Health officials warned against using the drug Botox to treat cerebral palsy and other muscle spasms on Thursday.
The Food and Drug Administration will require the makers of Botox and other drugs containing botulinum toxin to put an enhanced warning label on the drugs’ packaging. The move comes after reports of hospitalization and death in some children with cerebral palsy who were given Botox injections.
Botox is most commonly used to get rid of wrinkles. It does not have FDA approval for treatment of cerebral palsy, but the drug is approved for that use in other countries. Problems with the drug arise if it releases into the body beyond the injection site.
My daughter had botox injections in both legs, several places on each, at least three different times when she was 2-3 yrs old. We never had any negative side effects, in fact we saw her get stronger. But hearing these findings, I don’t know if I would pursue the treatment for my daughter again if given a choice. We were at AIDuPont in Wilmington, DE and the doctor and hospital were very careful when doing these procedures on my daughter.