Botox is measured in units. There are 100 units in a vial. But when your MD says you had 2 or 2.5... he/she means UNITS. At least, in the United States.They do reconstitute Botox with a certain amount of saline (measured in cc's) but this doesn't affect the dosage, it would only effect the concentration of Botox per cc of saline. And unless one's doctor was being hypertechnical, it's unlikely they'd discuss how many cc's they use to reconstitute Botox. Although there has been discussion at symposiums in terms of whether, for example, a 2.5 unit injection in a smaller or higher concentration of saline (measured in cc's) is better/worse. That is, it is better to have the units concentrated in a small amount of saline so it doesn't spread around much or is it better to have more saline so it covers more surface area with the SAME dose. But like I said, that is being hyper-technical. Most MDs reconstitute Botox so that .1 cc of liquid volume equals 2.5 units of Botox. But many vary this approach.
Doctors also vary on what they consider an average dose. It may be that the 2 units didn't work for you as the dose wasn't high enough but the injection may also not have been placed well enough. Both dose and placement of the injection contribute to the overall result. Placement can almost be more important.
Also, I assume you are receiving bilateral injections. If you are receiving unilateral injections, 2 units is pretty low.
If 2 units did nothing and the placement was perfect (though there isn't really a way to tell at this point), then going up to 2.5 isn't all that much higher. But if the placement was off, then it could be more of a technique issue.
It depends on what you want to experiment with in terms of side effects at first.
Laurie
