Botox problem??

Hi Dr.; i had botox injected june 11th. the dr. has an office, but he injects botox @ my beauty salon. the following day my eyes were sagging, then the left side of my face started drooping; my speech is greatly impaired and i have not sense of taste. the botox dr. made me wait for about a week before he would see me. when i went to the appt., his assistant told me that i had an abcess in my tooth. eventually my primary dr's pretty much agree with me that the botox created this problem; however during the 3-4 months until all botox is out of my system, they are medicating me with myasthenia gravis to see if my speech could be helped. can too much botox give you myasthenia gravis? thanks.

These are good questions and my heart goes out to you since I’m sure this has been difficult for you.

 I am speaking generally here because I can’t see you and these are general suggestions.   Botox cannot cause myasthenia gravis but if you had it already (very mildly) and didn’t know it, it could make an existing case worse.  I can’t tell from above if you’ve seen a neurologist (a specialist in nerve problems).   Please see a neurologist if you haven’t already. This is too complicated a problem for most primary care doctors to handle.

Also, it is possible that you have something called a Bell’s palsy (very different than myasthenia gravis). Bell’s palsy can cause a one-sided facial droop.  I had one patient years ago who developed Bell’s palsy close to a Botox injection.  It resolved completely and she has had subsequent Botox with no problem.  They were related in time but not causally.  Again, a good neurologist will be able to give you the best diagnosis and treatment plan for this problem. Good luck!

Dr. Brandith Irwin, MD

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