One Botox Side Effect is Muscle Weakness

Most of us think of Botox treatments as a cosmetic treatment. I wasn't aware that there are also other conditions that Botox is used to treat.

I recently read a Reuter's article that was titled, "Botox and texting may not mix." My first reaction, before actually reading the article, was to laugh. I guess I just don't think Botox is really necessary, and how could it possibly interfere with texting. After all, don't people get Botox treatments to remove wrinkles and enhance their lips? Once I read the article I realized, you can't judge an article by its title.

Apparently it's been known that Botox causes a temporary muscle weakness, but a young teenager found out first hand exactly how the muscle weakness affected her texting abilities. The teenager has a condition that causes excessive sweating in her hands. This is not an uncommon condition, but it can be a very embarrassing one.

One treatment for this excessive sweating is injections of Botox into the hand. I saw a gentleman on an airplane one time whose hands were actually dripping. You certainly wouldn't want to shake hands with someone who dripped all over you. Possibly he had the same condition that the teenager had. It's called hyperhidrosis. Injections of Botox help to tame this condition. From what I've read it doesn't cure hyperhidrosis.

The physician for the teenager didn't think about how muscle weakness might affect a young person. Texting might not be important to the physician, but to the teen it's a big deal. This particular physician said that he would make certain that in the future he would let his patients know of the muscle weakness side effect. The muscle weakness can last for up to six weeks. The treatment is ongoing. It's not just a one time injection. So an individual would need to weigh the side efects versus their activities. The teen may have decided that this was not the right treatment.

I also learned something when I read the Reuter's article. Many substances have different uses some might be silly to some people and necessary to others. I guess it's a good idea to keep an open mind. Keeping an open mind is something that most of us could find valuable to learn.

Sources:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/23/us-health-botox-idUSTRE75M4BM20110623