Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) for
Overactive Bladder (OAB)
Botox (onabotulinumtoxinA) is an FDA-approved treatment for overactive bladder (OAB), especially when other treatments, like medications or behavioral therapies, haven’t provided sufficient relief.
How the Procedure Works
Botox works by temporarily relaxing the bladder muscle (detrusor), reducing involuntary contractions that cause urgency and leakage. It allows the bladder to hold more urine and reduces the number of times you feel the urge to go.
Completed in an outpatient setting, using a cystoscope, Botox is injected into several sites in the bladder wall using a tiny needle. Local anesthetic or light sedation is typically used. The procedure takes 10-20 minutes.
Advantages of Botox
Significant reduction in urgency and incontinence episodes
Improved quality of life
Effective even for patients who found oral medications ineffective
Recovery
Results begin within 5-7 days, with effect in about 2 weeks
Improvement lasts 6 months on average
Repeat treatments are scheduled as needed