Botox

[P.Trish]

Has anyone ever heard that botox injections (for cosmetic purposes) can trigger sjogrens?  Approx 2 yrs ago (2010) I had  botox injections in my forehead. I was dx'd in Jan of this year (2012) Yes, it was a vain thing to do and I won't do it again, but I am just wondering.  I know about virus, stress, genes, etc. as triggers.

I hope you are having a good day

[Skylar]

I doubt it. I would ask your rheumatologist as he/she would be most knowledgeable.

Here is a similar question asked in a plastic surgeon forum with responses from real medical doctors - most of them plastic surgeons, I don't think any are rheumatologists:

realself.com/question/been-receiving-botox-injections-eye-area-eye-problem-result-bells-palsy-which-occured-over

[eye2dry]

we treat pts with botox injections to the brow, forehead and eye areas. The rep, for the company came out and educated us on botox along with the dr. No mention was made of any relationship with sjogrens or any other autoimmune disease.
also I have read their inserts and have not read anything either.


eye2dry

p.s. even though I could get botox injections for nothing thru work, I just can't bring myself to do it. I am just going to age naturally and hope to stay healthy as possible.

[gold55]

I have witnessed the consent form for injectables(sp?) in a plastics or derm office and from what I've seen they state that there is always the chance that the injectable substance can bring on an autoimmune response.  I have read a couple of these consent forms.....it was quite awhile ago unless they feel now that injectables are totally safe??  It makes sense how the the autoimmune response can happen this way.  I doubt the manufacturers are going to list or mention this in their advertisements however, they have no choice but to mention it in their consent forms.   I say "get laser treatments or the light lift" but stay away from injectables!

[CathyO]

Hmm... read the link... they say it's not.. but the way they say it, like Botox is not found at this time. Has there been a study? I mean, putting botulism into your body, wouldn't that cause your immune system to do something? If the botulism poisoning is bad, like with rye bread, people can have huge hallucinations. I'd be cautious and not do it.

[Linda196]

CathyO, I think you're confusing Botulism with Ergot poisoning, the botulism comes usually from animal products or poorly processed canned goods, and causes gastric and central nervous system symptoms, while Ergotamine is the one from fermented grain products and can cause hallucinations as well as gastric or endocrinological symptoms.

I don't think either is something I would purposefully introduce into my body without specific medical need...and they each can be used for legitimate medical emergencies. Botulism, in addition to cosmetic procedures, is used to stop muscle spasm, usually in the esophagus but sometimes in skeletal muscles. Ergotamine was the first line treatment for severe migraine "back in the day".

When you get down to the basics of Autoimmune disease, its a "revved up" immune system, and any foreign substance (including bacteria, fungus and viruses) introduced into the body has the potential to trigger an immune response which , in turn, can result in the response getting out of hand and resulting in an autoimmune reaction. This is my own personal opinion, and I can't really back it up with research, but I believe that all autoimmune disease is the result of a failure of the immune system to either differentiate between friendly and harmful tissue, or to stop the attack once it starts no matter what the target is.

[trejonina]

Hello,I read somewhere that botox might cause fibromyalgia,which some say is an autoinmune disease,so I think I think there is a possibility it could also cause sjongrens.