r/OveractiveBladder

Hi everyone! I had been considering getting Botox for a while. I saw so many horror stories online so I kept pushing it off until I really couldn’t take it anymore. While I was considering my options, I thought that a day-by-day account of someone’s experience would be very helpful. That’s why I figured I would share mine. 

I’m 30F with a neurogenic bladder. I was on mirabegron for about 6 years before doing my first botox injection (100 units) about 2 months ago. TLDR; I love it. What I’m sharing is just my experience, and different bodies will react differently. Please consult a doctor for any medical questions/opinions. If you have any questions about my specific experience, I’ll answer when I can.

Day 1: First time ever getting Botox. The procedure itself was easy. A nurse got my vitals, tested me for UTIs, drained my bladder with a catheter, and then pumped in some numbing liquid through the catheter. I didn’t feel anything. I had to wait for about 25 mins for it to take effect. After that the doctor went in with a tiny probe and camera, and did the injections. That part only took 5-10 mins. Some injections were a little painful (similar pain to a Pap smear, only lasted a second) but I didn’t feel others. After that they had me pee and I was able to leave. I felt normal for the rest of the day but felt a burning sensation. The doctor had warned me about it but said it will last around a day or 2. They gave me an antibiotic as a preventative measure for UTIs.

Day 2: I still feel that slight burning/tingly sensation but less than yesterday. I took my mirabegron today (last dose, bridge). No leaks or urgency to report. I stayed home just in case. 

Day 3: tingling is still there but I have less urgency and frequency. I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable than I did on meds. Sometimes it takes me a minute to start peeing though.

Day 5: I already feel a considerable difference in how frequently I go. I haven’t had any leaks since starting, including while doing high-impact sports. I was able to go to a 2.5 hour concert and not have to use the restroom once. My flow is getting a little slower and it takes me a few seconds to start peeing once I sit on the toilet, but nothing major/no retention.

Day 7: I went for a 1-week follow-up visit at the doctor. They did an ultrasound of my baldder, asked me to go pee, and did another one to see how much I emptied my bladded. They confirmed that I had no retention. Sometimes I need to push to make sure I fully void my bladder and the doctor said that this is normal and that it will start decreasing with time. That night as a test I had a soup for dinner, 1 hour before bed, and I didn’t wake up at night to use the restroom. I still can’t believe it. 

Day 22: A little less than a month into it, I got a UTI, but it was manageable with antibiotics. Still going on strong though. Only 2 small leaks because of the UTI.

Day 60: I’m about 2 months into it. My flow is pretty normal. I had one other UTI but overall I feel like I did before OAB. I occasionally leak when I do intense sports (over 1h of running) but it’s manageable with a pad. I don’t have urgency anymore, and I don’t wear pads unless I’m going to exercise for a long time (i used to wear pads daily). So far, it’s been a lifesaver. 

I’m dealing with an overactive bladder but I’m also dealing with a lot of urine. I’m an early 20s male and I don’t know what do anymore this is ruining my life.

Basically, I pee every hour, and it’s consistently a lot of very clear urine. One time, I stopped drinking water at 11pm, slept, woke up at 10am, and peed 3 times that morning before even drinking water. This is a common occurrence.

I drink around 3-4 cups of water per day, which isn’t much given how big I am, but even then, my pee is completely clear. If I drink more water, I will pee every 15 mins. Sometimes I will finish peeing and instantly feel the urge again.

I have been tested for diabetes and that was negative, haven’t talked with a doctor since then.

Any help is appreciated thank you!

Please help me. And tolteridone, solifenacin and it's kind of drugs cause severe hesitancy and also i have heard these cause cognitive side effects so they cannot be taken. And same for botox, I heard it cause hesitancy, retention, uti, i haven't tried it yet though.

I have interestitial cystitis or oab, or maybe both. I am in early 20s.

I am about 15 but feel like it’s increasing. I basically don’t want to leave the house.

I hate it. I’m 20 and I’m privileged that this is only like the second major health condition I have, but it’s one that makes me really grumpy.

It’s embarrassing and I feel so alone in dealing with it as I only know one person who has similar leakage issues and she‘s 40 and I just speak to her through my church lol. Gemtesa has been a life saver but it’s SO expensive even with insurance. And I still spent half my life with wet underwear all the time because my family just said it was normal, which is embarrassing too.

I’m 20F and I’m freaking out a little because I’ve suddenly started peeing WAY more frequently than normal.

The weird thing is that I don’t have burning when I pee, pain, blood, fever, or back pain. It mostly feels like my bladder gets full really quickly, so I feel like I need to go again soon after I just went, and I’m producing large amounts of urine each time.

I’m also waking up around 3 times a night to pee, which is completely new for me. I’ve also started feeling like there’s water/liquid sloshing or rushing around in my stomach, which is a really strange sensation and is making me anxious.

I’ve had urine and blood tests done, and so far everything has come back normal. My doctors aren’t really sure what’s causing it because the tests aren’t showing an obvious problem. One doctor still thought it could be a UTI and started me on antibiotics, but I’ve been taking them for about 4 days and haven’t noticed any difference.

?😭😭

29/M here. No UTI, No BPH.

From more than a year, I have got split streams in urine and also developed a feeling that after I go to pee, i dont empty it fully.

The urine stream splits only if I go with less urine in store.

Then I have a weird peeish feeling for like 1 to 2 hrs after I pee which is uncomfortable. Once I have enough pressure, its much more comfortable and less distracting.

I have gome to multiple urologists that too 3 times, i have tested for prostate, UTI, ultrasounds all are Ok. Even uroflowmetry with a full bladder was ok.

Once I go to a urologist, the peeish feeling problem becomes for better ( without any medicine), but then I feel the same again. I dont know if i have flipped a mental switch or smth.

I dont have those fancy "pelvic floor therapists" around here, just traditional urologists.

I am thinking of trying out pelvic floor related exercises.

Has anyone felt the same? Please suggest what we need to do.

Back in 2020, I (30F) started spironolactone for acne. My dermatologist did not disclose any possible side effects to me. I did not realize there was a correlation with my constant need to go pee and the medication until after I got off of it (I was peeing every 30-45 minutes some days). I randomly was scrolling on reddit one day, saw a thread about spironolactone and read about someone's constant need to pee. I was mind blown to say the least. I was always able to hold my pee when necessary but then I got to the point where I was peeing in parking garages or bushes. If I had even one drink of alcohol then forget it. I'm basically peeing my pants. Over the last few years things have gotten better but I have had a few times where I have legit peed my pants (last time being just a month ago). I have so much anxiety around going to the bathroom that I may be making things worse because now I force myself to pee in anticipation that I'll be needing to pee sooner rather than later. Ahhh I don't know what to do...is this even a bladder issue anymore, could this be now a weakened pelvic floor?

I’ve been living with severe detrusor underactivity (DU)/underactive bladder (UAB) for around 4–5 years, and something has been bothering me for a long time.

Why does treatment for UAB still seem to focus primarily on managing bladder emptying rather than trying to restore the underlying bladder or neural function?

I understand that catheterization, bladder-emptying strategies, medications, and other interventions can be medically necessary and important. I’m not criticizing those treatments or the doctors who recommend them.

My concern is the research direction.

For a condition that can become chronic, disabling, and potentially threatening to the upper urinary tract in some patients, why are there so few disease-modifying or regenerative therapies?

The U.S. has enormous biomedical research capacity, pharmaceutical resources, universities, and federal research infrastructure. Yet when I look for serious translational research specifically aimed at restoring detrusor contractility or neural function, the field seems surprisingly limited.

At the same time, Japan appears to be pursuing interesting neuro-urological research, including investigation of TAS3731, a neurite-outgrowth inducer.

That raises a question for me:

Are we doing enough internationally to investigate whether damaged or dysfunctional neural pathways involved in bladder function can actually be repaired or regenerated?

I recently contacted the FDA because I want to understand the bigger picture—not because I expect an unapproved drug to be given to me.

I want to know:

\- Why is UAB/DU such a relatively neglected research area?

\- Are there major U.S. or international research programs specifically targeting restoration of detrusor function?

\- Are there promising regenerative, neural, stem-cell, gene-therapy, or pharmacological approaches that patients simply don't hear about?

\- What is the current status of TAS3731 research?

\- Are there clinical trials anywhere in the world that are specifically trying to restore bladder function, rather than simply manage retention?

\- Why does it seem so difficult to attract major pharmaceutical or government research investment into this disease?

I'm not looking for false hope or an unproven "cure."

I'm genuinely trying to understand where the science is going.

If you're a patient, urologist, neuro-urologist, researcher, or someone following UAB/DU research, I'd really appreciate your perspective.

Are there promising research programs or clinical trials that I'm missing?

And perhaps the bigger question:

Should restoration of bladder function be treated as a much higher research priority than it currently is?

Hi everyone never posted here, but I have been struggling for the past few months. I have been dealing with UTI-type symptoms and bowel issues alongside that. None of my doctors have been able to help me, but I am seeing a urologist next month. I was wondering if any of you have a good, simple free app that I can use to track for the next month; it would be greatly appreciated.

When you need to pee

I know strange question but mine isn’t normal. I feel no pressure or fullness in my bladder. I don’t have any kind of pressure or heaviness in my pelvis/lower abdomen. I know I need to pee when I suddenly feel the urine way down like it’s just sitting in my urethra. It’s also not just a sensation because when I then go to pee I usually pass about 300 sometimes 400mls so there is urine in there.

There doesn’t seem to be anyone that has this🙈

So around 2020 I started to experience frequent urination. I originally thought it was a UTI and scheduled an appointment to see a doc but after a week it went away. Then a week later it came back again and I again scheduled another appointment but then again it went away after a couple days. Then after another week it came back and never went away again. I tried every medication possible. Urine always comes back clean and no infection. So my doctor suggested putting me on Alfuzosin and we did a procedure where he put a camera in my urethra. He told me that my bladder neck is tight and it's causing this frequent urination and the only way to really get rid of it is to have surgery and burn part of the wall. But I'm 31 yo and don't have kids so I'm afraid of retrograde ejaculation. Alfuzosin has helped somewhat because I used to pee every 20min but I still get up at least 4-5 times during the night. Couple days ago a different doctor suggested we tried oxbyutonin but so far it just makes me feel like I can't empty and have to push to get the urine out but the frequency feeling is still there. Living my life like this is very hard because I have to always focus on using the bathroom and it takes me away from other activities and work. Can anyone help me, any advice? It's been over 6 years now and no doctor knows how to help me and I never seem to get better. Thank you guys

I am not sure but does urge mean that you feel the need but you don’t pass that much volume and your bladder isn’t that full. I only feel it when there is actually urine in there.

I can feel nothing and then suddenly I feel all the urine in my urethra so that’s my signal I need to go. It’s also not just feeling/urge because when I then go I usually always pass between 250-350mls and my last pee there was 400mls. I just don’t feel a fullness/pressure in my bladder that I can just ignore as the urine isn’t going to go away until I pee.

I have been measuring because trying to keep a bladder diary.

Do you drink plain water or soft drinks.

I am at the stage I am terrified to drink anything in case it causes more peeing.

TL;DR: Solifenacin + Betmiga worked great for my OAB at first, but after a few months, the effect faded to "moderate." I'm still waking up 2–3 times a night (and cluster-peeing between 5–7 AM), which destroys my sleep. Looking to see if anyone successfully switched to a different OAB medication!

Hey everyone,

Looking for experiences or advice from anyone who used Solifenacin (Vesicare) and Betmiga (Mirabegron) together.
My Situation & Symptoms:

• Diagnosis: OAB + Moderate Sleep Apnea (CPAP sensitive, couldn't tolerate it).
• Current Meds: Solifenacin + Betmiga daily (+ Macrogol for the constipation side effect).
• The Main Issue: Sleep disruption. I still wake up 2–3 times every night/early morning to urinate.
• Morning Cluster Peeing: Around 5 AM – 7 AM, I often have to make 2 separate trips to the bathroom within a short window. This fully wakes my brain up and ruins my chances of getting back to sleep.
• Flare-ups: Occasionally I get sudden flare-ups where I have to pee 5–10 times right before bed with very small volume each time.

The Medication Problem:

When I first started Solifenacin + Betmiga, the effect was massive (it even took me 30 minutes just to initiate stream because my bladder relaxed so much). But after a few months, the effect dropped from "huge" to just "moderate." It helps, but not enough to give me consistent sleep.

My Questions for You:

1. Has anyone noticed Solifenacin/Betmiga losing effectiveness over time?
2. Did you switch to a different medication? Did a switch make a big difference?
3. How do you handle early morning "cluster peeing" that keeps waking you up?

Appreciate any insights or personal experiences!

I’m 20F and I’m freaking out a little because I’ve suddenly started peeing WAY more frequently than normal.

The weird thing is that I don’t have burning when I pee, pain, blood, fever, or back pain. It mostly feels like my bladder gets full really quickly, so I feel like I need to go again soon after I just went and producing large amounts of

I’ve had urine/blood tests done and they came back normal. A doctor still thought it could be a UTI and started me on antibiotics, but I’ve been taking them for about 4 days and haven’t noticed any difference yet. Has anyone else experienced ?

I can usually sleep 6 or 7 hours and not wake but when I do wake up I have the urgency and have to go pee.

Hello,

I have a son, 5 years and two months and ze has OAB. He is on medication, which help with accidends during the day.

Before medication he has 5-10 accidends during the day.

The pils help, but he alwas visit toilet very offen, more then 20 daily and he has a very small amount of urine for one visit.

In the kindergarten he is always wet after lunch rest, in the night too. He has to wear a diaper in the car, because when he sayes that he need to pee, it must be it immiedietly, he will not hold it even few minutes.

He has a last year in the kindergarten and then school.

I am afraid how it will be at school, I have odler daughter and they can not visit the toilet during the classes.

Has anyone expierence with this problem? Is it for whole life or there is a chance that the child will grown up and it will get better?

? And is it worse than snm