Botox Bladder Injection

Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medication that recently received U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval for use in the treatment of OAB symptoms in adults when other types of medication cannot be taken or did not work well.

How Can Botox Help OAB Symptoms?

Botox temporarily calms muscle contractions in the bladder by blocking the transmission of nerve impulses to the bladder muscle.

How Effective Is Botox treatment for OAB?

Botox has been shown to reduce OAB symptoms in 75% of patients who were treated.

How Is Botox Treatment Done?

Botox is administered during an outpatient procedure in our ambulatory surgery center. A local anesthetic is administered and a sedative may be given. Once the bladder is numb BOTOX® is injected into the bladder muscle using a cystoscope or a specialized tube with an optical lens at the end that is used to see inside the bladder. A cystoscope is placed into the bladder via the urethra. Once the doctor is able to access the bladder and initiate the BOTOX® injections, the treatment takes approximately 15-20 minutes and then the patient is observed for approximately 30 minutes before they leave the ambulatory surgery center.

What Are the Side Effects Associated with BOTOX® Treatment?

The most common side effects reported with BOTOX® treatment in the clinical studies included: urinary tract infection, difficult urination, and urinary retention, which is a temporary inability to fully empty the bladder. Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX® were more likely to develop urinary retention than non- diabetics.

Can Botox Injections Be Repeated?

The effects wear off over time so a repeat injection may be needed every 6- 18 months.