POSTED UNDER Botox REVIEWS
Horrible Headaches & New Wrinkles on my Face from Botox - Burnaby, BC
ORIGINAL POST
I had Botox done six times before from a certified...
Vancouvermom007May 28, 2016
I had Botox done six times before from a certified dermatologist, I loved the results & never had any side effects. Fast forward four years and two kids later, I decided to get Botox again as I was feeling the need for a little refresh to my face. As we have now moved, I sourced out a clinic near my home and went to a new doctor for my injections. This was 15 weeks ago. The day after my injections I woke up with horrible flu like symptoms including nausea, fatigue, sensitivity to light and sound and horrible horrible headaches that have not yet gone away. I could hardly take care of my kids, my husband had to take time off from work to care for us all. The flu like symptoms went away at the 3 week mark but the headaches have not. Best way to describe the feeling in my head is that I am wearing a helmet 3 sizes too small which crushes my skull, I also feel intense pounding on my forehead and sinus pressure as well a vice like squeezing sensation at my temples. I also now have food and vitamin sensitivities to products I never had issues with before. Sadly I also have new wrinkles that have appeared all over my face that did NOT exist before botox. See photo of the wrinkle above my left eye which appeared the day after I was injected. I also have another deep one under my left eye which runs from my nose to my hairline & two under my right eye. These lines are not created by my own movement ( for example smiling, squinting etc), they are random deep long wrinkles that have appeared. When this doctor injected the botox, it was extremely painful in the glabellar area. Botox should not be painful. I also found out that he injected 64 units and wanted me to come back and get more!! The max I had before was 40. If you are in the Vancouver, BC area, DO NOT see Dr Perhez Jaffer. I am convinced that he OVER botoxed me purely for extra profit which has caused or at least contributed to the side effects I am experiencing. Oh did I mention, he also gave me "spock" eye. I am 39 years old, I hardly had any wrinkles before treatment ( a few fine lines on my forehead and crows feet when I smiled). My friends my age who are getting botox are receiving between 30-40 units, I even went back to the dermatologist that treated me four years ago and he said he wouldn't have given me more than 40 units for my age. I even spoke with someone at Allergan who provides medical training and she admitted 64 units was excessive.
I have seen two doctors, a dermatologist and two neurologists as well I had a CT scan which came out normal. I was 100% healthy before I had this round of botox and have never suffered from headaches before in my life. I have tried so many drugs to help me and nothing has worked. I am now on new medicine prescribed by my new neurologist.
Doctor Jaffer has completely ruined my life these last 15 weeks. Who knows when on earth I will get better. The new lines on my face have aged me sadly but are the least of my worries now, I just want these horrible painful headaches gone so I can get my life back. From everything I have read on this site and the women are suffering horribly from botox side effects, some much worse then me and even at lower doses then what I got. If you are reading this, I urge you to read all about the side effects before you decide to inject this toxin into your face. I know I will definitely not be doing botox ever again!!
Replies (62)
May 31, 2016
I'm so sorry to hear about your experience. I have a lot of pain in my right eye due to botox. I too had a CT scan recently and it came back normal. I've seen two optometrist and an ophthalmologist..it took awhile to figure out it was botox. I hadn't mentioned it to my eye docs because I didn't put two and two together. It's been 8 weeks for me and I just pray the eye pain will go away when the botox wears off. You are at 15 weeks so you may have another 2 months before your botox is out of your system. Have the headaches lessed at all?
May 31, 2016
Hi, thanks for your comment. Im sorry to hear you're also suffering with pain from your injections:( Are you taking any drugs to help? I am feeling slightly better since being on these new drugs however the headache is still there, just a little less severe. My neurologist said it can take 4 weeks for the drugs to take their full effect so hopefully I will be headache free in 3 or so weeks. I still cant frown so I know the botox is still in my system. Ugh what a nightmare.
August 2, 2016
hi Lees, how are you feeling now? my eye pain has improved but it's still there. some days it is so bad that it's on my mind every minute. other days i can wear my contacts and it's only a mild distraction. I had everything a CT scan to rule out anything else so it must be the botox. have you improved?
August 2, 2016
Hi Cincilady, I'm pretty much in the same boat in terms of pain. I've seen some improvement with the drugs I'm taking but it hasn't taken away the headaches completely. And some days are worse then others but mostly I feel intense squeezing at my temples. Also have not seen any changes to the new wrinkles on my face:( I still can't frown 100% like I did before botox in the 11's so its definitely still in my system. What about you? Has it worn off?
August 3, 2016
what drug does the nuero have you on? I've started to worry that botox could cause that a neuralgia like trig...neuralgia. does your neuro say what is the cause after all these months? I feel good today but the other day my eye was killin me.
August 3, 2016
She has me on nortriptyline. She told me that the headaches are a side effect of botox and she's seen it before with patients she treats with botox for migraines. She said they are not quite sure why it happens but it can happen. She thinks the new wrinkles on my face are due to bad injector technique.
May 31, 2016
You should check out the possibility that the "Botox" injected into your face was actually a counterfeit version of the genuine Allergan product. Severe reactions such as the ones you describe are not unusual in such cases. Practitioners use the counterfeit Botox as it is extremely inexpensive.
June 2, 2016
I would report your situation to the appropriate medical board in your state as the response you are suffering is not a normal response for genuine Botox--especially as you had the product injected previously with no adverse reactions.
Moreover, I would contact The Botox Ethics Help Line at 888-645-0090 and get their feedback and advice.
Moreover, I would contact The Botox Ethics Help Line at 888-645-0090 and get their feedback and advice.
June 3, 2016
I'd have to agree with Steve3000 about it possibly being counterfeit, since you've had Botox injected many times before with no problems. The amount was quite a bit as well. I hope that you fully recover from whatever the cause is found to be ~ possibly blood tests with your PCP would provide some answers. Xoxo ~ get well soon!
June 7, 2016
Hi thanks for the note, yes I called Allergan and confirmed that the lot# used on my face is in fact legit. If anyone is reading this and needs to contact Allergan, I would call the number directly on their website to speak to someone that way. If you call the ethics hotline posted below , they cannot answer questions, nor give feedback and advice, they are solely there to pass your message onto Allergan. In Canada call Allergan at 905-940-7014 to speak to someone in their drug safety department.
June 1, 2016
I am sorry you had a negative experience this past round of Botox. Since you've had a favorable outcome before, you are aware that Botox is very much technique- and dose-dependent. I cannot speak to your other symptoms but will address the photo you have posted. That is a sleep crease from lying on your side. When the forehead muscles are relaxed after Botox, they do not have the ability to 'tent up' the skin so that lines not due to muscle contraction won't smooth out quite as quickly. This should become less apparent as the Botox wears off. I hope the rest of your symptoms resolve quickly.
August 2, 2016
Thanks for your comment. I do not believe the line above my eyebrow is a sleep crease as even when I sit down and close my eyes for 2 minutes or lay on my back the line appears. Not just when I sleep on my side. I still have the crease and all the new wrinkles under my eyes and I had the botox 5 months ago now.
June 2, 2016
I'm sorry to hear about your experience with this horrible drug . I have a very similar experience myself . The doctor injected me 50 units and I was 37 years old at the time so hardly any wrinkle . Next day headaches one eyebrow higher than the other one and exactly the same feeling you describe, pressure in my forehead and heaviness in my eye . The headaches went for almost a year and I still suffering from the rest of the symptoms 1 year and 9 months later. Since everybody is different I sincerely wish you have better luck than me . Just wanna to tell you my history .
June 3, 2016
Thank you for sharing your story and Im so sorry you're still suffering almost 2 years later. So horrible:( That is my worst fear, that I wont recover any time soon:( Did your headaches go away on their own or were you prescribed drugs or did you do anything else to help that worked? What did your headaches feel like, similar to my symptoms? Please god I hope they don't last a year, they are horrific:(
June 4, 2016
Hi, I took paracetamol for the headaches , sometimes as much as six a day ..... They felt very similar to yours. Plus I had the brow ptosis. Well in fact I still have it. Less than before but still there :( . I wish you a fast recovery.
UPDATED FROM Vancouvermom007
8 month update... still suffering:(
Vancouvermom007October 31, 2016
Well it's been 8 months since my botox injections and thought I would update as I have been getting quite a few private messages asking how I am doing. Unfortunately my headaches have not gone away. In fact the pain increased in severity in August so my Neuro upped my meds. And although the meds are helping they have horrible side effects like extreme nausea!! As well new symptoms have appeared like problems at times with breathing and swallowing. At its worst, it feels like I have a brick on my chest. NEVER had an issue with breathing or troubles swallowing before and from the botox black box warnings, these are side effects of botox. Also the NEW wrinkles that appeared on my face have not gone away:(I still cannot frown properly in my 11's so when the doctors tell you botox only lasts 3-4 months, that's a LIE!! Please if you are reading my review considering botox, do not do it, it's not worth it if things go wrong. It's easy to read the reviews and think well it will never happen to me. But it CAN, it happened to me and I still can't believe it. Read all the reviews on Realself and look at Botoxsupportcommunity.com. I am one of thousands affected.
Replies (19)
November 2, 2016
It sounds like you have symptoms of a mild case of botulism.
November 17, 2016
Hi sorry just seeing your comment now. Yes I agree with you, I definitely have some sort of botox poisoning. I was in denial for the longest time until the breathing difficulty started, the buzzing in my ears from time to time and the food sensitivities!!! I used to eat everything no problem and now my headache gets way worse if I eat ice cream believe it or not, take fish oil or eat or cook with coconut oil. Or put it on my face like I used to!!! The botox is definitely still circulating in my system, its really frightening not knowing when I will get better:(
November 17, 2016
Hi Vancouvermom.
The same. It milder had is is happening to me!
I had 50 units in May and for the first week had an excruciating headache. I was in bed the whole time. I also go ptosis in my right eye which totally disrupted my vision. I felt a constant weight on my eyebrows, which I'm starting to experience again now. I just just received 50 units with the same doctor.
My face just looks mean now not soft and wrinkleless. I feel a The headache coming on so I'm trying to keep calm and not get too excited, which makes it worse for me. My face seems strange like my mischiefs are confused when I laugh or smile, which is so weird I almost feel like I want to cry.
My eyebrows look a little uneven and my forehead is oily. That happened the first time too. Aside from all this. It looks ok. I'm not sure I went back a second time.
I hope these negative symptoms go away soon.
I'm so sorry you had a bad experience. I can't believe 8 months later and your still in pain.
Mine did go away about 3 months in.
I pray your feeling better soon!
November 18, 2016
Hello dear , I wrote a long comment to you about how do I feel about botox but unforenately it was not sent .
Again I will say that I wish that you become well and back to normal and do not think that you are alone in this boat.
For me I had injectio of botox in my forehead and the 11 inorder to prevent any wrinkles intbe future....
I wish I had read your post before , as I realy regret doing it.. I had it one week back and I feel aweful I had first light headed once injected ,,, then Ihad heaviness .. Then very tight forehead which is realy an oying me and I feel frustrated from it ... With headache and panic atacks ..
Itchiness and changed in my vision in one of the eyes and just feeling bad about it ...
I felt very sad about your story and I prayed for you dear ..
Again I will say that I wish that you become well and back to normal and do not think that you are alone in this boat.
For me I had injectio of botox in my forehead and the 11 inorder to prevent any wrinkles intbe future....
I wish I had read your post before , as I realy regret doing it.. I had it one week back and I feel aweful I had first light headed once injected ,,, then Ihad heaviness .. Then very tight forehead which is realy an oying me and I feel frustrated from it ... With headache and panic atacks ..
Itchiness and changed in my vision in one of the eyes and just feeling bad about it ...
I felt very sad about your story and I prayed for you dear ..
November 19, 2016
Thank you for your prayers, I really appreciate it. I also cant believe my symptoms have lasted this long. Its so scary. Sorry you're also dealing with botox side effects, so many of us are, its horrible:( Hope you are better soon xox
November 19, 2016
I'm sorry I'm a bit confused you had it done and had symptoms for three months and they went away and you just recieved more botox and the symptoms are now returning?
November 19, 2016
I'm sorry I'm a bit confused you had it done and had symptoms for three months and they went away and you just recieved more botox and the symptoms are now returnin
November 20, 2016
Hello dear Meggiehaz I had 20 units of botox injected in my forehead and into the 11 just one week back for the first time of my life
November 20, 2016
Today I have terrible headache and I feel very sick. And regarding Mrs Vancouver mum 007 , I have strong feeling that you will be fine very soon and you will update us and we will all feel happy for you.And I wish also Mrs Meggeihaz to continue feeling well . Love you all.
November 21, 2016
Thank you very much praying for you as well. Today was a better day than yesterday. Trying to stay positive that this will leave my body and I will be back to normal living my happy life once again! Xo
November 23, 2016
Dear Meggiehaz
I beleive I need your help to give me a positive energy and encougement ......
You know dear , you have said few things that I realy do think the same about it .... And also almost similar situation ( blamed for anxiety )
But inaddition The most worrying thing for me is the intermittent feeling of tightness which comes and goes and I am very very aware of it and anxious because sometimes I can not sleep and I am taking antihistamin , melatonin to help me ...
I regret it more than you as I took botox to stay young !!! And to avoid permenant wrinkles . now I am starting to be more tense it is 11.30 pm in my country and all what I feel is that I want to clench on my teeth as I could not sleep for almost 24 he abd I am getting headache
All my friends who took it said that they were fine without tention after 2 weeks and that they are unlike me they ignore the tighness ... I saw the dermatologist today and she reassured me and told me that there is nothing wrong and that some people can feel same as I do ( though she did not face such anxious and irritated person like me ) I was well after that but again it hits me back ....
I need you to stay beside me
And tell me about if you had similar tightness or less ?
And let us encourage each other please ..
Thank you very much for your reply and support
And I have the feeling that we will do very well me , you and Vancovermama but we need to be patient , and strong
God bless you all
Love you
I beleive I need your help to give me a positive energy and encougement ......
You know dear , you have said few things that I realy do think the same about it .... And also almost similar situation ( blamed for anxiety )
But inaddition The most worrying thing for me is the intermittent feeling of tightness which comes and goes and I am very very aware of it and anxious because sometimes I can not sleep and I am taking antihistamin , melatonin to help me ...
I regret it more than you as I took botox to stay young !!! And to avoid permenant wrinkles . now I am starting to be more tense it is 11.30 pm in my country and all what I feel is that I want to clench on my teeth as I could not sleep for almost 24 he abd I am getting headache
All my friends who took it said that they were fine without tention after 2 weeks and that they are unlike me they ignore the tighness ... I saw the dermatologist today and she reassured me and told me that there is nothing wrong and that some people can feel same as I do ( though she did not face such anxious and irritated person like me ) I was well after that but again it hits me back ....
I need you to stay beside me
And tell me about if you had similar tightness or less ?
And let us encourage each other please ..
Thank you very much for your reply and support
And I have the feeling that we will do very well me , you and Vancovermama but we need to be patient , and strong
God bless you all
Love you
December 27, 2016
It looks like you had a severe reaction to Botox. It's probably not a solution for you. May be it was not done right or just overdone by the doctor. I've been doing Botox for years and never heard anybody getting 60+ units(??????). Greedy doctor!! So many crooks out there... sorry for your bad experience! Hopefully it will get better soon
December 27, 2016
Hello dear ,
Could you update us about yourself ... I have a feeling that you will improve .. I was thinking of you ... Today I am having migraine headache and tightness or muscle spasm ... And for 2 days back I had continuous muscular spasm imagine I am 7 weeks post injection :-(
Could you update us about yourself ... I have a feeling that you will improve .. I was thinking of you ... Today I am having migraine headache and tightness or muscle spasm ... And for 2 days back I had continuous muscular spasm imagine I am 7 weeks post injection :-(
January 3, 2017
Thanks for your comment bloodybut, I hope I get better soon too.
Been 10 months now:(
Although you can get sick from botox with any dose, the higher the dose the more likelyhood of something going wrong. 100% he's a greedy doctor!!! And he wanted me to come back and get more for my forehead!!!!! Completely unnecessary for me to get so much, I hardly had any visible wrinkles. I trusted him and he totally took advantage of me, disgusting!!!
Been 10 months now:(
Although you can get sick from botox with any dose, the higher the dose the more likelyhood of something going wrong. 100% he's a greedy doctor!!! And he wanted me to come back and get more for my forehead!!!!! Completely unnecessary for me to get so much, I hardly had any visible wrinkles. I trusted him and he totally took advantage of me, disgusting!!!
December 27, 2016
It's called iatrogenic botulism and it's what we all have who have been poisoned by Botox. it can happen in a small dose or a large one, as THE TOXIN SPREADS from the injection site. There are no studies being done and no prognosis other than other sick and affected people these threads and a few Facebook groups. I am 10 months out as of 12/24/16 and I am not well. Doing better than my near mental breakdown in the spring, but nowhere near 100 percent.
Thank you for sharing your experience here on RealSelf. I hope you find support here in the community.