Do Botox Injections Help in Tourette Syndrome? (Premium)
Botulinum toxin (Botox) as a therapy for tics is not FDA-approved. Still, it is considered by physicians at times, especially for single tics, because conventional medications are often not effective and have the potential for serious negative side effects.
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Botulinu
m toxin for motor and phonic tics in Tourette’s syndrome
An analysis for the Cochran Database of Systemic Reviews (January 2018) covered all published studies through October 25, 2017. The conclusion was not strongly supportive of the use of Botox for tics. It was found that positive results were minimal, and the studies available lacked robust efforts.
Side effects from Botox injections for tics included neck weakness, swallowing difficulty, eyelid droopiness, low volume voice, and flu like symptoms lasting for a day, following the first injection. These were in the most part mild and lasted 1 to weeks.
The authors of the current research says: We found one small study. The study was limited by the number of participants (N = 18), who mainly had mild tics. We are very uncertain about the effects of botulinum toxin injections on reducing tic frequency and severity, and measures of overall well-being. Some participants experienced harms, which included weakness, restlessness, and neck discomfort following the injection. We do not know from the study whether participants who received the injection developed resistance to the botulinum injections, which would make them less effective over time.
Editor: This is not to say that certain individuals do not see tic improvement with Botox injections. The purpose of the current report was to assess research results. Because people with Tourette syndrome often experience more than one type of tic, treatment usually requires additional therapeutic efforts beyond Botox.
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