Are pharmacists, legally, allowed to inject BOTOX if they have successfully completed the required course?

Question

I know plastic surgeons "think" pharmacists should not inject BOTOX. I want to know if a pharmacist successfully completes the required course to become certified to inject BOTOX, by law, can they inject BOTOX? In the state of California - specifically. I don't want to know what plastic surgeons "think" - I want to know the written law.

Lorrie Klein, MD · Answer

I believe pharmacists are legally allowed to inject vaccines but not medications, in CA and most states.if a pharmacist is injecting Botox they are probably doing so illegally.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

The medical board regulations decide this but in general, unless you are a board certified medical doctor you cannot order botox and the botox you may receive may be fradulent.  I would only go to someone who is an expert in the field.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Robert Heck, MD, FACS · Answer

If you want your Botox injected correctly, you need to find a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon or Board Certified Dermatologist who has significant experience in injecting Botox. You woud need to check with the State Medical Board in California regarding the regulations regarding pharmacists.

Michael I. Echavez, MD · Answer

You should contact the Medical Board of California to ask if pharmacists can legally inject Botox in California.  They would have the final say in that matter.

Jerome Potozkin, MD · Answer

A pharmacist is not a physician.  A pharmacist cannot legally prescribe medications.  If a pharmacist is injecting Botox it is likely a criminal offense known as "the unlicensed practice of medicine".

Edwin Ishoo, MD · Answer

These questions continue to puzzle me. Botox and fillers are prescriptive medical treatments and can only be ordered by a physician (not necessarily "board certified" in anything) and would make sense that if you are seeking a medical treatment, you would go to a doctor. However, under a physician's license many other types of medical personel can deliver doctor's ordered treatment. So if someone took a course in delivering chemotherapy, would you have them treat your cancer? Botox can cause serious complications in the wrong hands, beware.

Are pharmacists, legally, allowed to inject BOTOX if they have successfully completed the required course?

Answers (6)