BOTOX® is best known for reducing the appearance of facial wrinkles but evidence is proving it has amazing effects on improving other various ailments. These uses include the treatment of back pain, lock jaw, depression, over-active bladder, and Parkinson’s disease symptoms. While the prospect of treating hundreds more conditions with a known drug is exciting in the medical community, pharmaceutical companies are prohibited from marketing it for unapproved purposes until proof of efficacy is submitted to the FDA. This process requires vigorous clinical studies.
However, there are doctors who experiment off-label because they’re looking for better treatment options. An example being the use of Botox® for migraines. A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon reported that patients who received Botox® for wrinkles incredibly experienced fewer headaches! Similarly, physicians in Europe noticed that patients who were treated with Botox® for facial spasms also sweated less than usual. These findings are nothing short of “pure serendipity” in the eyes of doctors!
Though the subject of off label practice remains controversial, some say it paves the way for scientific progress while others believe it poses a serious threat to public health. In either case, it is clear that Botox® is working in a much more complex way than initially conceived. Where this drug is concerned, wrinkles are only the beginning! Stay tuned to our blog as we will post more informationon this subject as it becomes available.
References: TIME January/Febuary 2017