Northeast Georgia Physicians Group Urogynecology offers a full spectrum of treatment options for overactive bladder, including Botox injections. While you might think of Botox as an aesthetic treatment to smooth out wrinkles, it can also be an effective solution for relieving overactive bladder symptoms.
Overactive bladder is a common medical condition that affects up to 33 million adults in the United States, including up to 40 percent of women. If you have the condition, there’s no need to simply grin and bear it—help is available.
What is overactive bladder?
Overactive bladder, or OAB, occurs when the bladder has an overwhelming urge to urinate even when it isn’t full. This happens because nerve cells in the body trigger the bladder muscle to contract uncontrollably.
OAB can cause a variety of disruptive and sometimes debilitating symptoms, including:
- Frequent need to urinate (eight or more times a day or at least twice during the night)
- Strong, urgent need to urinate immediately
- Urine leakage
Some people with overactive bladder do not experience urine leakage, which is called urge incontinence, but others do.
What type of doctor should I see for overactive bladder?
When you’re first experiencing symptoms of overactive bladder, let your OB/GYN or primary care provider know. Your provider may refer you to a urogynecologist, who can offer specialized treatment for overactive bladder and many other conditions affecting the female pelvic floor. This unique specialty combines urology and gynecology to provide comprehensive care related to pelvic health conditions.
How does Botox treat overactive bladder?
When you’re first diagnosed with overactive bladder, a urogynecologist may suggest several treatment options to find relief, including medications in an oral or patch form, lifestyle tweaks such as reduced caffeine intake, or exercises to relax the bladder. If these therapies aren’t effective in relieving OAB symptoms, Botox may be an option.
Botox therapy involves injecting small amounts of botulinum toxin into the bladder muscle during an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia. When injected into the bladder, Botox relaxes the muscle, which reduces urinary urgency and keeps the bladder from squeezing too often. It works by blocking the nerve signals that cause the bladder to contract.
Does Botox quickly provide relief from overactive bladder?
Botox injections don’t immediately relieve symptoms, but patients with OAB typically experience the effects of treatment within a few days to a few weeks. Botox therapy is effective in up to 90 percent of cases.
Injections of Botox relieve symptoms for several months before the effects begin to wear off. Researchers found that women experience relief for six months on average before requiring another round of Botox.
What are the risks of Botox injections?
For most patients, Botox injections for OAB are well-tolerated. In some cases, women may experience burning with urination or a small amount of blood in urine the first few times they urinate after the injection procedure.
Urinary tract infection is the most common side effect of Botox injections for OAB, affecting around 18 percent of patients. Less commonly, Botox may cause other side effects, including difficulty emptying the bladder or allergic reactions to botulinum toxin. It’s important to let your urogynecologist know promptly if you experience any of these symptoms.
In extremely rare cases, botulinum toxin may spread beyond the bladder into other parts of the body, which can cause serious symptoms such as muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, speaking or swallowing, vision changes, or a loss of bladder control. If you experience these symptoms after Botox injections, call 911.
Choose NGPG for overactive bladder treatment
If you’re experiencing the symptoms of overactive bladder, NGPG Urogynecology can help you find a treatment option that meets your needs. Our urogynecologists have specialty training in how to treat conditions affecting female pelvic health, including OAB and urinary incontinence. We offer our services in two locations, with offices in Gainesville and Buford, allowing you to choose the location that’s most convenient for you.
To request an appointment or to ask questions regarding our urogynecology services, treatments and office locations, please complete our online form or call one of our office locations.