Health experts are giving false warnings about Botox injections because people can no longer breathe or move

Health officials have warned about the threat posed by illegal Botox injections amid a surge in hospital admissions.

The harmful reactions are reportedly due to counterfeit materials or untrained injection administration. In New York, Health Department officials recorded three people being treated for various symptoms, including double vision, drooping eyelids and difficulty swallowing, breathing and raising their arms.

The illnesses stem from CDC reports of illnesses among 22 individuals who had received Botox injections in “non-health care settings” such as homes and spas, 11 of whom were sent to the hospital for treatment. They are all women between the ages of 25 and 49, most of them around 40 years old. .

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The New York City Health Department added that the three people who had to seek emergency treatment had received botulinum toxin injections in their face, neck, upper back or armpits. Two were hospitalized and one was admitted to intensive care.

Some symptoms, including blurred vision and drooping eyelids, occurred near the injection site, while others were more widespread, including fatigue and general weakness. Other worrisome symptoms include constipation, incontinence, dry mouth and difficulty lifting the head, the FDA said.

Dr. Adam Friedman, dermatologist and chairman of dermatology at George Washington University, explained that side effects of legitimate Botox injections are usually the result of “poor technique,” such as injecting the toxin into the wrong muscle or location . He added: “But when these patients develop breathing problems or failure due to systemic poisoning, it’s different from what doctors usually see.”

Dr. Kate Dee, a physician and founder of Glow Medispa in Seattle, said the illnesses were the fault of unregulated medical spas, an industry now worth $15 billion. Dr. Dee said: “The problem isn’t that there is fake Botox around and doctors can accidentally use it.

“That’s not what’s happening. Doctors are getting real Botox, and we pay a lot of money to do things legally and legitimately. It’s these people who are busy making money from the medical spa industry, the aesthetics industry, who are getting it because it’s so much cheaper.”

Cases of counterfeit Botox have been recorded in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said: “New Yorkers should not be getting shots from friends or at parties, nor should they be getting them from non-medical professionals such as estheticians or estheticians.

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“A price that is too good to be true, or if a provider does not explain the risks and side effects of the procedure, are clear warning signs that the products or services may not be legitimate and could pose a risk to your health. ”

The FDA has also outlined some obvious giveaways for counterfeit Botox products:

• The outer carton and vial contain lot number C3709C3.
• On the outer packaging, the active ingredient is listed as “Botulinum Toxin Type A” instead of “OnabotulinumtoxinA.”
• The outer carton and vial list doses of 150 units, which is not a unit made by AbbVie.
• The text on the outer packaging is written in a language other than English.

The FDA added that there is no evidence that authentic Botox, from drugmaker AbbVie, is linked to any of the diseases. Botox uses a purified form of the neurotoxin botulinum toxin that causes muscle paralysis.

The FDA has said it is “actively working” with state and federal health authorities to investigate the source of counterfeit Botox. Dr. Friedman said, “The question is: Is this ‘faux-tox’ all the same? Or are multiple people creating different versions of it? We don’t know the answer to that.”