Botox Injections Not Just for Wrinkles – Drug Now Approved to Treat Urinary Incontinence

Botox, the widely used wrinkle-removing injection, actually has a variety of medical uses: it is government-approved to treat chronic migraines, muscle problems, underarm sweating and a number of other conditions. Now add to that, urinary incontinence and overactive bladder.

Botox is FDA-approved to treat overactive bladder (OAB) and urinary incontinence. It works by relaxing the bladder muscle, with effects usually lasting 6–8 months.

How does Botox treat urinary incontinence and overactive bladder? Botox relaxes the bladder, allowing it to store more urine. In some patients with neurological conditions, over activity in the bladder leads to an inability to store urine. By injecting Botox directly into the bladder to relax it, patients gain more muscle control and less incontinence.

Botox treatment involves injection of the drug into the bladder during cystoscopy. Cystoscopy is a medical procedure that lets a doctor see inside the bladder. It sometimes requires general anesthesia.

The FDA looked at two clinical trials involving 691 patients with incontinence due to spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis. Those who received Botox had a significant reduction in weekly incontinence episodes, compared to a placebo group. The most common adverse effects were urinary tract infection and urinary retention.

Given that incontinence and overactive bladder are difficult to manage — sometimes involving drugs to relax the bladder and the use of a catheter to empty it — Botox provides many patients another option.