OBESITY AND BOTOX

Gastric botox is an effective non-surgical treatment option for slightly overweight patients who fail to lose weight with diet and life style changes. Maintaining weight loss by only diet and life style changes has a 3-9% success rate. 

Botox is a kind of toxin produced by a bacteria and blocks muscle contraction. Botox is in use for  both cosmetic and medical treatments (strabismus, esophageal contractions). Botox is now produced in vitro. 

Gastric botox has been applied to patients over 18 and whom are slightly or moderately overweight since 1993. After providing the necessary medical conditions, we inject botox into the gastric muscles via endoscopy while the patient is under a mild sedation anesthesia. In this procedure, the effect of botox is limited to the gastric muscles, it does not go into the circulation or to the other organs. 

The complication and side effect rate of gastric botox is quite low, so it is considered as a safe method. You can return to your daily life immediately after the procedure. The effect of botox begins within 24-48 hours. Positive effects such as diminishing appetite, eating less, feeling full and delayed gastric emptying, last for about 3-6 months. 

The success of this procedure depends on the patients’ age, metabolic rate, comorbidities, consistence with low calorie diet and exercise capacity.