Incontinence & Overactive Bladder Health Center
Related to Incontinence & Overactive Bladder (OAB)
Medications to Treat Urinary Incontinence
Treatments for Incontinence & Overactive Bladder (OAB)
Copyright © 2010 Woodbury Health Products All rights reserved.
1-800-777-1111
Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm EST
Examples of incontinence drug treatments:
- Alpha-adrenergic agonists will help tighten the urinary sphincter, which can prevent episodes of stress incontinence caused by a weak urinary sphincter.
- Alpha-adrenergic blockers work to relax the urinary sphincter. This can be helpful in men who have urinary symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate.
- Drugs with anticholinergic effects can help decrease bladder contractions, which can help urge incontinence by decreasing the strong urge to urinate.
Stress Incontinence
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the uncontrollable loss of small amounts of urine, such as with coughing, straining, sneezing, lifting heavy objects, or performing any maneuver that suddenly increases pressure within the abdomen. This is the most common type of incontinence among young and middle-aged women. It can be caused by weakness of the urinary sphincter, which sometimes results from childbirth, pelvic surgery, or an abnormal position of the urethra or uterus. In postmenopausal women, a lack of estrogen reduces the urethra's resistance to urine flow. In men, stress incontinence may follow prostate surgery if the upper part of the urethra or the bladder neck is injured. In both men and women, obesity can cause or worsen stress incontinence because extra weight stresses the bladder.
Some Trade Names Medications for Stress Incontinence:
- AFRINOLSUDAFED
- CYMBALTA
- OXYBUTYNIN
- ENABLEX
- SANCTURA
- VESICARE
- OXYTROL
- IMIPRAMINE
People often live with incontinence because they
mistakenly believe it is a normal part of aging.
Urge Incontinence
Urge incontinence is a sudden and intense urge to urinate that is usually followed by an uncontrollable loss of urine. People with urge incontinence usually have little time to get to the bathroom before they have an “accident.” An illness or injury that interferes with mobility makes it even harder for a person to get to the bathroom quickly. Use of a diuretic can aggravate the problem.
Urge incontinence is the most common type of incontinence in older people and the cause is unclear. However, we do know that in people with urge incontinence, the bladder muscles are overactive (the muscles contract involuntarily before the bladder is full). Chronic overactive bladder not only causes the abrupt and intense urge to urinate, but also, frequent urination during the day and night. In postmenopausal women, a lack of estrogen contributes to atrophic vaginitis (thinning of the vaginal tissue), which causes irritation and can worsen urinary urgency and contribute to incontinence.
Some Trade Names of Medications for Urge Incontinence:
- DITROPAN
- DETROL
- DITROPAN
- VESICARE
- ENABLEX
- SANCTURA
- BOTOX
Overflow Incontinence
Overflow incontinence is the uncontrollable leakage of small amounts of urine from a bladder that does not empty well. Overflow incontinence is usually caused by some type of blockage or by weak bladder contraction caused by nerve damage or bladder muscle weakness. When urine flow is blocked or the bladder muscles can no longer contract, the bladder becomes overfilled and enlarged. Pressure increases in the bladder until small amounts of urine dribble out.
In men, an enlarged prostate can block the opening into the urethra from the bladder. In men and women, constipation can cause overflow incontinence if stool fills the rectum to the point of putting pressure on the bladder neck and urethra.
Some Trade Names for Medications for Overflow Incontinence:
- FLOMAX
- VASOFLEX
- CARDURA
- HYTRIN
When is medication not helpful?
- If the cause of overflow incontinence is weak contraction of the bladder muscles, drugs are usually not helpful.
- If you have functional incontinence. Treatment for functional incontinence revolves around treating the medical condition(s) that cause the problem. For example, a caregiver may need to adjust how a room is designed to a person with severe arthritis can make it to the bathroom easily and quickly.
A GREAT RESOURCE!
Managing Urinary Incontinence with Medication
Drugs may also be appropriate for certain types of incontinence. However, there are some drugs that my cause incontinence. Drugs that are classified as alpha-adrenergic agonists, alpha-adrenergic blockers, and drugs with anticholinergic effects, can also be used to treat incontinence. Your healthcare provider will choose the right drug based on the type of incontinence and the symptoms that are most concerning.
