Botox May Be Beneficial For Patients With Diabetes

By Margarita Nahapetyan

Taiwanese doctors have found that Botox, the revolutionary cosmetic drug that is used to reduce the appearance of facial lines and wrinkles, may also be beneficial for individuals with type 2 diabetes who suffer from chronic pain in feet caused by nerve damage. The doctors suggest that the pain can be significantly reduced by Botox injections into the skin on top of the foot.

Scientists at Taipei Medical University led by Dr. Chaur-Jong Hu, have tested Botox treatment in 18 patients who were complaining of nerve-related pain in both feet as the result of type 2 diabetes. For the study purposes, all patients were randomly assigned into two groups and over the course of 3 months were administered shots of either Botox or saline solution. A local anesthetic gel was applied first, and then the injections were administered into the skin, rather than into muscles, at 12 sites across the top of the foot. Twelve weeks later the participants crossed over in order to receive an opposite treatment.

The investigators noted a dramatic decrease in the patients' reports of pain scores after receiving the Botox injections. Patients were asked to assign a number value to their degree of pain, from 0 to 10, at the start of the experiment and reported an average score of 6.36. There were significant differences in the decrease in pain scores between the Botox and saline injections during each 12-week period.

To be more specific, after twelve weeks, the score was reduced by 2.53 points with Botox treatment, compared with 0.53 points with the saline treatment. What is more, 44 per cent of the patients had a drop of at least 3 points in their pain score within 12 weeks after receiving the Botox injections. An added benefit was that many patients in the study also reported that the decreased foot pain from Botox treatments allowed them to sleep much better, the investigators said.

Hu's team concluded that intradermal Botox injections "are an effective and safe method of relieving diabetic neuropathic pain in the feet." However, they warned that more investigation and research is needed on this matter in order to refine the findings and establish the appropriate dosage.

Botox, made by Allergen Inc., is a purified protein thay is from the Clostridium botulinum bacterium. The drug works by temporarily paralyzing muscles, stopping the movement which over time can result in the appearance of frown lines and wrinkles. Millions of individuals all across the world undergo Botox treatments every year. The drug has been approved to treat excessive sweating and other conditions, but also is used in ways the Food and Drug Administration has not approved, such as relaxing muscle spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.

In April 2009, the FDA demanded that the makers of Botox and two similar drugs, such as Myobloc and Dysport, attach to the products' labeling black box warnings about potentially deadly consequences. When Botox injections spread from the injection site through the body, the drug may stop the movement of muscles which control breathing, swallowing, and other vital bodily functions, the FDA cautioned.

The findings are published in the April, 28 issue of the medical journal Neurology.