Alternative Therapies

A Florida based doctor injected himself and three patients with an unlicensed botulinum toxin mixture that could have been deadly, but these patients are lucky to be alive. Usage of such fraudulent drugs can be a real killer.

Botox is generally considered safe, if it is licensed and administered by a licensed professional. The illegal preparation that the florida-based doctor used, contained the same botulinum bacteria as the popular Botox, but at concentrations 40 times higher than a lethal dose.

These sort of mistakes can have life-threatening consequences and can lead to Botulism. Botulism is a rare and paralyzing illness, and if left untreated, it may slowly paralyze the arms, legs, chest and respiratory muscles.

According to the report, all the patients were given the highly concentrated, unlicensed preparation that was intended and labeled for laboratory use and not human use.

The patients and the doctor eventually reported symptoms of weakness and had problems swallowing and controlling facial muscles. And two patients became short of breath.

Researchers report that the full vial of the preparation was enough to kill approximately 14,286 adults by injection. The doctor involved was sentenced to three years in jail for using an unapproved drug.

So the next time you go out to your cosmetic surgeon, make sure that he is a licenced professional and uses a licenced product. Be careful, because such things can be dangerous and life threatening.