Dr. Heather Stefaniak is a urologist with BayCare Clinic she joined us on Wisconsin Tonight to talk about using Botox to treat overactive bladder
Overactive bladder is a common condition affecting millions of Americans. With overactive bladder, the bladder squeezes too often or squeezes unexpectedly. Symptoms include incontinence, or leaking urine, feeling the sudden and urgent need to urinate, and frequent urination. About 33 million Americans have overactive bladder.
Those who drink diuretics like caffeinated tea, coffee, or alcohol, likely will go a lot more than someone who does none of those things. But overactive bladder means you’re going more than seven times per day. That’s a lot by any standard. You should have a conversation with your doctor or urologist if you experience this for a sustained period of time.
Botox is the brand name for botulinum toxin. It’s used to relax muscular tissue and is commonly used for wrinkles on the face.
In early 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the approved use of Botox to treat adults with overactive bladder. When Botox is injected into your bladder muscle, it causes the bladder to relax, increasing its storage capacity and reducing episodes of urinary incontinence.
You are put under anesthesia. We then use a tiny scope and enter the bladder through the urethra. Once inside, we use a small needle to inject the Botox into the bladder wall – into about 15-20 locations. We remove the scope and make sure you can empty your bladder. You see us about two weeks later to make sure everything is still OK, and that’s about it. In most cases, problem solved.
Treatment isn’t permanent. While it varies from patient to patient, we’ve found it generally lasts from three months up to a year. Studies showed that after 12 weeks, patients treated with Botox experienced urinary incontinence an average of 1.6 to 1.9 times less per day than patients treated with a placebo. Botox-treated patients also needed to urinate on average 1.0 to 1.7 times less per day and expelled an average of about 30 milliliters more urine than those treated with a placebo.
For more information, visit BayCare.net or call 888-437-9613.
