Hove woman left with severe anxiety and panic attacks after having anti-wrinkle injection
A woman from Hove who says she suffered from extreme anxiety and panic attacks after having an anti-wrinkle injection, says she wants more people to be aware of the potential risks.
Eight years ago, mental health counsellor Genee Schock got anti-wrinkle injections containing botulinum toxin.
She said she started experiencing physical and psychological side effects just days later and wants more people to be aware of the potential risks.
Genee Schock, Tox Safety Campaigner said: "All hell broke loose. I became really ill.
"I had vomiting and diarrhoea. I was shaking like a leaf, my vision went blurred, my ears were ringing, and my face was twitching all over the place.
"My face, arms, legs, everything went weak. I had intense pain in my neck and shoulders.
"I didn't know what was happening to me. I've never experienced any type of anxiety in my life. I work in mental health so I understand what it is.
"I had five or six panic attacks a day. I was unable to leave my house. I was terrified."
Ms Schock now runs support groups with around 28,000 members.
She says anxiety is one of the most common and debilitating side effects reported by members but not enough people know about it before having the injection.
She said: "This is the scary part because you're not giving informed consent if you don't understand what can happen to you."
When asked if she would have gotten the jab if she knew about the potential side effects, she said: "Not over my dead, body. I never would have gone near it, if I knew then what I know now. Never."
A new survey of patients who said they had complications from the jab found 69% had long-lasting effects, including mental health problems.
Pain and anxiety were the most commonly reported issues - affecting 16% of survey respondents. 9% said they had panic attacks and 6% had dizziness and brain fog.
Report co-author Dr David Zargaran - says more people need to be aware of the risks. "I think it needs to be fully explained to patients that these complications can arise.
"Beyond the physical complications of Botulinum Toxin, patients do experience a range of emotional, psychological and financial complications.
"I think more work can be done to explore this and hopefully, this will set the scene for further work."
At the moment, people do not need strict qualifications to administer anti-wrinkle jabs and there is no standardised consent process.
Until the law changes, the industry is effectively unregulated. Doctors and registered clinicians want more to be done to protect patients.
The government are in the process of updating its policy around injectables and in a statement said it wants to make it an offence for people to carry out non-surgical cosmetic procedures without a licence, to ensure there are consistent safety standards.
Support available
NHS advice on what to do to help with anxiety, fear and panic
Mind - For mental health support, call 0300 123 3393 or visit the website
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