On injection day
Time
You should prepare to set aside enough time for your child’s Dysport appointment. You may spend anywhere from a few hours to the whole day in the doctor’s office. If your child is in school, he or she may miss some classes or activities for the day.
Emotions
We understand that getting an injection is no fun and can be stressful for everyone. There are many things you can do to help minimize stress and make the day run as smoothly as possible. Consider bringing items that can occupy your child and make them feel more comfortable, such as:
- A favorite toy
- Games
- Puzzles
After injection day
Results
For the first few days or weeks, you may not see a difference in the stiffness of your child’s limb(s). In the studies, results were typically seen around 1 month after their treatment session. However, the time can vary for each child.
Common side effects
Mild side effects such as soreness around the injection site, cough, and runny nose are common after injection with Dysport. Your child may also feel tired afterward and want to rest. Keep an eye out for side effects, and call your child’s doctor immediately if they worsen or persist.
Additional therapy
As part of their spasticity management plan, your child’s doctor will likely suggest continuing with a physical therapy regimen.
The next Dysport treatment should not be given sooner than 3 months after lower limb treatment, and it should not be given sooner than 4 months after upper limb treatment. Your child’s doctor will assess your child’s spasticity at each treatment session and may adjust the dose and muscles injected.
Tracking progress with Dysport
It is helpful to track your child’s progress between injection sessions with a notebook or calendar. You can also track the goals you discussed with your child and their doctor and revisit them at the follow-up appointment.
At each treatment session, the doctor will assess your child’s progress. Based on how your child is responding to treatment, the doctor may adjust the amount of Dysport they give your child. They may also change the muscles they inject.
Communicating changes and progress with your child’s doctor is very important. It helps them make adjustments so that treatment is tailored to your child.
The most important safety information you should know about Dysport
Dysport may cause serious side effects, including problems breathing or swallowing and/or spread of toxin effects, that can be life threatening and death can happen as a complication. These problems can happen within hours, or days to weeks after an injection of Dysport.
Things to keep track of for your child’s doctor
- How is your child responding to the injection?
- Has their ability to move improved?
- When did you start to see a response?
- Has their ability to do everyday tasks improved?
- Are they experiencing any side effects?
- What are they?
- How long do they last?
- How long after their injection do you notice their symptoms of spasticity returning?
Annika was compensated for her appearance.
Annika, a child with lower limb spasticity who receives Dysport treatment
“We are very pleased with how Annika is doing on Dysport. She moves smoother and faster…and she doesn’t have to work as hard….”
“It gives her more all-over flexibility and it’s been great since day one”
“[Her injection works for] about 3-4 months …”
Wendi, Annika’s mother
Plan ahead!
Remember to keep your child’s healthcare team informed about your plans as you may need time to schedule your next appointment, take time off from work or school, and/or arrange travel to and from the doctor’s office or clinic. Also make sure to keep them updated on your child’s progress.
Learn more about Children with Spasticity (Aged 2 Years & Older)
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is the most important safety information I should know about Dysport?
Dysport may cause serious side effects, including problems breathing or swallowing and/or spread of toxin effects, that can be life threatening and death can happen as a complication. These problems can happen within hours, or days to weeks after an injection of Dysport.
- Problems swallowing, breathing, or speaking. Treatment with Dysport can result in swallowing or breathing problems. People with pre-existing swallowing or breathing problems may be at greater risk following treatment with Dysport. Swallowing problems may last for several weeks; you may need a feeding tube to receive food or water. If swallowing problems are severe, food or liquids may go into your lungs.
- Spread of toxin effects. The effects of botulinum toxin may affect areas of the body away from the injection site and cause symptoms of a serious condition called botulism which include: loss of strength and muscle weakness all over the body, double or blurred vision, and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, and trouble breathing or swallowing. The risk of these symptoms is probably greatest in children treated for spasticity. These problems could make it unsafe for you to drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.
Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you experience these problems after treatment with Dysport.
Do not receive a Dysport injection if: you are allergic to Dysport or any of its ingredients, or cow’s milk protein; you had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product, such as Myobloc®, Botox®, or Xeomin®; or you have a skin infection at the planned injection site.
Before you receive a Dysport injection tell your doctor:
- About all your medical conditions, including if you have a disease that affects your muscles and nerves (such as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis], myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome). You may be at increased risk of serious side effects, including difficulty swallowing or breathing.
- If you have or have had any of the following: a side effect from any botulinum toxin in the past; problems with breathing such as asthma or emphysema; swallowing; bleeding; diabetes; and slow heartbeat, or problems with your heart rate or rhythm.
- If you have plans to have surgery, had surgery on your face, have weakness of your forehead muscles (trouble raising your eyebrows), drooping eyelids, or any other change in the way your face normally looks.
- If you are pregnant or breastfeeding or plan to become pregnant or breastfeed. It is not known if Dysport can harm your unborn baby or if it passes into breast milk.
- About all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Using Dysport with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received Dysport in the past.
Especially tell your doctor if you have received any other injections of botulinum toxin in the last four months or ever; Myobloc®, Botox®, or Xeomin® (exactly which ones); an antibiotic recently by injection; or if you take muscle relaxants; allergy, cold or sleep medicine.
Most Common Side effects of Dysport in:
- adults with lower limb spasticity include: fall, muscle weakness, pain in your arms or legs.
- adults with upper limb spasticity include: muscle weakness.
- children (2 to 17 years of age) with upper limb spasticity include: upper respiratory infection and sore throat.
- children (2 to 17 years of age) with lower limb spasticity include: upper respiratory infection, stuffy or runny nose and sore throat, cough, and fever.
- adults with cervical dystonia include: muscle weakness, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, injection site discomfort, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, problems speaking, injection site pain and eye problems.
Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of Dysport. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist. You may report side effects to the FDA at www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is Dysport?
Dysport is a prescription medicine that is injected into muscles and used to treat:
- increased muscle stiffness in patients 2 years of age and older with upper and lower limb spasticity
- cervical dystonia (CD) in adults
Please see full Prescribing Information including Medication Guide with Important Warning.
Botox, Xeomin, and Myobloc are registered trademarks of their respective owners.