Gastric Botox in Turkey

The result is that food stays in the stomach longer, so you feel full sooner and for longer after a smaller meal. There are no incisions, no device left behind and no change to your anatomy. You are lightly sedated rather than anaesthetised, and you go back to your hotel the same day.

The effect is temporary by design. Botulinum toxin wears off as nerve endings regenerate, which takes four to six months, after which the stomach works exactly as it did before. That makes gastric botox the least invasive and least committing option available — and also the weakest.

Where it sits among the options

What the package includes

• Endoscopist and sedation fees
• Pre-procedure blood tests and assessment
• Diagnostic gastroscopy before injection
• The botulinum toxin itself
• One night in a four-star hotel with breakfast
• All airport, hotel and clinic transfers
• A personal English-speaking coordinator
• Dietitian consultation and a written plan
• Monthly check-ins for the duration of the effect
• Written record of the brand and dose used

What is not included

Flights are excluded. Repeat treatments after the effect wears off are quoted separately — most patients who repeat do so at around six months. There are no consultation fees at any stage.

Gastric botox is usually suitable if

• Your BMI is between 27 and 35 and you have roughly 8–15 kg to lose.
• You want a low-commitment first step with nothing left inside you.
• You could not tolerate a balloon, or do not want a device.
• You are prepared to work with a dietitian during the four to six months the effect lasts.
• You have realistic expectations about the scale of the result.
• You need a modest, short-term loss before another procedure.

You may need to wait, or consider something else

• Your BMI is over 35: the effect is too small to be worth the trip on its own.
• You are looking for a permanent solution — this is explicitly temporary.
• You have a neuromuscular condition such as myasthenia gravis, where botulinum toxin is contraindicated.
• You have a gastric ulcer, significant gastritis or previous stomach surgery.
• You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• You take aminoglycoside antibiotics or muscle relaxants, which interact with botulinum toxin.

Our BMI and eligibility calculator shows where you sit in about a minute, and a Valentmedica doctor will tell you honestly if a balloon or surgery would serve you better.

1. Fasting: nothing to eat or drink from midnight, so the stomach is empty and the wall can be seen clearly.
2. Sedation: intravenous sedation is given. You are drowsy and will not remember the procedure, but you breathe for yourself throughout.
3. Diagnostic gastroscopy: a thin camera is passed into the stomach to check for ulcers, gastritis or a hiatus hernia. If something significant is found, the injection is not done that day.
4. Mapping the injection sites: the endoscopist identifies the antrum, and often the body and fundus, planning an even spread of injection points.
5. Injection: a fine needle passed through the endoscope delivers botulinum toxin into the muscle layer at 15–25 separate points. Dose varies by protocol, typically 200–500 units in total.
6. Checking: the stomach lining is inspected once more for bleeding before the camera is withdrawn.
7. Recovery: you wake within minutes and are observed for a couple of hours. Most patients eat normally the same evening.

The toxin acts on the nerve endings supplying the stomach muscle, and that takes time: expect the appetite effect to build over one to two weeks rather than arriving immediately.

• Day 1: mild bloating, a sore throat from the endoscope, or slight nausea. All settle within a day.
• Days 2–7: normal eating and normal activity. You may not notice much change yet.
• Weeks 1–2: the effect builds. Meals start feeling satisfying sooner, and you stay full for longer.
• Months 1–3: the strongest phase, and where most of the weight loss happens.
• Months 4–6: the effect tapers as nerve endings regenerate. Appetite gradually returns to baseline.
• After six months: the stomach functions exactly as it did before. Nothing is left behind.

Valentmedica works with licensed clinics and hospitals in Istanbul, and with gastroenterologists registered with the Turkish Ministry of Health who perform endoscopy routinely. You are given your doctor's name and registration number, and the brand and dose of toxin used, before you fly home.

Risks you should know about

• No effect at all: a meaningful proportion of patients notice little or nothing. This is the most common disappointment.
• Nausea and bloating: usually mild and short-lived in the first days.
• Delayed gastric emptying: occasionally too much, causing fullness, nausea or vomiting. It resolves as the toxin wears off.
• Sore throat: from the endoscope, lasting a day or two.
• Bleeding at an injection site: uncommon and usually minor.
• Perforation: very rare, and a risk of endoscopy itself rather than of the injection.
• Toxin spread: extremely rare at these doses, but any difficulty swallowing or breathing needs immediate medical attention.
• Weight regain: the expected outcome once the effect fades, unless habits have changed.

Tell your doctor about any neuromuscular condition and about every medication you take. Myasthenia gravis and some antibiotics are genuine contraindications rather than cautions.

On its own, gastric botox is a nudge. Combined with structured dietary support it becomes a reasonable first step for someone who is not ready to commit to a device or an operation.

Commonly combined with

• Dietitian and behavioural support: included throughout, and the factor most associated with keeping the loss.
• Medical weight-loss treatment: GLP-1 medication prescribed and monitored by your own doctor can complement it. Valentmedica does not prescribe it remotely.
• A gastric balloon afterwards: some patients move to a balloon at six months, having used the botox period to test whether they can work with reduced appetite.

Used as a bridge to

• Gastric sleeve or bypass: where a modest loss first would reduce anaesthetic risk.
• Another operation at home: where a surgeon has asked you to lose a few kilograms before operating.

If your BMI is over 35 and you are considering botox because surgery feels like too big a step, say so. It is a reasonable way to test the water — but be clear with yourself that it is a test, not a treatment plan.

• Fasting: nothing to eat or drink from midnight. The procedure is cancelled if the stomach is not empty.
• Medication: tell your doctor everything you take. Aminoglycoside antibiotics and muscle relaxants interact with botulinum toxin, and blood thinners may need pausing before endoscopy.
• Medical history: declare any neuromuscular condition, previous stomach surgery or known ulcer.
• Diet plan: get it from the dietitian before you travel and shop for it in advance, so the window starts working from week one rather than week four.
• Time off: essentially none needed. Most patients fly home the next day and work normally.
• Packing list: nothing special — just your regular medication in its original packaging.

A realistic picture: someone starting at 90 kg would typically expect to lose 5–9 kg. Results vary more than with any other option on this site — some patients notice a marked change in appetite, others very little, and that variability is reflected in the published evidence rather than being a failure of technique.

Because the effect is temporary and modest, gastric botox only makes long-term sense as a supported window. Four to six months is long enough to rebuild portion sizes and routines if you work at it, and not nearly long enough to coast. Valentmedica continues dietitian support for three months past the expected end of the effect, and our weight-loss before and after gallery shows botox patients at six months rather than at their best week.