Recent reports in the media of a young woman suffering from severe dystonia, or impaired muscular functioning after receiving the seasonal flu vaccine have sparked many concerns and various safety questions regarding who should receive the H1N1 vaccine (swine flu) and the regular seasonal flu vaccines.

One of the more common questions that has been received by the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation has been the safety of receiving flu vaccines in persons who take Botox injections. Botox is a substance derived from Clostridium botulinum bacteria and is used in cosmetic procedures to treat wrinkles, but also as medical treatments for spastic muscular conditions and excessive body perspiration among other uses.

Is Botox Safe to Use with Influenza Vaccines?

According to information on the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation website, it is safe for patients receiving Botox injections to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine and the regular seasonal vaccine. However, the manufacturers of Botox and MyoBloc injections, Allergan and Solstice Neurosciences are recommending that people discuss the following recommendations with their physicians:

• Persons who need both the botulinum toxin injections and H1N1 or seasonal flu vaccines should receive the botulinum injection first and then receive the needed influenza vaccinations after a 2-week waiting period. If any side effects are experienced from the botulinum injections the physician should be notified.
• If the influenza vaccine is administered first, then there should be at least 10 days to 2 weeks pass before having botulinum injections. If there are any side effects from the flu vaccine then the physician should be consulted and advised before taking any botulinum toxin injections.

Why Are These Recommendations Given?

The reasoning behind these recommendations is that flu vaccine and botulinum toxin both carry the risk of side effects. There is no scientific evidence that suggests that taking the two medications at the same time will cause adverse symptoms or reactions, however separating the vaccines may prevent compounding the potential for side effects, and make it easier to detect the cause and effect relationship of any side effects that were potentially realized from one injection over the other.

Any patient that has questions or concerns regarding influenza vaccine and botulinum toxin injections should contact the medication manufacturers or their personal physicians.