All medicines carry side effects. In addition to the desired therapeutic outcome, medications could engender adverse effects in individuals taking them. Botox, the popular treatment for facial lines and wrinkles, being also a medicine, has side effects that could affect those who take it. The good news is that majority of those who undergo Botox treatment do not manifest any side effects.

What are the Botox side effects? Extensive clinical studies and trials have been conducted on Botox. In these, the condition of the members of a group of individuals taking Botox was compared with the condition of the members of a control (not taking Botox) group. The study results were then analyzed and it was established that Botox produced the side effects discussed below.

It has been found that Botox treatments have a 3 percent probability of causing droopy eyelids and nausea, a 2 percent probability for muscle weakness and facial pain, and 1 percent for hypertension, tooth problems, indigestion and heartburn. These were established in clinical studies on the use Botox for cosmetic purposes such as in diminishing the occurrence of facial lines and wrinkles.

On the use of Botox for treating medical conditions such as cervical dystonia, crossed eyes (strabismus), eyelid spasms (blepharospasm) and excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), studies show that the following common Botox side effects were experienced by about 11 to 21 percent of patients: headache, droopy eyelids, neck pain, difficulty in swallowing, upper respiratory infections and vertical deviations (misalignment) of the eyes.

Drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, bleeding at the injection site, infection, soreness at the injection site, sore throat, dry mouth, cough, runny or stuffy nose, anxiety, back pain, and flu-like symptoms such as chills and fever are other common Botox side effects. About 2 to 10 percent of people undergoing Botox treatments experience these side effects, regardless of the purpose of the Botox therapy.

If you experience chest pain, double vision, speech problems, dry eyes (if being treated for muscle spasms near the eyes), and allergic reactions (such as difficulty in breathing or swallowing, unexplained rashes, itching, hives, unexplained swelling, and wheezing) while undergoing Botox treatments, these should be reported to your doctor at once. This is because such Botox side effects are potentially serious.

If you experience any of the Botox side effects mentioned above, the best course of action is to let your doctor know at the soonest possible time. There are cases in which it would be difficult to tell the exact cause of a symptom that you are manifesting; it may or may not be caused by Botox treatments. But whatever the cause is, your doctor will know what to do.

Botox treatments certainly offer a lot of benefits to its users. But along with those benefits are disadvantages. It is important that you be able to recognize Botox side effects and know what course of action to follow if you suffer from them.