Study: Botox injections may reduce anxiety symptoms

Botox, or botulinum toxin, is a drug that is produced from a bacterial toxin, and is usually injected into the human body to reduce wrinkles, relieve pain caused by migraines, muscle spasms, excessive sweating and urinary incontinence.

But researchers at the University of California School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, in collaboration with 2 doctors from Germany, may have discovered a new use for it thanks to the US Food and Drug Administration's Adverse Effect Reporting System (FAERS). FDA), where nearly 40,000 people reported what happened to them after Botox treatment for a variety of reasons.

The study, published on December 21, 2021 in the journal "Scientific Reports", found that people who received Botox injections in 4 different areas of the body - so not just the forehead - reported significantly less anxiety episodes than patients who underwent different treatments for the same conditions.

“A large number of different adverse effects have been reported to the FDA. And the main objective is usually to find those harmful side effects that were not identified during clinical trials. But our idea was different. We said: Why not do the opposite? Why not find the beneficial effects?" - says Robert Abagian, professor of pharmaceuticals.

Abagian and his team searched the database for information on the absence or reduced frequency of anxiety and related disorders, with anxiety as a health complaint, compared to a control group, when respondents received Botox.

The team then used a mathematical algorithm to find statistically significant differences between Botox users and patients who received different treatments.

for the same conditions. What they found was that the reported risk of anxiety was 22-72 percent lower in patients treated with Botox for 4 of 8 conditions and injection sites: facial muscles for cosmetic use; facial and head muscles for migraine treatment; upper and lower limbs for spasms and spasticity; and neck muscles for torticollis.

According to the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, a study of the prevalence and correlates of mental disorders in the US, conducted between 2001 and 2003, anxiety disorders are the most common category of psychiatric disorders.

Sipas sondazhit, 32 për qind e popullsisë amerikane ndikohen negativisht nga ankthi në një moment të jetës së tyre, dhe trajtimet janë joefektive për gati 1/3 e tyre. Kjo është arsyeja pse klinicistët dhe studiuesit po kërkojnë opsione të tjera terapeutike.

Sigurisht, të dhënat e përdorura në këtë studim nuk u mblodhën me synimin ekskluziv të zbulimit të një lidhje midis përdorimit të botoks dhe ankthit. Për më tepër, të dhënat e FAERS përfaqësojnë vetëm nëngrupin e përdoruesve të botoksit, që përjetuan efekte anësore negative.

Ndërkohë Abagian dhe ekipi i tij, publikuan një studim të ngjashëm po në“Scientific Reports” në korrikun e vitit 2020, në të cilin, duke përdorur të njëjtën bazë të dhënash, zbuluan se njerëzit që morën injeksione me botoks raportuan dukshëm më rrallë gjendje depresive sesa pacientët që i nënshtroheshin trajtimeve të ndryshme për të njëjtat kushte.

Abagian dhe bashkëpunëtorët e tij thonë se duhen analizuar disa mekanizma të mundshëm, që mund të shpjegojnë lidhjen. Toksinat botulinum mund të transportohen në rajonet e sistemeve nervore qendrore, që janë përgjegjëse për humorin dhe emocione.

The neuromuscular junctions affected by botox can communicate directly with the brain. Finally, since Botox is commonly used to treat chronic conditions that may contribute to anxiety, its success in alleviating the underlying problem may also indirectly ease the anxiety symptoms themselves.