What to Expect: Botox Injections for an Overactive Bladder
You might have heard that Botox injections can be used for treating wrinkles on your face. Well, Botox ( botulinum toxin) can also help treat crossed eyes, excessive sweating, eyelid spasms, not to mention bladder disorders such as an overactive bladder.
Should you have an ongoing bladder control problem, Botox has become an option for you to consider for the treatment of those sudden urges to urinate, especially if you’ve not had success with other treatment options. In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the use of Botox also to include the treatment of an overactive bladder (OAB).
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Mussat and learn more about how Botox can help you regain normal bladder control and meaningful improvements in your life quality, contact us, or call (312) 751-9000 today!
What is an Overactive Bladder (OAB)?
Overactive bladder isn’t a disease, but rather it’s what happens when the muscles that control bladder function start to act involuntarily.
There are several symptoms which suggest a problem in the function of your bladder, and to find out if you have OAB, consider the following questions:
- Do you often have an urgent need to urinate?
- Do you need to urinate more than twice at night, or at least eight times during the day?
- Do you frequently feel you are leaking urine?
If you answer yes to at least two of these questions, you may have an OAB and should consider seeking professional advice.
How Does Botox for OAB Work?
Apart from Botox, you will find that several different treatments calm the nerves and muscles affecting your bladder. Ingestible tablets, known as anticholinergics and skin patches, are often prescribed but with the side-effects outline below.
Botox has also been approved as an alternative to anticholinergic drugs. It functions by calming the nerves that usually overstimulate the bladder muscles, leading to that urgent need to urinate.
How Are Botox Injections Administered?
We administer Botox injections from the comfort and convenience of our office, with the entire process taking about an hour. After your bladder is numbed with lidocaine, we will inject Botox into multiple areas of your bladder muscle through a small tube known as a cystoscope, which we insert through the urethra. A 30-minute evaluation follows, and you will need to urinate before leaving our office.
It can take between 12-72 hours for the Botox injections to take effect, and your bladder control can last for up to eight months. Followup treatments typically are administered 12 weeks apart, and there’s no limit to how long you can receive Botox therapy.
How Effective Are Botox Injections for OAB?
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEMJ) reported in a 2012 study that more women receiving Botox injections than those who didn’t say that their urinary incontinence problems were under control.
Schedule a Consultation
As a Board-Certified Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Florence Mussat can work with you to develop a personalized plan for starting a course of Botox injections and to return your life to normal!
To discuss your options with her, so please schedule a consultation today at our Chicago, IL, office, or give us a call at (312) 751-9000.
