In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the use of Botox as treatment for specific health conditions, such as an overactive bladder (OAB). While OAB is not a particular disease it is a symptom related to conditions that affect bladder function. People suffering from OAB usually demonstrate a serious urge to urinate frequently, leak urine often, and pass urine at least 8 times during the day, or more than twice at night.

Botox is an approved treatment that calms the nerves that usually overstimulate the bladder muscles and leads to the urge to urinate. Botox as a treatment also includes treating incontinence, apart from smoothening aging skin.

The common belief is that Botox is used mostly by plastic surgeons and not urologists. But research shows that nearly 70 to 80% of people have found Botox to be effective for urine-leakage issues too.

Here are some facts associated with Botox when it’s used as a treatment for overactive bladder:

• Unlike cosmetic surgeries where the results are immediate, Botox takes time to work effectively. But some people may find quick relief within the first two weeks of their first Botox injection.
• Botox injections are given in a medical office under local anesthesia, and the process doesn’t take too long. The doctor pushes the drug into the bladder muscle after numbing it. The effects of the injection can last up to 8 months. After that, your doctor will decide if you need further injections or not.
• Research shows that while Botox injections were effective to help manage OAB, it did have side effects too. One possible side effect is urine retention. Although it is visible in only 5 to 8% of patients, they will need medical care to address the issue.
• Doctors also recommend Botox for female urology patients who have not received any significant benefit after trying at least one anti-spasmodic medication or other simple treatments such as eliminating caffeine, modifying their fluid intake, or exercising with a specific focus on pelvic movements to strengthen the bladder.
• The doctor determines the dose of Botox depending on the overall health condition of the patient and the prior effects of Botox treatments.
• The expected benefits of a successful Botox treatment include the elimination of urinary incontinence occurrences, reduction or elimination of severe urgency to urinate, reduced number of times you urinate in 24 hours, and reduction in or elimination of pad use for urinary incontinence leading to an improved quality of life.

Botox injections can provide relief to people suffering from incontinence issues. However, it is important to understand that incontinence, in this context, does not refer to overactive bladder due to strenuous physical movements such as exercising, coughing, or sneezing.