The simple answer is yes. The question for you is for what. Most people think of Botox in terms of its ability to get rid of your wrinkles. And certainly that can be used by MS patients to spruce up their appearance. But there is much more that Botox can do for people with MS and others who suffer from stiffness (or spasticity), whether it be in the neck (cervical dystonia), the arms and legs (MS as well as other neurologic disorders), uncontrollable blinking (blephorospasm), bladder incontinence, and migraine headaches (though not due to muscle contraction).
Botox works by blocking the electrical messages your nerves send to your muscles to make them move when you want to. The message is sent through a chemical called acetylcholine. In MS, the nerves sending the messages are damaged and the communication doesn’t work as intended, causing the muscles to move and tense up when you don’t want them to. Botox blocks the release of acetylcholine, resulting in less tension and stiffness in the muscles and making movement easier.
Botox is made from bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. There are four botox-like drugs that your neurologist may inject into your mucles. Generally, the benefit lasts about 12 weeks. Giving the botoxinjections more often may result in the body developing antibodies that will block the botox from working. There are possible side effects from these injections regardless of the indication as the medication can spread beyond the intended area of injection, which can result in a temporary weakness in the neck and in swallowing and even paralysis of eye movements. Fortunately, these are rare and always self-limited.
So go ahead and use the Botox to rid yourself of wrinkles if that will make you feel better about yourself. If you have stiffness that causes pain and difficulty walking, talk to your doctor about botox. But remember if your stiffness is worsening over time, it is even more important to figure out if it is a sign that your MS is progressing. BeCare MS App can help you monitor yourself for disease progression.