Should People with Allergies Use Dysport an Alternative to Botox?

Question

Dysport uses human serum, abobotulinumtoxinA and lactose. Is this a better alternative than Botox?

Ron Shelton, MD · Answer

If you're asking if patients who have never had botox or dysport, but have a history of being allergic to things, such as hay fever, asthma, antibitoics, etc. should try one over the other botulinum toxin, they are relatively similar but possibly less free protein load in Dysport. If someone is truly allergic to Botox, possibly they wouldn't show a reaction to Dysport but Allergic reactions to Botox are so rare that most physicians have never seen such a reaction. If this is a possiblitiy with you, then you should see an allergist who can test you to the products if the physician who is about to inject you can supply the allergist with the chemicals. There is a chance that someone can become allergic to an ingredient in the liquid that the Botox or Dysport is mixed with prior to the injection. This has to be investigated as well. Some doctors use preserved saline and the allergist may have to test this as well and then if this is the cause, botox mixed with preservative-free saline might not induce an allergy. If there is an immunologic reaction wtih antibodies, then changing to another serotype might make sense, but none exist now (dysport and botox are both serotype A botulinum toxin) and the prevalence of immunity to botox is extremely rare.

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD · Answer

The answer here depends precisely on the nature of one's allergy. Your question seems to be hypothetical. Occasionally people without out allergies harbor the belief that it is a good idea to avoid drugs to which others have allergies. If you do not have a known allergy to the ingredients of these agents, then it really does not matter which of these drugs you have. If you have an actual allergy, I recommend that you consult your potential doctor. You may actually need to be patch tested to determine if a product is safe for you.

Mark Taylor, MD · Answer

I have a number of patients who are resistant (could be they have antibodies) to Botox who are successfully treated with Dysport. This is also true for patient resistant to Dysport who are successfully treated with Botox.

Jo Herzog, MD · Answer

I have never seen an allergc reaction to either but would not use something if you have a KNOWN allergy to any of the ingredients. Better safe than sorry.

Emily Altman, MD · Answer

Botox (onabotulinumtoxin A) has the following ingredients:

	
		botulinum toxin type A produced from fermentation of Hall strain Clostridium botulinum type A
	
		casein hydrolysate
	
		yeast extract
	
		human albumin


	Dysport (abobotulinumtoxin A) has the following ingredients:

	
		botulinum toxin type A
	
		human albumin
	
		lactose
	
		Dysport may contain cow&rsquo;s milk protein.


	If you are allergic to any of the ingredients in one of these products, you should not use it.  The makers of these medications also warn that if you have severe allergies to multiple products or medications, caution is advised in using these products.  That is because if the person is allergic to multiple substances, they may develop allergies to other products easier than a person who does not.

	Otherwise, if you have allergies that are not part of the ingredients in these products and if you don't have a history of multiple allergies, there should not be a problem using them.

Sheri G. Feldman, MD · Answer

Either product is fine. A neurotoxin should not affect your allergies unless you are allergic to the material itself, which I have never encountered since I started injecting Botox in 1995, or have had an adverse reaction to it.

Rosalyn George, MD · Answer

It depends on what your allergies are. People who have allergies to eggs should not use Botox and people who are allergic to milk should not use Dysport. There should be no difference otherwise.

F. Victor Rueckl, MD (in memoriam) · Answer

I have been injecting Botox for nearly 25 years and was part of the FDA trial for Dysport. I've never seen an allergic reaction to either product. However, that being said, if you are allergic to any of the ingredients - you need to see a full listing from a physician - I would not use the product. Additionally, your injector should be able to inject a very tiny amount of the product for you as a spot test to see how you respond. I've never had to do this before, but it can be done easily if you have concerns about allergies.

Should People with Allergies Use Dysport an Alternative to Botox?

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