Some scientists have estimated that 1 gram of a crystalline form of the toxin could kill 1 million people and that a couple of kilograms could kill every human on the planet.
Botulinum toxin
kills its victims by causing respiratory failure. It is a neurotoxin: it enters the nerves and destroys vital proteins. This stops communication between nerves and muscles.Only the growth of new nerve endings can restore muscle function, and that can take months. Currently, botox Cosmetic is the only toxin that is approved for cosmetic use: the temporary improvement of glabellar lines. Botox is best known for minimizing wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles, but botulinum toxin is also widely used for a variety of muscle spasm conditions, such as cervical dystonia or severe neck spasms. Small amounts of highly diluted toxin are injected into specific sites for localized effects.
Sidney requested appropriate action from the FDA and also favored the publication of a black box warning on botulinum toxin injection containers, as well as product information brochures, highlighting the adverse effects of the drug and sending warning letters to doctors. There may be some side effects from injections, such as difficulty chewing solid foods, but this is rare, and guidelines for injectors list the signs to look for. Beyond wrinkles, doctors prescribe Botox for conditions such as incontinence, excessive blinking, and migraines. A 100 microg vial of toxin taken from the same manufacturer's batch as the toxin administered to the patients in the case contained an amount of toxin sufficient to kill approximately 14,286 adults by uniformly disseminated injection.
Botox is also approved for cervical dystonia, as well as for strabismus, blepharospasm, and primary axillary hyperhidrosis. Drug labels warn of the potential for botulinum toxin to spread beyond the injection site and sometimes cause death, but warnings link this side effect to patients with certain neuromuscular diseases, such as myasthenia gravis. Friday's warning came two weeks after consumer advocacy group Public Citizen asked FDA to reinforce warnings to users of Botox and Myobloc, citing 180 reports from U. It asked that the agency order that a black box warning, the FDA's strongest type, be placed on the labels of and require that each patient receive a leaflet describing the risks before each injection.
Bottulinum toxin bottles used in clinics and hospitals are packaged so that, in theory, a whole bottle can be injected and the patient does not receive a lethal dose. Keep reading to learn more about the safety of Botox, common uses, side effects to look out for, and more. In the past, botulism killed 50 percent of Americans who had it; however, with improvements in intensive care, that number has dropped to less than five percent. It is the botulinum toxin, better known as Botox, a toxin produced by bacteria first discovered in poorly prepared sausages during the 18th century.
This case report documents the first death associated with a mixture of Botox and lidocaine given to a woman from chronic neck and back pain.
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