CDC investigating botched Botox shots that have hospitalized women in multiple states

The CDC is investigating botched Botox shots that have hospitalized women in multiple states.

The agency received reports of 19 women across the US who were given counterfeit or mishandled botulinum toxin injections, commonly known as Botox, by unlicensed or untrained individuals in non-healthcare setting such as homes and spas. 

Nine patients have been hospitalized and four were treated with botulism antitoxin because of their symptoms were 'consistent with possible spread of toxins.'

The key ingredient in Botox injections, widely loved for their ability to paralyze facial muscles and smooth out wrinkles, is botulinum toxin, one of the most poisonous biological substances known to man.

Botulism is a neurotoxin that can cause paralysis, difficulty breathing, and even death if injected improperly or at too high a dosage. 

The women reported blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, general weakness, and difficulty breathing.

States reporting the reactions are Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, and Washington.

The CDC, FDA, and state and local health departments are working together to investigate these reactions.

No deaths have been reported so far.

The patients were between 25 and 59 years old, with a median age of 39. All but one of the women were receiving Botox injections for cosmetic reasons.

Medical conditions that can be treated with Botox include excessive sweating, eyelid twitching, overactive bladder and chronic migraines.

If you are considering Botox for medical or cosmetic reasons, you should check that your provider is licensed and trained to give the injection, and that the product is FDA-approved and obtained from a reliable source.

'If in doubt, don't get the injection,' it added. 

To begin with, the CDC was only investigating cases in Illinois and Tennessee, but recently expanded their investigation after receiving further reports.

Just last week, two people in Illinois were hospitalized with facial paralysis and trouble breathing after being injected with potentially bogus Botox.

The patients in LaSalle County presented to the hospital with symptoms including blurred or double vision, droopy face, fatigue, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and hoarse voice, after receiving shots from a nurse 'who was performing work outside her authority.'

FDA-approved Botox is generally considered safe and complications are rare, but the state public health agency have warned hospitals to 'be on heightened alert' for similar cases of a botulism-like disease from botched injections. 

Both patients in Illinois, whom the Illinois Department of Public Health has not identified, were injected by a nurse licensed to practice in the county, but who was unauthorized to do so. 

The injections were either Botox or a counterfeit. Health officials have not confirmed either. 

If the injections were, in fact, real Botox, it is possible that the nurse injected too much of it, which can lead to excessive muscle weakness and symptoms consistent with botulism.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr Sameer Vohra said: ‘Receiving these treatments in unlicensed, unapproved settings can put you or your loved ones at serious risk for health problems.

‘Please only seek cosmetic services under the care of licensed professionals trained to do these procedures and who use FDA approved products.

'If you are experiencing any health problems after a recent cosmetic treatment, please contact your healthcare provider immediately for help and assistance.’

Anything labeled Botox that did not come from manufacturer Allergan should be met with suspicion. 

Legitimate Botox also lists the ingredient OnabotulinumtoxinA, while counterfeits in the past have said Botulinum Toxin Type A.

And while the injections are quick and relatively painless, they can go horribly wrong, resulting in one drooping eye or a chin marked with lumps and divets, among other possible negative effects. 

The news out of Illinois comes just a few days after the Tennessee Department of Health announced its investigation into potentially counterfeit Botox, which caused serious botulism symptoms in four people and hospitalized two of them.