OAB Patient Testimonials
Hear From Real BOTOX® Patients
What is BOTOX® treatment really like? Hear from actual BOTOX® patients as they share their firsthand experiences with BOTOX® treatment.
VO: BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medicine that is injected into the bladder muscle and used to treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
Margaret: My name is Margaret. I’m a registered nurse and I live in Denver, Colorado. And yes, I love to ski. Being here, we start skiing from Thanksgiving all the way until March.
We ski as many weekends as we can. I ski with my husband and my son. He’s only six and already loves to ski.
I love what I do for a living. As a nurse, you’re working with people who are very vulnerable. Helping people makes me feel good.
I started having overactive bladder symptoms while I was still in college, I was leaking urine and having to wear huge pads. I couldn’t ski for a very long time without having leakage. So, I would have to wear large pads when I skied in order to stay on the mountain, because it’s a pain to undress and do all that kind of stuff. Also at work, I knew where to find every available bathroom on my unit. And I would wear a lot of pads. It was really annoying.
When the problem started becoming an issue, I kept going back and forth to the doctor for about two to three years. I tried medication but the side effects were intolerable. The dry mouth, blurry vision, constipation, I couldn’t handle another round.
After being on medication for several months, I went back to my doctor and said, “I can’t do this anymore.” That’s when I went to another doctor in the practice, and he brought up BOTOX®. He told me what was going to happen, he went over the risks and the benefits with me, and he also told me that I might need to use a catheter afterwards in case I couldn’t temporarily empty my bladder completely. And I said, “Okay.” After I had the procedure, I didn’t notice anything different for like a week or two. And then it started to work, and I noticed a difference. I wasn’t having as much leaking as often as before. After the BOTOX®, when I started skiing, I remember the first time I skied without any pads and I thought, “This isn’t going to work, you know, I’m going to end up having to change my clothes.” But I didn’t. I brought some catheters with me, I threw some in my pocket, and I skied all day. Now my doctor performs the BOTOX® procedure every six months, that’s what works for me. The whole thing takes about an hour, my doctor puts me at ease the whole time. If a friend had OAB and asked about BOTOX®, I would tell her my story. I would tell her what it did for me. You know everyone is different, but if your OAB symptoms like urgency and leaking are not getting better, and you’ve already tried medication, I would definitely encourage you to see your urologist and ask about BOTOX®. And if I can use my story to help other people, that’s part of nursing, that’s part of my job, that’s part of my life, and that’s part of who I am.
VO:
INDICATION
BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medicine that is injected into the bladder muscle and used to treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
BOTOX may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX:
- Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are preexisting before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months.
- Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms, including loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness; double vision; blurred vision; drooping eyelids; hoarseness or change or loss of voice; trouble saying words clearly; loss of bladder control; trouble breathing; and trouble swallowing.
BOTOX may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems, or dizziness within hours to weeks of receiving BOTOX. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.
Do not receive BOTOX if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.
Do not receive BOTOX for the treatment of urinary incontinence if you have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cannot empty your bladder on your own and are not routinely catheterizing. Due to the risk of urinary retention (difficulty fully emptying the bladder), only patients who are willing and able to initiate catheterization posttreatment, if required, should be considered for treatment.
Patients treated for overactive bladder: In clinical trials, 36 of the 552 patients had to self-catheterize for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX compared to 2 of the 542 treated with placebo. The median duration of postinjection catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX 100 Units (n = 36) was 63 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 214 days), as compared to a median duration of 11 days (minimum 3 days to maximum 18 days) for patients receiving placebo (n = 2). Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX were more likely to develop urinary retention than nondiabetics.
The dose of BOTOX is not the same as, or comparable to, another botulinum toxin product.
Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported, including itching; rash; red, itchy welts; wheezing; asthma symptoms; dizziness; or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you experience symptoms; further injection of BOTOX should be discontinued.
Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions, such as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects, including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of BOTOX.
Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; have weakness of forehead muscles, trouble raising your eyebrows, drooping eyelids, and any other abnormal facial change; have symptoms of a UTI and are being treated for urinary incontinence (symptoms of a UTI may include pain or burning with urination, frequent urination, or fever); have problems emptying your bladder on your own and are being treated for urinary incontinence; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to (it is not known if BOTOX passes into breast milk).
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BOTOX with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX in the past.
Tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® in the past (tell your doctor exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; take aspirin-like products or blood thinners.
Other side effects of BOTOX include dry mouth; discomfort or pain at the injection site; tiredness; headache; neck pain; eye problems such as double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, and dry eyes; drooping eyebrows; and upper respiratory tract infection. In adults being treated for urinary incontinence, other side effects include UTI and painful urination. In patients being treated for urinary incontinence, another side effect includes the inability to empty your bladder on your own. If you have difficulty fully emptying your bladder on your own after receiving BOTOX, you may need to use disposable self-catheters to empty your bladder up to a few times each day until your bladder is able to start emptying again.
For more information, refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/botox_pi.pdf
If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/myAbbVieAssist to learn more.
© 2023 AbbVie. All rights reserved.
BOTOX® and its design are registered trademarks of Allergan, Inc., an AbbVie company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
US-BUO-230015 03/23 021352
If your current medication doesn’t work for you, talk to your doctor about another treatment option.”
— Denise
VO: BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medicine that is injected into the bladder muscle and used to treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
Denise: I enjoy doing many different things. I’m in Southern California, so we’ve got the mountains and the ocean. We live on a boat part time, so if I want to run off to San Clemente or Catalina Island, or if I want to explore all the nature that’s out here in California, I can do it. I’m happiest when I’m on the beach, looking at the ocean.
My OAB symptoms started a while back. I’d be doing my own thing and all of a sudden, I would leak.
At first it was just little leaks, nothing alarming. But I’d have to go to the bathroom, and I didn’t know what to do, except have a lot of pads and a lot of running to the bathroom. I was wearing multiple pads a day. Basically, if I didn’t have pads on me, I was at the mercy of finding a bathroom quickly. When you have OAB, there are a lot of times when you have to quickly find a bathroom. Whether you’re walking down the street, walking through the airport, walking anywhere. At first the leaking just happened early in the morning, but then it started happening all the time. There was no calculating when it would hit, it was completely unpredictable. I saw a doctor about six months after this started, and he basically said “You know this happens, it’s part of the aging process.” And he basically told me to wear pads, wing it, and just do the best you can.
My doctor also gave me medication, but I didn’t like the side effects. It made me feel nauseous and really dizzy, and I saw no improvement in my OAB symptoms.
My doctor recommended the BOTOX® procedure to me, and at first, I wasn’t sure if it was what I really wanted to do. But I thought “You know what, nothing else seems to be working,” so I felt like it was time to try BOTOX®. Of course, the first time I went in I was very nervous. I felt kind of leery about it. I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision.
The actual procedure was quick, it only took about a half hour. I was afraid of the procedure going in, but actually, it was less uncomfortable than I thought it would be. I’ve been treated with BOTOX® for about a year now, and it’s been just great for me. You know, I don’t have to change pads as often, I don’t have to run to the bathroom all the time. And that’s a good thing. I’ve talked to my friends with OAB, and basically told them, “Definitely talk to your doctor.” If your current medication doesn’t work for you, talk to your doctor about another treatment option. I’m really glad I did.
VO:
INDICATION
BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medicine that is injected into the bladder muscle and used to treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
BOTOX may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX:
- Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are preexisting before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months.
- Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms, including loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness; double vision; blurred vision; drooping eyelids; hoarseness or change or loss of voice; trouble saying words clearly; loss of bladder control; trouble breathing; and trouble swallowing.
BOTOX may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems, or dizziness within hours to weeks of receiving BOTOX. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.
Do not receive BOTOX if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.
Do not receive BOTOX for the treatment of urinary incontinence if you have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cannot empty your bladder on your own and are not routinely catheterizing. Due to the risk of urinary retention (difficulty fully emptying the bladder), only patients who are willing and able to initiate catheterization posttreatment, if required, should be considered for treatment.
Patients treated for overactive bladder: In clinical trials, 36 of the 552 patients had to self-catheterize for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX compared to 2 of the 542 treated with placebo. The median duration of postinjection catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX 100 Units (n = 36) was 63 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 214 days), as compared to a median duration of 11 days (minimum 3 days to maximum 18 days) for patients receiving placebo (n = 2). Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX were more likely to develop urinary retention than nondiabetics.
The dose of BOTOX is not the same as, or comparable to, another botulinum toxin product.
Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported, including itching; rash; red, itchy welts; wheezing; asthma symptoms; dizziness; or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you experience symptoms; further injection of BOTOX should be discontinued.
Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions, such as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects, including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of BOTOX.
Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; have weakness of forehead muscles, trouble raising your eyebrows, drooping eyelids, and any other abnormal facial change; have symptoms of a UTI and are being treated for urinary incontinence (symptoms of a UTI may include pain or burning with urination, frequent urination, or fever); have problems emptying your bladder on your own and are being treated for urinary incontinence; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to (it is not known if BOTOX passes into breast milk).
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BOTOX with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX in the past.
Tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® in the past (tell your doctor exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; take aspirin-like products or blood thinners.
Other side effects of BOTOX include dry mouth; discomfort or pain at the injection site; tiredness; headache; neck pain; eye problems such as double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, and dry eyes; drooping eyebrows; and upper respiratory tract infection. In adults being treated for urinary incontinence, other side effects include UTI and painful urination. In patients being treated for urinary incontinence, another side effect includes the inability to empty your bladder on your own. If you have difficulty fully emptying your bladder on your own after receiving BOTOX, you may need to use disposable self-catheters to empty your bladder up to a few times each day until your bladder is able to start emptying again.
For more information, refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/botox_pi.pdf
If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/myAbbVieAssist to learn more.
© 2023 AbbVie. All rights reserved.
BOTOX® and its design are registered trademarks of Allergan, Inc., an AbbVie company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
US-BUO-230014 03/23 021347
I thought my overactive bladder symptoms were just something I was going to have to live with somehow.”
— Marie
VO: BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medicine that is injected into the bladder muscle and used to treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
Marie: I’m retired now, but actually I’m busier than ever. I’m always out and about. I love taking walks, going shopping, playing golf. I love being with my family. I have three granddaughters whom I really enjoy spending time with.
I’m happiest when I’m with good friends over lunch, having a three-hour conversation. I don’t seem to have short conversations.
My OAB symptoms started a while back, probably about 15 years ago. I remember starting to have this urgency and leaking, and the image foremost in my mind is of getting home and trying to get from my car to the bathroom, even though I hadn’t even thought of having to go to the bathroom before I pulled into the garage. I knew where every restroom in town was, and eventually I started having to wear pads. You know, at first, you don’t even realize it’s something that you can even see a doctor about. You just think it’s something that comes with growing older. For a number of years, I was on several medications, but they really didn’t help my symptoms, and finally there was just no point in taking them because they weren’t effective for me. I thought my overactive bladder symptoms were just something that I was going to have to live with somehow. Eventually my doctor recommended BOTOX® to me. When he first suggested it, obviously it was something very foreign to me, but I have to say at this point I was ready to give it a go.
When I went for the first treatment I wasn’t at all nervous. I was actually very optimistic. And after a couple of weeks I definitely noticed a difference. I wasn’t having as much leakage. You know, for me, BOTOX® treatment has been really great. If anyone I knew was having a problem with OAB, I would highly recommend they talk to their doctor about BOTOX®. Now when I have lunch with my friends, my OAB isn’t on my mind the whole time. So instead of focusing on where the nearest bathroom is, I can focus on the conversation. And believe me, we always have plenty of things to talk about.
VO:
INDICATION
BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medicine that is injected into the bladder muscle and used to treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
BOTOX may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX:
- Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are preexisting before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months.
- Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms, including loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness; double vision; blurred vision; drooping eyelids; hoarseness or change or loss of voice; trouble saying words clearly; loss of bladder control; trouble breathing; and trouble swallowing.
BOTOX may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems, or dizziness within hours to weeks of receiving BOTOX. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.
Do not receive BOTOX if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.
Do not receive BOTOX for the treatment of urinary incontinence if you have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cannot empty your bladder on your own and are not routinely catheterizing. Due to the risk of urinary retention (difficulty fully emptying the bladder), only patients who are willing and able to initiate catheterization posttreatment, if required, should be considered for treatment.
Patients treated for overactive bladder: In clinical trials, 36 of the 552 patients had to self-catheterize for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX compared to 2 of the 542 treated with placebo. The median duration of postinjection catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX 100 Units (n = 36) was 63 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 214 days), as compared to a median duration of 11 days (minimum 3 days to maximum 18 days) for patients receiving placebo (n = 2). Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX were more likely to develop urinary retention than nondiabetics.
The dose of BOTOX is not the same as, or comparable to, another botulinum toxin product.
Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported, including itching; rash; red, itchy welts; wheezing; asthma symptoms; dizziness; or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you experience symptoms; further injection of BOTOX should be discontinued.
Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions, such as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects, including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of BOTOX.
Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; have weakness of forehead muscles, trouble raising your eyebrows, drooping eyelids, and any other abnormal facial change; have symptoms of a UTI and are being treated for urinary incontinence (symptoms of a UTI may include pain or burning with urination, frequent urination, or fever); have problems emptying your bladder on your own and are being treated for urinary incontinence; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to (it is not known if BOTOX passes into breast milk).
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BOTOX with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX in the past.
Tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® in the past (tell your doctor exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; take aspirin-like products or blood thinners.
Other side effects of BOTOX include dry mouth; discomfort or pain at the injection site; tiredness; headache; neck pain; eye problems such as double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, and dry eyes; drooping eyebrows; and upper respiratory tract infection. In adults being treated for urinary incontinence, other side effects include UTI and painful urination. In patients being treated for urinary incontinence, another side effect includes the inability to empty your bladder on your own. If you have difficulty fully emptying your bladder on your own after receiving BOTOX, you may need to use disposable self-catheters to empty your bladder up to a few times each day until your bladder is able to start emptying again.
For more information, refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/botox_pi.pdf
If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/myAbbVieAssist to learn more.
© 2023 AbbVie. All rights reserved.
BOTOX® and its design are registered trademarks of Allergan, Inc., an AbbVie company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
US-BUO-230016 03/23 021353
Everybody's experience is different, but BOTOX® has really
been an effective treatment for my OAB symptoms...”
— Kelly
VO: BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medicine that is injected into the bladder muscle and used to treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
Kelly: For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved to travel. I was an exchange student when I was in high school. I spent a year of college in Europe, in Germany. I speak German fluently. So, I guess it’s not surprising that I became a flight attendant. I’m in my 24th year of flying, and I still love it.
I love taking off for new destinations all the time. I love discovering different places and exploring new cities.
But let’s face it, when you have overactive bladder, traveling can be a challenge, because you spend a lot of time just going to the bathroom. The most frustrating thing about dealing with OAB is you have to know where all the restrooms are. Being in a new place, you know, the first thing I would do is look to see where the restroom was. Basically, feeling like you’re tethered to the restroom. Just having to rush to the restroom, I had to go or I would have an accident.
I first decided to go to a doctor about this about 15 years ago. I’ve been to several urologists, and I’ve been on different medications, but they just weren’t working well enough for me. Also, I experienced side effects like dry mouth, which was unpleasant, and dizziness.
I’d heard about BOTOX® for overactive bladder, and my doctor and I discussed it, and honestly at first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to try it. It sounded intimidating. The treatment itself was slightly uncomfortable, but my doctor helped manage my discomfort. It’s an outpatient treatment. I had it done at the doctor’s office. Afterwards I had some slight discomfort, I had some burning when I would go to the bathroom, but within about two weeks I noticed a difference in how many times a day I had leakage. I talked to my doctor, and we agreed it was something I was going to do again. Now when I’m working and flying and traveling to a new city, I don’t have to immediately go find a bathroom. You know, everybody’s experience is different, but BOTOX® has really been an effective treatment for my OAB symptoms, which is why if you have OAB, I would definitely recommend that you talk to your doctor about it.
There’s still a lot of places I haven’t been to yet. I’d love to go to Fiji, I’ve always wanted to climb Machu Pichu, and I’d love to go to the Australian outback, because there’s a whole big world out there to discover.
VO:
INDICATION
BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) is a prescription medicine that is injected into the bladder muscle and used to treat overactive bladder symptoms such as a strong need to urinate with leaking or wetting accidents (urge urinary incontinence), a strong need to urinate right away (urgency), and urinating often (frequency) in adults 18 years and older when another type of medication (anticholinergic) does not work well enough or cannot be taken.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
BOTOX may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after injection of BOTOX:
- Problems swallowing, speaking, or breathing, due to weakening of associated muscles, can be severe and result in loss of life. You are at the highest risk if these problems are preexisting before injection. Swallowing problems may last for several months.
- Spread of toxin effects. The effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas away from the injection site and cause serious symptoms, including loss of strength and all-over muscle weakness; double vision; blurred vision; drooping eyelids; hoarseness or change or loss of voice; trouble saying words clearly; loss of bladder control; trouble breathing; and trouble swallowing.
BOTOX may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, vision problems, or dizziness within hours to weeks of receiving BOTOX. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.
Do not receive BOTOX if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in BOTOX (see Medication Guide for ingredients); had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as Myobloc® (rimabotulinumtoxinB), Dysport® (abobotulinumtoxinA), or Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.
Do not receive BOTOX for the treatment of urinary incontinence if you have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or cannot empty your bladder on your own and are not routinely catheterizing. Due to the risk of urinary retention (difficulty fully emptying the bladder), only patients who are willing and able to initiate catheterization posttreatment, if required, should be considered for treatment.
Patients treated for overactive bladder: In clinical trials, 36 of the 552 patients had to self-catheterize for urinary retention following treatment with BOTOX compared to 2 of the 542 treated with placebo. The median duration of postinjection catheterization for these patients treated with BOTOX 100 Units (n = 36) was 63 days (minimum 1 day to maximum 214 days), as compared to a median duration of 11 days (minimum 3 days to maximum 18 days) for patients receiving placebo (n = 2). Patients with diabetes mellitus treated with BOTOX were more likely to develop urinary retention than nondiabetics.
The dose of BOTOX is not the same as, or comparable to, another botulinum toxin product.
Serious and/or immediate allergic reactions have been reported, including itching; rash; red, itchy welts; wheezing; asthma symptoms; dizziness; or feeling faint. Get medical help right away if you experience symptoms; further injection of BOTOX should be discontinued.
Tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions, such as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, myasthenia gravis, or Lambert-Eaton syndrome, as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects, including difficulty swallowing and difficulty breathing from typical doses of BOTOX.
Tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have or have had bleeding problems; have plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face; have weakness of forehead muscles, trouble raising your eyebrows, drooping eyelids, and any other abnormal facial change; have symptoms of a UTI and are being treated for urinary incontinence (symptoms of a UTI may include pain or burning with urination, frequent urination, or fever); have problems emptying your bladder on your own and are being treated for urinary incontinence; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if BOTOX can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to (it is not known if BOTOX passes into breast milk).
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BOTOX with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received BOTOX in the past.
Tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last 4 months; have received injections of botulinum toxin such as Myobloc®, Dysport®, or Xeomin® in the past (tell your doctor exactly which product you received); have recently received an antibiotic by injection; take muscle relaxants; take an allergy or cold medicine; take a sleep medicine; take aspirin-like products or blood thinners.
Other side effects of BOTOX include dry mouth; discomfort or pain at the injection site; tiredness; headache; neck pain; eye problems such as double vision, blurred vision, decreased eyesight, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, and dry eyes; drooping eyebrows; and upper respiratory tract infection. In adults being treated for urinary incontinence, other side effects include UTI and painful urination. In patients being treated for urinary incontinence, another side effect includes the inability to empty your bladder on your own. If you have difficulty fully emptying your bladder on your own after receiving BOTOX, you may need to use disposable self-catheters to empty your bladder up to a few times each day until your bladder is able to start emptying again.
For more information, refer to the Medication Guide or talk with your doctor.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning and Medication Guide, or visit https://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/botox_pi.pdf
If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/myAbbVieAssist to learn more.
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BOTOX® and its design are registered trademarks of Allergan, Inc., an AbbVie company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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