Botulinum Antitoxin (BAT) Injection

What is this medication?

BOTULINUM ANTITOXIN (baa chuh LAI nuhm ANT ee tox in) treats botulism. It works by binding to botulinum toxin in your body. This prevents worsening symptoms.

This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions.

What should I tell my care team before I take this medication?

They need to know if you have any of these conditions:

• Asthma or hay fever
• Diabetes
• An unusual or allergic reaction to botulinum antitoxin, horses, other medications, foods, dyes, or preservatives
• Pregnant or trying to get pregnant
• Breastfeeding

How should I use this medication?

This medication is infused into a vein. It is given by your care team in a hospital or clinic setting.

Talk to your care team about the use of this medication in children. While it may be given to children as young as infants for selected conditions, precautions do apply.

Overdosage: If you think you have taken too much of this medicine contact a poison control center or emergency room at once.

NOTE: This medicine is only for you. Do not share this medicine with others.

What if I miss a dose?

This does not apply.

What may interact with this medication?

Interactions are not expected.

This list may not describe all possible interactions. Give your health care provider a list of all the medicines, herbs, non-prescription drugs, or dietary supplements you use. Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs. Some items may interact with your medicine.

What should I watch for while using this medication?

Your condition will be monitored carefully while you are receiving this medication.

If you have diabetes, talk to your care team about which device you should use to check your blood sugar. This medication may cause some devices to report falsely high blood sugar levels. This may cause you to react by not treating a low blood sugar level or by giving an insulin dose that was not needed. This can cause severe low blood sugar levels.

This medication is made from horse plasma. There is a small risk that it may contain bacteria or viruses. All products are processed to kill most bacteria and viruses. Talk to your care team if you have questions about the risk of infection.

What side effects may I notice from receiving this medication?

Side effects that you should report to your care team as soon as possible:

• Allergic reactions—skin rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
• Infusion reactions—chest pain, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, feeling faint or lightheaded

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report these to your care team if they continue or are bothersome):

• Chills
• Headache
• Itching
• Nausea

This list may not describe all possible side effects. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Where should I keep my medication?

This medication is given in a hospital or clinic. It will not be stored at home.

NOTE: This sheet is a summary. It may not cover all possible information. If you have questions about this medicine, talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or health care provider.