Allergy to botulinum toxin. Can inject allergan or will I develop the same reaction?

Question

Sorry if I am repeating my question, but I need to be more clear,, I tried botulinum toxin 3 times ,first time was allergan,2nd and third time was refinex,, while I was injecting the 3rd time I develped suddenly hypotension,nausea,, and oedma all over the body that disappeared in few minutes,, when I made a search about this product I knew that was cheap and low quality,,, I need your advise if I can inject allergan more over or I ll develop the same reaction ,, thanks for your great help

Nelson Lee Novick, MD · Answer

Given the complex mixture of ingredients contained in the Refinex product, which is not FDA approved, allergy or adverse reactions to it are certainly possible. On the other hand, true allergic reactions to approved botulinum toxin products, such as Botox Cosmetic, Dysport and Xeomin involving antibodies, are believed to be exceedingly rare.Whenever I have a patient who seems to be growing more resistent to the effects of Botox (i.e. it seems to take more material to achieve the same effects as in the past or the effects appear to be lasting increasingly shorter periods of time), I am typically able to switch these individuals successfully over to Xeomin, a highly purified form of botulinum neuromodulator (which contains only the active ingredient, which has been stripped of all surrounding potentially allergenic surrounding proteins). I would strongly urge consultation by another physician with experience and expertise in injecting all available and legally approved forms of neuromodulators.

Mark P. Solomon, MD · Answer

Given the fact that you were injected with a product that is not FDA approved, you may have had allergy to impurities in the product, not the toxin.  However, Xeomin is a more pure form of botulinum toxin and may be a choice for you.  You should consult with a physician who has experience with a wide variety of neurotoxins to help determine what is best for you.

Sheryl D. Clark, MD, FAAD · Answer

Refinex is botulinum toxin A with dextran, mannitol, seaweed extracts, and hexapeptide. It is made with a snake venom extract. It is not FDA -approved for use in the United States, and at least one physician has been prosecuted for providing it as a Botox alternative in th US. Where were you treated with Refinex?Your reaction was unlikely to be to the botulinum toxin itself that is in both products, but rather to another ingredient in the Refinex.You could consider working with an allergist and your board-certified dermatologist. Perhaps a monitored injection of a small amount intradermally could be performed to assess for untoward reactions before proceeding with a full treatment.

Allergy to botulinum toxin. Can inject allergan or will I develop the same reaction?

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Allergy to botulinum toxin. Can inject allergan or will I develop the same reaction?

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