13 Nov The Treatment Options for OAB are Expanding Rapidly
Do you know what OAB is? It is an abbreviation for the term “overactive bladder.” This term describes a collection of symptoms: urianary frequency, urgency and sometimes leakage with the urge. Maybe you have these symptoms and have tried treatments such as medication. There are many medicines on the market for OAB: oxybutynin, tolterodine (Detrol LA), solifenacin (Vesicare), darifenacin (Enablex), and trospium chloride (Sanctura). Some of you may already have symptom control from these medications, but some of you are looking for another option. In the past 3 months there are several new options!
There is a new class of medication, a beta-3 agonist, marketed under the name of Myrbetriq. This class of medication is new in the treatment of OAB. It works differently than the other OAB medications by stimulating relaxation of the bladder muscle. It can be tried by patients who have failed to respond to other medications or who could not tolerate those medications due to the side effects of dry mouth or constipation. Precaution with use should be taken by people who have severe high blood pressure.
Botox has just been approved for OAB too! In a dose of 100 units, botox or (Allergan’s onabotulinum toxin A) can be injected into the wall of the bladder to treat bother from OAB. It is available through urologic specialists and in some cases can be delivered in the office setting. Its effects last 6-9 months.
Botox joins the list of options available for OAB that fails to respond to medication such as neuromodulation (sacral or tibial nerve). These modalities are available through urologic specialists as well.