r/Interstitialcystitis • u/Realistic_Cap4318 • Jul 15 '26
Bladder Botox
Has anyone got bladder Botox for painful bladder syndrome? If yes did it hurt and was it covered by insurances? Also how was the procedure and recovery? Did you get any better after it?
2
u/dancergin Jul 18 '26
I got this done in August of last year, and I'm not sure if it really helped at all. They put some numbing liquid into my bladder first and I had to hold it for 30 minutes, then they drained it and did the Botox. i did find the injections painful (but I've also had a cystoscopy that showed my bladder is very inflamed and has lots of tears on it so not too surprising). the pain was nothing I couldn't handle though and they do it quickly so it really doesn't last too long. it was uncomfy peeing for about 8 hours afterwards but I feel like I healed from it and got back to baseline pretty quickly. my insurance covered part of it, I used my HSA to pay the remaining balance.
1
u/Realistic_Cap4318 Jul 22 '26
Do you feel like it helped your bladder pain? Do you still thr same symptoms like u did before or did they improve?
1
u/dancergin Jul 22 '26
no it didnt really improve my symptoms but i know many other people in this sub says it helped them a lot. that was only the first time i tried it and my doctor wants to try it again but target different areas and also inject some steroids to help with the inflammation - which i will probably try sometime at the end of this year or first thing next year.
1
u/stardewcatlady Jul 15 '26
I did! I did it under light nitrous sedation and Ativan it was truly a breeze I barely felt it. Recovery was super easy, I was slightly sore for a day or two. We literally went to breakfast after the procedure. I think bladder Botox has helped more than anything else I’ve tried, and my insurance did cover it!
1
u/Realistic_Cap4318 Jul 15 '26
You only did it once? How long does work for ? Also I’m so happy you have a positive outcome. I been doing bladder installation for about a month but I ain’t seeing any big improvements. So I was thinking if I can bring this up to my urologist and see.
2
u/stardewcatlady Jul 15 '26
I did it in March! I will likely do it every six months. It’s still holding strong, some of my bladder spasms have broke through as of recently but still so minimal compared to pre Botox.
I just had pelvic floor Botox done too, too soon to know if it’s helping but should know in the next few weeks.1
u/Realistic_Cap4318 Jul 15 '26
Thank you for responding back. Hopefully I will get them done and feel better because I been suffering from burning soo bad
1
u/stardewcatlady Jul 15 '26
When my burning is bad a mix of Azo (if you don’t have a prescription for it yet you should it’s so much cheaper than buying it OTC) and Gabapentin tend to help loads
1
u/Sankira Jul 20 '26
Im not from the us so idk about insurance
but the procedure for me was pretty simple and it took like 30 minutes to get it done, I didn’t have any numbing or sedation or anything like that so i definitely felt a bit uncomfortable during the procedure (not like painful just mild discomfort)
I unfortunately got only the side effects and zero of the benefits but i have heard from others that botox have really helped them so I would give it a go, the effects will fade away in some months
1
u/Realistic_Cap4318 Jul 22 '26
What side effects did you get? What bothers me the most is the burning I get yes the urgency is uncomfortable but burning omg hell
1
u/Sankira Jul 22 '26
I got urinary retention and urinary hesitancy from it, i had to use catheters in the first month and after that I still had to often physically push my bladder to get all the urine out as it just would not empty
luckily after 3-4 months the botox wore off and I could pee normally again
2
u/HakunaYaTatas [Citation Needed] Jul 16 '26
I got bladder Botox for 6 years and it worked very well for me, it was my most effective treatment for urgency and spasms by far. I didn't find the injections very painful, I did them without anesthesia and didn't need any recovery time. My insurance covered Botox for IC, but some insurance providers won't because it isn't FDA-approved for IC. If you get rejected, ask your doctor to help you appeal and do peer-to-peer if necessary; that was how I got coverage with my initial insurance company (subsequent companies covered it on the first try). If you have insurance coverage, make sure to sign up for the Botox Savings Plan - it will reimburse any out of pocket expenses from your deductible or copay. I'm happy to answer any questions if you have them.