Colorado 1 of 9 states with injuries from counterfeit or mishandled Botox: CDC

Samantha Jarpe
·1 min read

DENVER (KDVR) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and several state and local health departments are investigating several reports of harmful reactions from counterfeit or mishandled botulinum toxin — more commonly known as Botox — injections.

In total, 19 people in nine states have reported harmful reactions. The 19 received the injections from either unlicensed or untrained people or in non-health care settings such as homes or spas.

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The states with impacted residents included Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Washington.

According to the CDC, public health and regulatory officials found that some people received injections with counterfeit products or products without verified sources. An investigation into the sources of the products was ongoing.

People have reported symptoms including blurry or double vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing, slurred speech, fatigue and generalized weakness.

Nine of the people were hospitalized and four were treated with botulism antitoxin due to concerns that the toxin could spread beyond the injection site.

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All 19 were from people who identified as female. The ages of the women impacted ranged from 25 to 59 with a median age of 39. All but one reported receiving the injections for cosmetic purposes.

Anyone showing signs of botulism should see their health care providers or go to the emergency room immediately. Symptoms include:

  • Blurry or double-vision

  • Drooping eyelids

  • Difficulty swallowing or breathing

  • Muscle weakness

The CDC recommended that anyone looking to receive injections of botulinum toxin or “Botox” make sure that the provider giving the injections is verified to give them and that the product to be injected is FDA-approved and from a trusted source.

The CDC also said that when in doubt, people should not get the injection.

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