Bladder (Botox) injections

What is a botox injection?

Botulinum toxin bladder injections, often called Botox.

• They work by temporarily paralysing the muscle of the bladder.

• They are used for women where bladder retraining and medications have not helped.

• They are effective at reducing OAB symptoms in about 7 in 10 cases.

• The injections wear off with time and repeat injections are needed every 6 to 12 months.

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Bladder (Botox) injections are used when a patient is suffering from an overactive bladder including:

Urgency: this is a very sudden and strong feeling of needing to pee which is difficult to control.

• Frequency: feeling the need to pee often during the day and / or night

• Urge leakage of pee: leakage of pee as you are trying to get to the toilet.

How do the injections work?

They work by temporarily paralysing the muscle of the bladder.

They are used  where bladder retraining and medications have not helped.

They are effective at reducing OAB symptoms in about 7 in 10 cases.

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How are Botox bladder injections given?

The procedure is carried out using local anaesthetic (numbing gel is squirted into the pee pipe) with you awake.  A tiny flexible telescope is inserted through the pee pipe and into the bladder. No cuts are made.  Botulinum toxin is injected into the lining of the bladder through the telescope.

The procedure takes about 15 minutes and you may have mild discomfort during the procedure. You will also feel your bladder filling up.

You are allowed home after the procedure and you should not need any time off work afterwards.The injections do not work straight away. It may take a few weeks to have an effect.