Colorectal botox

[Aaron98]

Wow, we're hitting on all of the rough topics lately. And that's okay!

So, has anyone gotten botox for colorectal symptoms (bowel urgency, spasms, etc.)? Thanks very much!

[COwithAMN Administrator AMN EASIER Volunteer]

No, I haven't, and it has never been suggested. Interesting though. I have some of the same problems and have found some assistance in taking loperamide once a day. It seems to slow down the bowel and prevent loose stools. Which at least gives these stiff legs time to get me to the toilet.

Has botox been suggested for you?

[Coslet]

I get them every 3 months in my calves to help with tightness.

[tieaknot]

I have gotten Botox for my bladder but I think it has had some effect on my bowel also (I guess it can “drift” for the injection site? Unfortunately for me, I have a spastic bladder and a sluggish bowel already...so that wasn’t a good side effect (it was just mildly more pronounced so I still plan to have the bladder Botox again down the road). The challenge with using Botox for bowel issues is that it would have to theoretically be placed very specifically as the colon/rectum/anus all have to work synchronously and at times opposite itself to make a bowel movement. (Certain muscles must relax while others contract to make a movement happen, while the opposite must happen to maintain continence). It’s like some weird complex colon dance lol. Not saying it’s not possible, I just haven’t heard of using it that way yet but I can do some online searching to see what’s out there.

[JMM1993]

Yes I did 3 months ago to heal an anal fissure. I am now back to square one after 3 months of relief!

[Aaron98 in reply to JMM1993]

Thank you for sharing! Did you experience any side effects? Did it cause any (even minor) incontinence or other issues? Did it help with any bowel symptoms you might experience? Thank you again.

[JMM1993 in reply to Aaron98]

I felt like I s**t myself when I passed wind a few times but I when I checked I hadn’t. For the first month, it feels like you are ready to go all the time but when in fact you are not, this led to me straining to begin with a few times. Overall the injection stopped my bleeding for the 3 months and for the final 2 months I was feeling positive about the procedure. But I’m now lost as to what I can do next.