Botox act as antidepressant
People who received Botox injections for various conditions reported depression less often compared to patients who did not receive the injections for similar diagnoses, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports. This observed anti-depressive effect of Botox injections in the forehead has been reported previously, as well. The research team at Pharmaceutical Sciences at University of California combed through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Adverse Effect Reporting System (FAERS) database to see the side effects reported by nearly 40,000 people who received Botox injections for various reasons. The treatments were not just in the forehead but included several different sites, including the neck, limbs, and forehead. The release stated the researchers used an algorithm to find significant statistical differences between patients who used Botox and those who did not for the same issue. The researchers found depression was reported 40 to 88 percent less often by Botox users for six of the eight conditions and injection sites, according to the release. “This finding is exciting because it supports a new treatment to affect mood and fight depression, one of the common and dangerous mental illnesses. The authors note they excluded data from patients who were taking antidepressants. More research is needed to determine how Botox potentially acts as an antidepressant, according to the study.
