BOTOX® OAB Procedure Expectations
What to Expect From BOTOX® Treatment
What happens before, during, and after your treatment appointment
Wherever you are in your overactive bladder (OAB) treatment journey, understanding what comes next can help you better prepare for the next steps.
You and your doctor may have already decided to move forward with BOTOX® treatment for your OAB, or maybe you would just like to gather more information about the treatment and procedure before making a decision. Either way, here’s what you can expect.
What to Expect
Before Your Appointment
When you and your doctor have decided that BOTOX® is right for you
Your doctor’s office will prepare by:
- Contacting your insurance provider for preauthorization
- Receiving and storing your BOTOX® medication
- Planning for a seamless treatment experience
You can prepare for your appointment by:
- Signing up for helpful resources, potential ways to save, and treatment information—at no additional cost
- Watching a Video of an actual patient talking about their procedure
- Scrolling down for more details about what to expect the day of your treatment
If you are still looking for more information about BOTOX®, you can learn more by:
- Watching real patient testimonials of how, together with their doctors, they chose BOTOX® treatment
- Using these helpful conversation starters to talk with your doctor
- Searching Frequently Asked Questions for the topics that most interest you
- Watching this video about how BOTOX® works
- Exploring how BOTOX® Complete can help eligible patients receive money back on out-of-pocket costs for
prescribed BOTOX® that is not covered by insurance - Continuing to scroll down for more specific details
For a more comfortable treatment experience, your doctor will numb your bladder with a local anesthetic before administering BOTOX®
Your doctor will prescribe you antibiotics to help prevent a urinary tract infection.
You will be instructed to take them before, on, and after the day of treatment.
Proactive Retreatment Scheduling
What to Expect
After Your Appointment
Ongoing Retreatment
If OAB* pills† haven't worked for you or can't be tolerated
NOT TODAY, OAB
BOTOX® offers significantly fewer daily leakage episodes.‡
That way, your day may feel more like yours, not OAB's.
In studies, people treated with BOTOX® had about 3 fewer leakage episodes per day after 12 weeks, compared to about 1 fewer leakage episode per day for those who did not receive BOTOX®.§
Looking ahead to the next 6 months‡
Learn more about a BOTOX® treatment schedule.
First Treatment
Stay on schedule by making your next retreatment appointment before you leave the office.
At Home
You may start to notice
results as soon as 2 weeks
after treatment.§
In clinical trials, full effectiveness was evaluated at 12 weeks.§
Retreatment Every 6 Months‡
For consistent management, talk to your doctor about setting up a regular BOTOX® retreatment schedule—customized and flexible for your busy lifestyle.
*Overactive bladder.
†Anticholinergic.
‡If OAB symptoms return before 6 months, talk to your doctor. A minimum of 12 weeks is needed between treatments.
§In clinical trials, 3 months after treatment, people treated with BOTOX® had an average of ≈3 fewer leakage episodes per day compared to 1 fewer leakage episode per day with placebo. In clinical studies, results were measured at 2, 6, and 12 weeks, with 12 weeks being the primary time point. Baseline daily leakage episodes: BOTOX 5.5; placebo 5.1 to 5.7.
Expect more from your OAB treatment
Twice yearly BOTOX® treatment* gives you freedom from daily OAB pills† that are intolerable or not working well enough.
*If OAB symptoms return before 6 months, talk to your doctor.
A minimum of 12 weeks is needed between treatments.
†Anticholinergic.
My doctor had me try several different OAB pills* and other procedures, but they didn’t work well for me. I still wasn’t getting the results I wanted.”
— Deanna
*Anticholinergics.
Hear why real patients started on BOTOX®.
Schedule your next BOTOX® treatment before you leave your doctor’s office
Setting a follow-up BOTOX® treatment is simple. Retreatment is about every 6 months,* and appointments can be flexible around your schedule.
*If OAB symptoms return before 6 months, talk to your doctor. A minimum of 12 weeks is needed between treatments.
Support at every step, for everyone.
It only takes a few minutes to sign up!
Understanding Potential Side Effects
BOTOX® Safety and Side Effects
Understand the risks as well as benefits
It's always important to consider the potential side effects of any medication and equally weigh the benefits and risks with your doctor before making a decision.
The most common side effects (≥ 5% and > placebo) in clinical trials for OAB were:
- Urinary tract infection
- Painful or difficult urination
- Temporary inability to fully empty your bladder
Nearly all patients could still urinate when they needed to after BOTOX® treatment; however, there have been instances where some people temporarily could not fully empty their bladder on their own. If you have difficulty fully emptying your bladder after receiving BOTOX®, you may need to use disposable self-catheters. A self-catheter is not like the kind you see in a hospital. It is much smaller (fits in your purse or pocket), easy to use, and you use it by yourself.
You should not receive BOTOX® if you currently have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or are not willing (or able) to use a disposable self-catheter if necessary.
This is not a complete list of possible serious side effects. Please see Important Safety Information, including Boxed Warning below. Talk to an OAB Specialist familiar with BOTOX® if you have any concerns.
1 in 100 people who started BOTOX® treatment stopped due to side effects in clinical trials.*
*Discontinuation rates in BOTOX® pivotal trials due to adverse events: 1.4% for BOTOX® (n = 552) vs 1.7% for placebo (n = 542).
