Botox for Overactive Bladder (OAB) in Huntsville, AL

What is Overactive Bladder?

Overactive Bladder (OAB) is a medical condition that happens when you cannot control your bladder contractions. If you have overactive bladder you may feel like you need to urinate frequently or you may leak when urinating (urgency incontinence). About one in three U.S. adults 40 years of age or older reported at least sometimes having symptoms of overactive bladder. It more commonly affects women, but more than 33 million people in the country report having OAB.

OAB can be caused by weak muscles, nerve damage, use of medications, alcohol or caffeine, obesity, infection, or disease. If you are experiencing symptoms of OAB and are in need of treatment, call (256) 882-3605 to request an appointment with a highly trained urologist at Urology Specialists, PC. Our urologists will take the time to evaluate your OAB symptoms to determine the treatment option that is right for you.

How Overactive Bladder May Impact Your Daily Life

Overactive bladder can get in the way of your everyday life. Lifestyle changes may help, but there are also medical treatments available.

You may find yourself:

• Limiting daily activities
• Avoiding liquids or not staying properly hydrated
• Restricting what you wear
• Being concerned about finding bathrooms when you go out
• Worry about what others may think about you
• Frustrated from ongoing inconvenience

Botox For Treating Overactive Bladder in Huntsville

In 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the multipurpose drug most commonly known as Botox, or onabotulinumtoxinA, for the treatment of overactive bladder to reduce urinary incontinence.

Botox is most commonly used for patients not responding to drugs aiming to block nerve impulses (of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine).

Botox injections into the bladder causes it to relax and increase its storage capacity. Botox targets the source of OAB by going directly to the muscles of the bladder and helping to block the signals that trigger OAB.

When the bladder muscles are able to relax, you are able to calm the nerve impulses and block the triggers to the brain.

Is Botox effective for Treating OAB?

According to BOTOX.com, patients who received treatment saw up to a 50 percent reduction of daily leakage episodes. Most of those patients reduced their daily leakage episodes by 75 percent.

One in four reported a total stop of leakage completely.

How is Botox Used for Overactive Bladder?

Botox treatment can be done right in Urology Specialists, PC’s office. You will be given an antibiotic to reduce the chance of a urinary tract infection.

• Your urologist will fill your bladder with a numbing agent
• You may also have a sedative to relax and feel comfortable
• A thin, lighted instrument called a cystoscope will be inserted into the natural opening of the urethra
• Your urologist will then be able to visualize the inside of the urethra and bladder
• The Botox injections will then be given through the cystoscope into specific areas of your bladder muscle
• The injections take about 15 minutes or less
• After the injections are complete, your urologist will remove the cystoscope

You’ll likely stay for a short while to make sure you can easily empty your bladder before returning home. You may experience slight discomfort or a sting when urinating. See your urologist if you have pain or trouble urinating after the treatment.

How Long Does BOTOX for Overactive Bladder Last?

You will begin to see improvements as soon as two weeks after treatment. The Botox will allow your bladder muscles to relax, and you will reduce the number of visits to the restroom.

Before Botox, some patients report using the bathroom more than eight times a day. Be sure to track what your symptoms of OAB were like, so you can keep track of your improvement as well.

Botox can usually last for about six months, so you can resolve your overactive bladder with just two injection treatments per year.

Be sure to keep track of how you are feeling and talk to your urologist. Together, you can monitor how Botox is working for you.

It is a good idea to keep your appointments scheduled, and adjust them as necessary. Many report a  resolve of symptoms following Botox. In fact, one in four say their symptoms were completely resolved.