Specific Antidepressants May Suppress Symptoms
Specific antidepressants such as Tofranil, Tyramine and Norfranil may help to suppress overactive bladder symptoms. Which one your doctor chooses to prescribe will depend on your particular symptoms.
For example, the SSRI class of antidepressants works better for stress incontinence than for urge incontinence, although its not clear how it helps. Alternatively, tricyclic antidepressants are known to have anticholinergic side effects, which relax the bladder muscle and cause the muscles of the bladder neck to contract.
Absorbency Products Can Help
No matter how fast you can run, sometimes that bathroom is just a little bit too far in the distance. Dont let yourself get caught in an embarrassing situation There is a wide range of products available that are discreet and comfortable.
Incontinence products excel in their absorbency and wont leak or become lumpy when they get wet. They help control odor and minimize contact between urine and your skin, preventing the development of a rash or other irritation.
Many incontinence products are available, from discrete pads with little bulk that can be slipped into underwear, to disposable adult-sized underwear with in-built absorbency and easy-tear sides. Gender-specific products account for the different requirements of men and women, and there are many reusable and washable options available.
Common brands include Attends, Because, Tena, Tranquility, Depend, Prevail and Poise.
How To Ask Your Health Care Provider About Your Overactive Bladder
If you are having this problem, do not be embarrassed, McKnight said. Your provider can help you navigate different treatments to help you regain control. He encourages you to ask your primary care provider for help. If you do not mention the problem, then your primary care provider will not know to help.
If you notice other problems with your urine like blood or a loss of the sensation of going to the bathroom, then bring it up with your provider. Those symptoms can be symptoms of bigger health problems that need to be addressed.
Mary Leigh Meyer
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Natural Ways To Treat Overactive Bladder Without Medication
Overactive bladder refers to a condition in which you cannot control your urge to urinate. When your bladder becomes overactive, it fails to hold urine normally. Leaking urine is one of the most common symptoms of overactive bladder. The condition is quite common with more than 33 million Americans suffering from overactive bladder. Most people suffer in silence, but it is important to talk to your doctor to treat the condition. Unfortunately, medications used to treat the condition can cause several side effects, which is why many people ask how to fix overactive bladder without medication. Let’s find out more about it.
Causes Of Overactive Bladder
To understand the cause of Overactive Bladder, a basic understanding of how the urinary system operates is needed.
The kidneys produce the urine and send it to the bladder. The bladder expands to holds the urine while the sphincter muscle acts as a spiget and controls the flow of urine. Basically on or off. As soon as your bladder gets approximately half fullmost people can handle about 2 cups of urineyour brain is signaled that you need to empty it. The bladder muscles contract while the sphincter relaxes. When there is a coordination problem along this system, incontinence occurs.
With Overactive Bladder, a person may be suddenly aware of the urgency sensation but is unable to get to the toilet before losing control of his or her urine. Urine loss can be in large amounts that soak underwear and even outer clothing.
Common triggers like hearing running water or simply the anticipation of urinating can cause a bladder spasm. In some cases, people who have physical limitations may not be able to reach the toilet in time, causing an accident.
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When Should You Ask For Help With Your Overactive Bladder
Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. In women specifically, urge incontinence and stress incontinence are the two most common types of overactive bladders, said Jason McKnight, MD, MS, primary care physician and clinical assistant professor at the Texas A& M College of MedicinesTexas A& M Family Medicine Residency Program. You should speak with your primary care provider anytime you feel the need to urinate and do not make it to the restroom in time or anytime you do not feel the need to urinate then leak urine.
In the majority of situations, a primary care provider can successfully treat an overactive bladder. If the bladder muscles are too active, you may have a strong urge to use the restroom when you have little urine in your bladder. If your bladder muscles are too weak, then you may have small accidents when you sneeze or lift something heavy. A successful treatment can be a combination of lifestyle changes, medications and exercises.
Take Charge: Seek Your Doctors Advice
Approximately 80% of those affected by urinary incontinence can be cured or improved, yet only one in 12 people with incontinence issues seek help. Talk to your doctor about your bladder control as it can dramatically improve your lifestyle.
Your doctor can investigate and establish a cause for your overactive bladder. Treatment can then be tailored to this cause and may involve medications, bladder retraining, pelvic floor exercises, absorbent products, surgery, or combinations of these options.
Plus, consider joining the Drugs.com Overactive Bladder Support Group. Here, you can connect with people with similar questions and concerns, share your experiences, and keep up with the latest new drug approvals, ongoing research, and medical news.
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Keeping A Bladder Diary May Help Identify Triggers
Keeping a diary may sound time consuming, but it will help both you and your doctor identify any triggers for your overactive bladder and establish just how often you visit the bathroom each day.
How should you keep a diary for your overactive bladder?
- Document exactly what kind of fluids you drink and their volume.
- Write down the type and quantity of food you eat.
- Record the number of trips to the bathroom and rate your trips as successful or not.
- Indicate what you were doing when leakage or the urge to urinate occurred
Does A Muscle Knot Feel Like A Lump
Muscle knots can develop almost anywhere on the body where muscle or fascia is present. The knots feel as if they are small, hard lumps or nodules. A person may have to press deep into their connective tissue to feel the knots or trigger points. Trigger points often cause what doctors call referred pain.
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Try To Avoid Caffeine Carbonated Drinks Sugar Alcohol And Spicy Or Acidic Foods
- Caffeine is a diuretic which makes you need to use the bathroom more often.
- Carbonated drinks and sugar are thought to stimulate the bladder.
- Alcohol switches off the ability of your body to concentrate urine. This means you tend to urinate more dilute, watery urine, which dehydrates you. Since you are dehydrated, you may drink more.
- Acidic or spicy food may aggravate your overactive bladder and worsen your symptoms. Certain acidic fruit and juices like orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime can aggravate your bladder, too.
Causes Of Overactive Bladder In Men
About two-thirds of overactive bladder cases in men are due to benign prostatic hyperplasia , also called an enlarged prostate. The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, which is the tube that urine passes through from the bladder out of the body.
Although an enlarged prostate does not account for all cases of OAB in men, many who are treated for the symptoms are assumed to have an obstruction in the bladder caused by an enlarged prostate.
Age increases a mans risk of getting OAB. Age also increases a mans risk for BPH, which can lead to OAB.
An infection in the bladder, bladder stones and bladder cancer can cause symptoms that lead to OAB. Neurological conditions, such as a stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinsons disease, cause nerve damage that results in sending the incorrect signals to the bladder that causes OAB. Temporary factors, such as drinking a lot of caffeinated or alcoholic fluids, taking medications that increase urine output or having constipation, might increase the need to urinate.
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Overactive Bladder Vs Urinary Incontinence
Overactive Bladder
- Condition in which the bladder can no longer hold urine normally.
- Often feel a sudden urge to urinate or experience an accident.
- Defining symptom is urgency, or the inability to postpone urination.
- OAB is typically a chronic problem
- Often requires strengthening of pelvic floor muscles to get rid of symptoms like urinary incontinence.
- Symptoms including urinary incontinence are ongoing.
- Bladder muscle problems at the root of it.
- Can result from regularly consuming alcohol and caffeine in large quantities.
- Serious health conditions can lead to OAB including a stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis , or Parkinsons disease.
Urinary Incontinence
- Is when you lose control of your bladder.
- Isnt a condition its a symptom.
- Is a symptom of OAB.
- Can be caused by a loss or weakening of control over the urinary sphincter.
- Can be a sign of something simple like a singular occasion of too much fluid consumption, a temporary problem.
- Is a common symptom of a UTI along with a burning sensation during urination and/or blood in the urine.
Why Is My Upper Trapezius So Tight
There are several possible causes of trapezius pain, including: Overuse: Pain in the trapezius often develops due to overuse. Repetitive activities that involve the shoulders can put stress on the muscle. These activities may include lifting heavy objects or participating in specific sports, such as swimming.
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Bladder Has Two Distinct Roles
Medication To Relax The Bladder
Once you and your doctor conclude that lifestyle measures arent adequately controlling your overactive bladder, drugs are often the first treatment to be added.
You may continue with behavioral changes when drugs are added to your treatment plan, or you may give up certain lifestyle changes if theyve become too difficult to maintain.
Most of the drugs used to treat overactive bladder work by relaxing your bladder muscle. They help prevent your bladder from contracting before its full of urine.
Some drugs for overactive bladder are taken by mouth, while others are given as a gel that you apply or a patch that you wear on your skin.
It may take some time to figure out what dose of a drug works best for you. Always follow your doctors instructions about dosing, including whether and when to change the dose youre taking.
If a drug doesnt work well enough even after you arrive at an optimal dose, your doctor may recommend that you add another drug or switch to taking a different one. ” rel=”nofollow”> 1)
The following drugs may be prescribed for overactive bladder:
- Antispas, Bentyl, Di-Spaz, Dibent, Or-Tyl, or Spasmoject
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How Do You Release A Trigger Point
The original way is through trigger point release which involves using a squeeze grip or a tool where direct pressure on the trigger point for 30-120 seconds according to research can release and soften a nodule, once released the muscle tissue needs to be moved throughout its full range of motion, which is why your …
What Causes Overactive Bladder
An overactive bladder can be caused by several things, or even a combination of causes. Some possible causes can include:
- Weak pelvic muscles: Pregnancy and childbirth can cause your pelvic muscles to stretch and weaken. This can cause the bladder to sag out of its normal position. All of these factors can cause leakage.
- Nerve damage: Sometimes signals are sent to the brain and bladder to empty at the wrong time. Trauma and diseases can cause this to happen. These can include:
- Pelvic or back surgery.
- Stroke.
Often, there may be no specific explanation for why this is occurring.
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Symptoms And Risk Factors
Symptoms of OAB include:
- Frequent urination, defined as urinating eight or more times over a 24-hour period.
- Wakeng in the middle of the night to pee more than once .
- Inability to hold your urine.
- Wakefulness.
- Accidental leaking of urine from sudden urges .
The risk factors of OAB are various. They include age-related physical or cognitive decline, neurological diseases such as dementia , and obstruction of the bladder from constipation, enlarged prostate, or surgical complications. They can also be caused by nerve damage to the urinary region, neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis and stroke, bladder stones or tumors. Prescription or over-the-counter medications that increase the amount of urine production may also be a factor.
Altering The Bladder With Bladder Augmentation Surgery
When all other approaches to strengthen and retrain the bladder have failed, you may need to alter the bladder itself. This surgery is typically used as a last resort and in only the most severe cases of an overactive bladder.
Bladder augmentation involves enlarging the bladder with a section of your large intestine, so theres more physical space to store urine in and less pressure to urinate frequently. The surgery is the most invasive and complicated procedure for solving overactive bladder problems, and includes a long recovery time and possible lasting consequences. Once you have bladder augmentation surgery, you will cease to be able to urinate naturally you will have to use a catheter or stoma.
The good news is that many, if not most cases of an overactive bladder can be very well controlled with healthy lifestyle changes, and natural and traditional medical treatments. Its important to remember that not all of the listed treatment options may work for everyone.
Remember to discuss the above overactive bladder treatment options with your doctor before beginning them.
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How Do Bladder Botox Injections Work
Botox injections are not just for wrinkles on your face. They also can be used to help if you have ongoing bladder continence issues. Botox is one option to treat urge incontinence or overactive bladder in people who have not had success with other treatment options.
Urinary incontinence is common and can impair your social, physical or mental well-being. Approximately 17 percent of women and 3 to 11 percent of men suffer from urge incontinence at some point in their lives. Urge incontinence is the unintentional loss of urine caused by your bladder contracting. With an overactive bladder you may feel a sudden urge to urinate that is difficult to control, experience incontinence as soon as you feel the need to urinate, urinate frequently , or wake up two or more times in the night to urinate.
Its important to understand that urge incontinence and overactive bladder are not caused by physical activity or movement, such as when you cough, exercise or sneeze. That type of incontinence would be classified as stress incontinence. It is possible to have stress and urge incontinence at the same time.
The good news is that most people get symptom relief quickly in as short as a few days. The treatment results last about six months, and you can have additional injections. One possible side effect is urine retention, and it is not recommended for males with a risk or history of enlarged prostate.
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Do I Have A Uti Or An Overactive Bladder
A common cause of urinary complaints, especially a change in your urination pattern, is a urinary tract infection, or UTI, McKnight said. If you visit with your healthcare provider and discuss a change in your urination such as an increased urge to urinate or leakage of urine, they will likely test for a UTI first. If you have a UTI, your symptoms will likely be quick and easy fix.
UTIs can cause feelings of pain when urinating, cloudy urine, lower abdominal pain and an increased urge to urinate. If you test negative for a UTI, your provider will ask questions about when you notice your bladder symptoms. Leaking urine or peeing a little when laughing or coughing is a sign of stress incontinence, McKnight explained. Suddenly needing to pee and not reaching the bathroom in time is a sign of urge incontinence. Both types of incontinence are treatable.
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Causes Of An Overactive Bladder
Overactive Bladder is a widespread condition that affects millions of people globally. According to the Urology Care Foundation, OAB affects over 30 million Americans. This number is likely to be much higher. Counting those who experience intermittent OAB and those whove gone undiagnosed, estimates rise to a whopping 30 percent of men and 40 percent of women.