In Oakland Park, Florida, four people were paralyzed by botulism when they were injected with what they thought was Botox®. The injections were administered by Bach McComb, an osteopathic doctor whose medical license was suspended in 2003 on charges of overprescribing painkillers to patients, including two who died. His trial is scheduled for February of 2005...

McComb's assistant told investigators McComb told him to order botulinum bacteria type A toxin from a company named List. List makes deadly substances such as diphtheria and anthrax for animal research. Their company's botulinum toxin is not licensed for human use. In fact, it is illegal for the company to sell it for human use. Representatives of List declined to comment. Fatal in approximately 10% of cases, botulism poisoning causes paralysis from the head down for several months while the affected nerve endings regrow. McComb and his girlfriend were hospitalized in New Jersey. The two other victims, Eric and Bonnie Kaplan, were hospitalized in Palm Beach. If you're considering Botox® injections for headache or Migraine prevention, there are important precautions to take:

• Know the qualifications of the doctor who would be administering the treatment.
• Ask the doctor how many patients he or she has successfully treated with Botox®. Ask if it's possible for you to speak with any of them so you can know, from the patient's perspective, what to expect.
• Don't hesitate to see the vial of Botox®. Allergan is the only company approved to sell botulinum toxin for human use. If what you see isn't from Allergan, do NOT continue with the procedure.
Botox® is an excellent preventive treatment for many headache and Migraine sufferers. This incident shouldn't stop us from considering it, but it should emphasize the need to educate ourselves, ask questions, and proceed with caution.

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