Botulinum toxin injections have been shown to be effective in alleviating localized peripheral neuropathic pain. A new therapeutic hope.
Botox is not just for cosmetic surgery. Its neurotoxic properties make it an effective tool for treating a wide variety of symptoms related to nervous system alterations. The results of a study by the Laboratory of Physiopathology and Clinical Pharmacology of Pain (LPPD), attached to Inserm, showed that it was possible to relieve peripheral neuropathic pain with injections of botulinum toxin type A. L his team of researchers published their results in an article of The Lancet.
Patients received two injections of Botox – or a placebo – three months apart. Their pain had been evaluated before the test at 6.5 on average, on a scale from 0 to 10. After six months of follow-up, the pain of the patients treated with botulinum toxin had dropped to 4.6, a decrease. by almost two points (compared to 0.6 for the placebo group). People who responded well to the first injection were more likely to get relief from the second.
Tingling, electric shocks
Peripheral neuropathic pain is often related to damage to the nerves caused by surgery or trauma. They can also appear in diabetic or alcoholic patients, or following drug side effects. They manifest themselves in different ways: by tingling, itching, significant sensitivity to heat or cold, by burning sensations or electric shocks.
The results are encouraging, said Nadine Attal, head of the study. “Peripheral neuropathic pain does not respond to conventional analgesic treatments and, if the drugs most often proposed – such as antiepileptics or antidepressants – can be effective, it is at the cost of often annoying side effects”, a-t- she declared.
Towards future use
“This study provided new proof of the efficacy of botulinum toxin type A, but it also made it possible to better define the profile of patients for whom treatment should be offered”. In particular, people sensitive to heat and for whom simple contact with the skin was painful who reacted best. “These parameters have the advantage of being quite easily identifiable by the doctor,” continues the researcher. The selection of patients for a future prescription in neuropathic pain can therefore be relatively easy ”.
An obstacle remains before the use of Botox for this pathology. No marketing authorization has been issued for the treatment of neuropathic pain.
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