Botulinum toxin A is injected at several sites which have been decided in consultation with you. Very low doses, which are not toxic to the total organism, are injected using very fine needles. This leads to relaxation of the tensed muscles as described previously. The pain from the injections can be compared to a mosquito sting. Treatment can be carried out as an out-patient. Normally the patient´s ability to drive and to work is unimpaired.
Usually no side-effects are seen from injections of botulinum toxin A. In rare cases injections may cause side-effects which are only temporary: feeling slightly ill, tiredness and joint ache, skin rashes and itchiness, allergic reactions, dryness of the mouth, mucous membranes and eyes, infection of the injection site, changes in skin pigmentation. Long-term unwanted side-effects from botulinum toxin A have not been observed so far. No cases of poisoning from inadvertent injections have been observed. In the manufacture of botulinum toxin A, highly purified human albumin is used which has been approved for use in human drugs by the Paul Ehrlich Institute. The transmission of infectious agents (e.g. BSE) is therefore excluded to a significant extent according to the latest scientific findings.