botox for Use After Mixing-Said 2 Wks., Is This Ok?

Question

I Asked my Doctor How Long He Kept the Botox for Use After Mixing He Said 2 Wks. Is this ok?

David Shafer, MD, FACS · Answer

Botox should be used within 24 hours of reconstituting(mixing) it.  With that said, two weeks later, if kept at a cool temperature, it will likely be okay.  However, why would you want to spend your good money on Botox that has been sitting around for 2 week.  For our patients, we always open a new vial and reconstitute in front of them and use the Botox right away.  This way, our patients know that they are getting the freshest Botox available.  Our profit margin may be lower this way, but it ensures our patients are getting the best care.  If your injector has Botox sitting around for 2 weeks and has not injected it, then they must not do very many Botox injections in their practice and you may want to go to someone more experienced.  In our office, we go through multiple vials each day, so Botox sitting around for 2 weeks is never an issue.  

	 

	Good Luck.

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

keeping the diluted Botox refrigerated is often done by physicians as an off-label procedure and no reduction in efficacy has been demonstrated. In my office, Botox is done so frequently that several vials are open the same day and it is rare to have one sitting more than a few days.

Harold J. Kaplan, MD · Answer

Hi Cincinnati.  Yes, the Botox should be ok for up to 2 weeks after mixing with saline.  This would be the longest time that your injector would want to leave it before using and it not recommended to keep for any longer than this by the manufacturer.

Most offices that provide Botox injections do not need the product to remain reconstituted (mixed) for 2 weeks because they use it more quickly than that.

Richard Baxter, MD · Answer

Botox arrives as a powder in a sealed vial, and saline must be added to it before injection (reconstitution.) It does lose some potency after a few weeks but is probably OK at 2 weeks. However, a top level Botox provider rarely has any Botox sitting around that long.

Michael Law, MD · Answer

It may be okay to keep Botox for two weeks. But do you want Okay Botox?  Botox comes in a powder form which is them reconstituted. Botox begins to degrade. Every practice has their own standards, but the protocol in my office is to use Fresh Botox that has been reconstituted the same day.In addition to the concern about Botox degrading, I would question the expertise of a practice that uses so little Botox that they do not have enough demand to go through Botox more quickly.

Michele S. Green, MD · Answer

We typically go through many vials of Botox on a single day and I don't know why there would be a vial for two weeks in a refrigerator unless the physician only occasionally uses Botox.  Best, Dr. Green

Esta Kronberg, MD · Answer

I feel that Botox is best used within 24 hours of it being reconstituted. It comes as a frozen powder and we add saline to it. I feel it is it's most potent the day it is mixed. I feel the patient is spending a lot of money for this product and believe they should always get fresh product. An office that has product around for 2 weeks is not doing it very often.

	In my office we always start with fresh Botox mixed that day. So we still have Botox days and this way the patient knows it is as fresh as possible.

Michael L. Schwartz, MD · Answer

Two weeks is usually ok. Most practices use it up faster then that. If you don't get the desired effect then ask your doctor about  more.

Robert L. Kraft, MD, FACS · Answer

Botox will remain potent for about one month after reconstitution.  In my practice, it rarely remains unused after two weeks and, after a month has elapsed, my staff gets free Botox treatments!

Francis R. Palmer, III, MD (retired) · Answer

Most MD's that inject neurotoxins like Boox, Dysport and Xeomin will use them for two weeks after reconstituting them with saline.

I Asked my Doctor How Long He Kept the Botox for Use After Mixing-Said 2 Wks., Is This Ok?

Answers (12)

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