This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
High doses of Botox are effective long-term for blepharospasm
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Botulinum toxin may be safe to use long-term at higher than recommended doses without compromising efficacy, according to a small retrospective study.
Anna L-Y Pang, MBBS(Hons), and colleagues at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in East Melbourne, Australia, reviewed the case notes for six patients treated with high-dose, high-frequency botulinum toxin type A (Botox, Allergan) injections for benign essential blepharospasm and idiopathic hemifacial spasm. These patients were receiving injections exceeding the recommended 50 units/side every 3 months for over 12 months, according to the study.
The researchers found that all patients reported over 60% improvement and 0 to 2 severity grading over 3 to 15 years of treatment. Additionally, there was no evidence of secondary treatment resistance, and patients experienced only minor, transient side effects, which became less frequent at higher doses, according to the study.
The study was published in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology.