I was tested for Botox and Dysport allergy as well as the numbing agent. The test came back inconclusive. I also took a sleeping pill the night before Botox which may have interfered?
July 7, 2019
Answer: Allergic to Botox?? Ask your allergist to test you for Benzyl Alcohol. If a dermatologist is performing the Botox/Dysport injections, you can ask them to patch test you to this ingredient. It is included in a number of topical agents. This is a preservative found in the preserved saline which the majority of physicians use to dilute Botox and Dysport. There are a fair number of patients who are allergic to this material. Very few physicians follow Allergan's recommended guidelines to use unpreserved saline. The rationale for the use of unpreserved saline is that this solution which was used when Botox underwent its original testing for FDA approval. Allergan did not want a confounding element, Benzyl Alcohol, in its testing. The FDA requires drug companies to list the exact formulation in the Package Insert ( PI) which was used during its trials. Sure, Allergan could spend millions of dollars by performing trials with preserved saline, but since 99% of doctors ignore this part of the Package Insert, why would they? A few years ago, I detected that one of my patients was allergic to Benzyl Alcohol. She would develop a strange rash, well away from where I had injected Botox. It was nearly impossible for me to find non-preserved saline. None of the local pharmacies carried it. I had to resort to purchasing it from one of the hospitals instead. If my colleagues were using unpreserved saline on a regular basis, logically it should not have been so difficult to obtain. Bottom line: you should check to see if you are allergic to the saline being used to reconstitute Botox/Dysport. If not, be sure to inform your physician that you took a sleeping pill. You might be allergic to that. If it still seems like it still might be Botox/Dysport, I would not take any chances at all. Urticarial reactions ( hives) are nothing to mess around with, especially if you are receiving injections. They can be fatal if anaphylaxis develops. So I would tread very carefully. .
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
July 7, 2019
Answer: Allergic to Botox?? Ask your allergist to test you for Benzyl Alcohol. If a dermatologist is performing the Botox/Dysport injections, you can ask them to patch test you to this ingredient. It is included in a number of topical agents. This is a preservative found in the preserved saline which the majority of physicians use to dilute Botox and Dysport. There are a fair number of patients who are allergic to this material. Very few physicians follow Allergan's recommended guidelines to use unpreserved saline. The rationale for the use of unpreserved saline is that this solution which was used when Botox underwent its original testing for FDA approval. Allergan did not want a confounding element, Benzyl Alcohol, in its testing. The FDA requires drug companies to list the exact formulation in the Package Insert ( PI) which was used during its trials. Sure, Allergan could spend millions of dollars by performing trials with preserved saline, but since 99% of doctors ignore this part of the Package Insert, why would they? A few years ago, I detected that one of my patients was allergic to Benzyl Alcohol. She would develop a strange rash, well away from where I had injected Botox. It was nearly impossible for me to find non-preserved saline. None of the local pharmacies carried it. I had to resort to purchasing it from one of the hospitals instead. If my colleagues were using unpreserved saline on a regular basis, logically it should not have been so difficult to obtain. Bottom line: you should check to see if you are allergic to the saline being used to reconstitute Botox/Dysport. If not, be sure to inform your physician that you took a sleeping pill. You might be allergic to that. If it still seems like it still might be Botox/Dysport, I would not take any chances at all. Urticarial reactions ( hives) are nothing to mess around with, especially if you are receiving injections. They can be fatal if anaphylaxis develops. So I would tread very carefully. .
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
