Botox for Overactive Bladder (OAB) in the Central Coast of California
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 you get the urge to urinate (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.
It can be caused by weak muscles, nerve damage, use of medications, alcohol or caffeine, obesity, infection, or disease.
You don’t have to live with an overactive bladder. For patients in the Central Coast of California, the board-certified urologists with Urology Associates of the Central Coast are here to help. To see if BOTOX is right for you, contact us today to schedule an appointment in San Luis Obispo, Templeton, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria, or Lompoc.
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 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 a Urology Associates of the Central Coast clinic. 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
- 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, the 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. Speak with 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 a 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.
Schedule a BOTOX Consultation
Don’t hesitate to give us a call to see if Botox is the right treatment for your overactive bladder. Take control of your life again. With urology clinics throughout the central coast including in San Luis Obispo, Templeton, Pismo Beach, Santa Maria, and Lompoc, we are here to help!
