botox for bladder

Dear Ashleigh and all other sufferers of excessive/difficult urination. I have been suffering for 5 weeks with all of the symptoms discussed in this thread. I was diagnosed with Overactive Bladder Syndrome after numerous ultrasounds, X-rays, and urine sample tests. All came back clear. At this time I was waking 10-12 times per night to urinate and I took to peering in a bucket next to my bed because I was too tired to walk to the bathroom. I was prescribed Detrusitol which DID NOT WORK. It made me worse because I still felt the need to pass urine but I couldn't as it restricts the bladders ability to contract. I was finally prescribed MINIRIN 0.1mg tablets, one tablet with breakfast and one with dinner. The very next day after first day of doses my urination was less frequent already. I have now been taking this for 7 days and my urination has gone from every 30 minutes at night to once in 4 hours. I can actually sleep!! I am so relieved. I can get through a whole day feeling hotmail and my nights are only disrupted maybe once or twice. Please go and ask your doctor about this medicine. Good luck. Sandra

I hope things are going ok for you.

I have recently had Botox injected into my bladder and unfortunately the short answer is that it did not work for me. But do not lose hope as aparently it works for 80% of patients.

tough luck for me, but I hope you are successful!

I am a 55 years old male.

I have painful urgency symptoms that just start randomly, when the bladder fills up, especially if it fills after drinking one or two glasses of liquid.

I can only manage to hold 280-340ml urine and sometimes much less.

If I drink a reasonable, not excessive, amount of liquid about 100-200ml/hour slowly (excluding caffeine containing drinks) during the day I develop frequency and need to pee every hour or 90minuntes.

Sometimes I just get a bladder contraction and that results in wetting myself!

The symptoms have been ongoing for over 7 years. I now have to get up at night between 2 and 5 times.

I have tried bladder training/pelvic floor exercises but that does not seem to be of benefit.

Tried acupuncture, Chinese Herbal medication but unfortunately they do nothing.

Yoga also does not help.

 I have tried all sorts of oral fluid intake strategies. I have minimal or no caffeine containing drinks and minimal or no alcohol.

I have tried Oxybutynin patches (Oxytrol) a few times- sometimes for over four weeks and sometimes for shorter duration and they do not seem to have any worthwhile effect.

I have tried Betmiga ( a new expensive medication) also with no worthwhile benefit!

About one month ago I had Botox injected into my bladder.

It was a general anaesthetic so there was no initial discomfort, about three hours later when the topical anaesthetic also used wore off it was a bit sore to pee, but not too bad. Also peed a bit of blood initially.

The Botox does nothing for about 2 weeks then should start to work. If only!!!

I so wish there had been some improvement but unfortunately not.

I still have the same urgency and frequency, I still can be quite comfortable and then suddenly just have to rush to pee. I still have the same poor bladder volumes!

The Botox has made the force of the stream much weaker, now the pee sort of just trickles out. So it takes a bit longer to empty the bladder, but that is all that Botox has done for me.

I would love to be able to say that it is fantastic, for me it is not. Apparently it works very well for 80% of people having it!

So now what…?

I can just live with what I have. But I am 55 and the thought of living another 40 or so years like this is rather depressing.

I can try wearing a “nappy”

I can try drinking “next to nothing” and just feel dehydrated and terrible, have headaches and possibly develop kidney stones.

I can try having a sacral “neuro modulation” device implanted. This stimulates the nerves leaving the bladder and supposedly helps normalize neural activity between the bladder and the brain.

I guess that my next best option is to try having the sacral neuro modulation device implanted.

I suppose you should try the Botox and I really hope that it works for you- perhaps you will only need injections every 6-12 months.

Good luck