Botox Dangers

Saw this article today about a girl with cerebral palsy who died of pneumonia after receiving botox injections for her spastic muscles. Her parents sued Botox maker, Allergan, saying that an overdose of Botox caused weakened the muscles controlling her breathing. I won't debate the legal decision, although I would tend to agree that the drug manufacturer isn't at fault and so many other factors are at play when you have a fragile kid with CP and pneumonia. It just makes me stop and think. When HPEKid gets her botox injections Dr. S. always warns us to watch for labored breathing and makes it very clear that respiratory problems are a risk. With this article however, I am surely going to verify the dose that C. is receiving. Anything over 8 units per kilo of body weight is considered an overdose by the manufacturer. We've been feeling lately that C's botox seems to be wearing off more quickly and have less effect on her tight muscles (she gets Botox in her pectorals and biceps), and have been wondering if we should/could increase the dose. Complicating things for C., is that she also has the implanted baclofen pump delivering a different muscle relaxing drug to her lower extemeties, and labored breathing is a potential concern with balofen overdose as well.

Botox

So last week HPEkid went to Dr. S for botox injections in her pectorals and biceps muscles. We've been doing rounds of botox every 3-4 months the hope being to release the muscles that make her arms so tight. Botox, of course is the toxin, used in small doses to temporarily paralyze muscles. It's used to treat a number of conditions, and recently is used cosmetically to reduce wrinkles and lines that come with aging. The effect is temporary and must be repeated. In HPEkid's course of treatment she gets a total of 16 small injections; 4 in each pectoral muscle (upper chest just under the arms) and 4 in each biceps to aid with elbow extension. You'd think a 13 year old undergoing 16 injections would be painful, yet HPEkid normally endures it with barely a grimace. Today she was absolutely giddy, and while she sometimes winced at the initial prick of the needle, she giggled and laughed throughout the session. A resident who was following Dr. S today was amazed. Nice to have a happy kid at the doctors office!