Can patients overdose on the sclerotherapy injections?
Sclerotherapy treatments are safe to do on a weekly basis. Dosing is patient-specific and your providers should determine the appropriate amount.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
How many weeks in a row are you talking about? And how much volume, at what concentration? Of what medicine is being injected? I'd need a bit more information from you to provide a more helpful answer.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
It is possible to overdose but only on a single treatment. Usually physicians will limit the amount injected during one session to about 20cc. But it is safe to have the same amount injected weekly.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
No. The healing process is an important component of sclerotherapy and if you are constantly injecting the veins and not giving them time to become thrombosed, scar down and reabsorb, then I would say the results would be minimal to none. Also, it is possible to have an allergic reaction to some sclerosing agents when injected in too high a quantity.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Overdose is not likely, but if bruising camouflages the remaining veins, it can be difficult to treat veins weekly. Sclerotherapy sessions are usually spaced 2-4 weeks apart for that reason.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
It is safe to have weekly treatments. There is a maximum dose with each sclerosant, but this is based a on 24 hour time-frame.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Yes, it is generally safe done weekly if multiple sessions are required.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
In our office we treat patients on consecutive days. The size of the veins to be treated would determine the concentration of medication used. Sclerotherapy is very safe and each clinician has their own
preference of concentration to use and how much they feel safe using during sclerotherapy.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Per Ross T. Lyon, MD, FACS, it is safe to have sclerotherapy treatments weekly, assuming different areas are being treated. No, patients cannot overdose on sclerotherapy injections.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
It is safe but this seems too often. Sclerotherapy takes 4 to 6 weeks to see its full effect. To do the treatments more frequently will not give enough time for the solution to adequately treat the veins.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Most vein experts recommend a 4 to 6 week interval between treatments for the same area as optimal.
You do not specify if only small or different areas are being treated. Depending on the sclerosant solution
being used, there may be volume limits due to risk of side effects. Your personal vein specialist should or
should have had these discussions and disclosures as part of evaluating you and your veins and the usual
informed consent process. If you feel that you are not sufficietly informed about what you are undertaking,
you should seek an expert opinion in person.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
We do not recommend treatments more often than 4-6 weeks if the same areas are being treated. Over treatment can cause complications such as matting (red flushing appearance). If you have extensive areas to be treated, you can treat two days apart on a different limb. There is a safe limit for the volume of solution that can be used depending on the type of vein, size of vein, strength of solution needed and the height/weight of the patient. It is better to have a thorough treatment (including surface spider veins and any underlying "feeder" veins) with a longer healing time between.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
The problem of doing them so close is that you cannot differentiate if the veins are still patent (open) because they were not injected or because you did not give enough time for the previous injection to work. It is better to wait at least 4 weeks or more in between treatments.
Published on Jul 11, 2012
Yes, it is safe.
Published on Jul 11, 2012