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POSTED UNDER Botox REVIEWS

Botox Nightmare-Ended Up in ER-Never Will Get Injected Again! Horrible...

ORIGINAL POST

I am in my late 20's and had a nurse at a...

CoffeecarbsMay 30, 2010
$480

I am in my late 20's and had a nurse at a local spa suggest Botox for my forehead to correct wrinkles/lines and crows feet. She tole me I could expect a "Botox headache" and maybe flu-like symptoms for a day or two after.

It has been 5 days since I was injected and as I write this, my heart is racing, the left side of my face is numb and tingly, and I have muscle weakness and extreme anxiety. Almost immediately after being injected for the first time, I swelled up with bumps on the injection sites, turned red and was sensitive to the touch, at each injection location. I also felt sick to my stomach, tired, weak and could not eat. I also had a taste in the back of my throat, like the Botox was coming down my sinuses or something of that nature. It had a weird, medicinal taste to it.

I called the nurse who administered the Botox and received an RX steroid cream to reduce the swelling/redness. It helped, but now I have bruising, and the area in between my eyes looks off and I have a "stern" look. The night after the injection, I noticed that the left side of my face was numb and had a tingling sensation, my noise was also very itchy which I found bizarre but is probably due to the tingling sensation. I also noticed that my eyebrows felt very heavy and were beginning to droop! (this is a known side effect of Botox I now know.

I have lost 3 lbs in 5 days, when I do manage to keep food down, my stomach is so sensitive that I cannot keep it in me for long.

Yesterday morning I panicked after waking up and finding the numbness and tingling worse. My mouth/tongue was dry and I could not eat and experienced trouble swallowing. My heart felt like it was jumping in my chest and I proceeded to drive myself to the ER in a panic. They checked my vitals, checked my urine and everything was ok. I was given steroids, an antacid and an RX for Benadryl, Prednisone, and Pepcid. Today, as mentioned above, my heart is still beating fast, I have muscle weakness and a tightness and feeling of pressure all over my head and neck. I contacted Allergan (the makers of Botox) and filled out an Adverse event report with the FDA.

This has been one of the worst experiences of my life. I feel like such an idiot for allowing myself to get a toxin put in my body! What was I thinking? Lesson learned, and I will never do this again. I just wish I could get the toxin removed from my body, or better yet go back in time and never get suckered in to getting injected in the first place! I much rather prefer my wrinkles/lines over all these horrible side effects that I now have. I really felt doomed, and sometimes still do. What if my symptoms continue to get worse? I feel like a bad mom for being so shallow and putting myself through this and potentially doing some serious damage to myself with two small children at home. I really just assumed that this was a quick and easy procedure with "little down time". I have no known allergies. Botox is presented as safe; millions of women get it done every year, and I was one of the few individuals who unfortunately developed a very bad reaction to it.

I only wish I had done more research beforehand, and not trusted someone who is out to make money and who could not care less about me or my health. I am assuming that the lady who administered the Botox either gave me too much (48 units) or injected it incorrectly? Is it true that Botox does not come "ready to use out of the box" so to speak, and has to be combined with a solution by the injector? Maybe this is the problem? All I know, is that when the Spa opens back up in a day, they will be hearing from me and I WILL receive my $480 dollars refunded back to me, one way or the other.

Please trust your instincts and remember that Botox is made out of a serious toxin, botulism. It is not worth it. I feel like my own vanity got the best of me, and I certainly found out the hard way to just be happy with the way I am!!! Not to mention, I am very embarrassed by this whole disaster as well having my whole family know about! My mom even flew in lastnight to help me out with my kids!

If you have had a similar experience, please let me know so I do not feel so alone!!! This site has already helped me a lot. Or, if you can answer any of the questions I asked above, please let me know. I just pray that things do not get worse for me, I am hoping since it is now day 5, the Botox wont spread too much more and I wont continue to get worse. Thanks.

Replies (102)

meltyface
May 31, 2010
I'm really sorry to hear about your experience - Botox messes with your adrenalin and that's what's causing your symptoms... from what i've read on other boards the symptoms last for a few weeks in most cases but i would do some research and take it to your own doctor.. keep talking to your own practitioner about what's happening .. it's not uncommon and is listed by allergan as one of the possible side effects. like most of us on this board you only get to know about the downside of botox by living through it ??
mklas
May 31, 2010
My experience is very similar to yours. I posted right underneath you. This is day four for me. The funny tingling feeling in my face is thankfully gone. Last night I had weird pains in my jaw, that didn't last. My eyes are still a little swollen, my left eye feels like there is sand in it. I hate the way my face feels, I will never do this again. So far now it's just the eyelids, I hope they don't get worse. I can deal with how they are now, which isn't great but with makeup I don't think most people would notice. I also had a little anxiety, although not as much as you. Mine I think was essentially just panic. I have been researching this like crazy all weekend. So far from things that I've read it says that this can be very common the first time you get Botox injections and usually goes away in a few days to a few weeks. Of course by the time the Botox takes full effect, it can get worse, which is completely freaking me out. I am going tomorrow to see the doctor who performed this. I also had very itchy skin by my nose and cheek. I haven't read anything else like that except from you. I found myself scratching in my sleep!
Coffeecarbs
May 31, 2010
Day 6 today. My tongue still feels dry and enlarged? I am thinking this is why I am having problems swallowing. It also feels like the back top of my throat is coming down or something or is maybe relaxed due to the Botox spreading. My heart still races throughout the day, and then gets a little better on and off. Just when I think I am improving, the symptoms pop right back up. I wonder if the steroid I was prescribed and take in the a.m. for my reaction to the Botox is making things worse? I am going to try and get seen by my regular doctor tomorrow. Another new side effect today which has gotten worse is the need to use the bathroom more often. I am so freaked out by all this and the uncertainty of what is yet to come!
Coffeecarbs
June 5, 2010
Day 10 for me today. I have been off prednisone for a few days now so I know the symptoms I still have are not from the steroid but are indeed from the Botox. I can still feel my heart beating in my chest, even when I am "relaxing". I still am experiencing muscle weakness (in my arms and legs) and pressure/numbness on my face (especially on the left side, and on my sinuses). My stomach is still sensitive and I feel a buldge on the right side-my stomach is making some interesting gurgling noises. My conclusion is that the Botox was injected into my sinuses. I don't see my regular doc until Tuesday, but this is what I am thinking. I literally feel poisoned now and am unsure of what is to come next. Things can worse from here on out, until the 3rd week of injection. I hope maybe a blood test can determine if the Botox did indeed spread, which I am pretty confident it has. By far the most terrifying, anxiety-ridden experience of my life.
Regretful
July 19, 2010
I just wanted to let you know i had about 80 units of botox done last summer (in my forehead and jaw muscles. I experienced severe anxiety and felt like i couldn't breathe or swallow properly. It lasted for about 4 months and i don't think i will ever be normal again after that experience. I have become a very panicky person and am always afraid i will stop breathing or swallowing. When i read your words 'like the back top of my throat is coming down', you completely described the sensation i had in my throat. I also always had a pressure on my diaphragm. I find people just tend to think you're crazy if they've never experienced it first hand. Previous to that, I had done Botox for about 3 years with no side effects whatsoever. I don't know if I became allergic to it or what. I do hope your symptoms have subsided by now and if you have any new information as to the cause of these side effects please enlighten me!
ANCowgirl
August 13, 2010
I just wanted to comment on the back of the throat coming down reaction. I too also had this and it went on for months and anxiety like I cannot explain. I loved the way my forehead looked, but I can't go through that again.
mklas
May 31, 2010
The need to use the bathroom more is most likely due to the steroids. My face is feeling a bit more normal now. My right eye appears to have cleared up almost completely but my left top eyelid is still swollen and feels heavy. I keep lifting my eyebrows and the right one moves fine, the left one does not move as well, which is why I am terrified of getting the drooping eye. I know the Botox has not taken full effect for me yet which is worrying me. I am seeing the doctor tomorrow, the one who injected me. Good luck to you, keep us posted as I will as well. I will tell you that I will never get Botox again, not with the way it has made me freak out.
sunshine26
June 1, 2010
48 units is way too much. i'm in my twenties as well, and I never get more than 12 or 13 units.
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Sachamama
December 30, 2011
I've had 30 unit's injected into my forehead for the past 8 years every 4 months religiously - 10-12 units is less than what is used in a glabella, so 30-50 is typical for a forehead.
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