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.
What Is The Role Of Alpha
Alpha-blockers have a potential effect of improvement of symptoms related to overactive bladder. However, there is currently no scientific information that supports its clinical use4646. Chang SJ, Chiang IN, Yu HJ. The effectiveness of tamsulosin in treating women with voiding difficulty. Int J Urol 2008 15:981-5..
Is Bladder Training Safe
low risk . This includes bladder training.
You may feel some discomfort while holding your urine, particularly after starting bladder training or after adjusting the interval between bathroom trips. Distraction techniques can help you to manage this sensation.
If you have any concerns regarding your bladder training, its important to raise them with your doctor.
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What Causes Bladder Spasms
There are a number of different causes of bladder spasms. The cramping pain could be due to something as simple as your diet or a medication that you are taking, or it could be associated with changes in blood supply and function of the nerves controlling the bladder.
However, bladder spasms may be the result of an infection or a recent surgery, or they may occur if you have nerve or muscle damage. So its important to see a doctor to determine the cause.
In some cases, your doctor may not be able to identify the cause. When this happens, the condition is called idiopathic bladder spasms.
Some common causes of bladder spasms are:
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How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Developing Overactive Bladder
Lifestyle adjustments can help reduce your risk of developing an overactive bladder. These may include:
- Maintaining a weight thats healthy for you.
- Drinking caffeine and alcohol in moderation.
- Drinking the proper amount of fluids each day. Too many fluids can worsen your symptoms, while not drinking enough can irritate your bladder lining and increase the severity of your urges.
- Exercising regularly.
- Performing Kegels or other pelvic floor exercises.
- Managing conditions that may cause OAB, such as diabetes or UTIs.
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Side Effects Of Antimuscarinic Drugs And Safety Precautions
Dry mouth and constipation are the most common and bothersome side effects of antimuscarinic agents. In addition constipation may potentiate symptoms due to the effect of the presence of excessive stool in the rectal ampulla. This may decrease the bladder capacity and therefore, should constipation appear, an early use of fiber and stool softeners is recommended .
Constipation may lead to the discontinuation of medication in up to 50% of patients . Another reason for not following the recommended oral drug regime during the first 2 to 3 months may be that improvement appears gradually or only to a small degree.
Contraindications for the use of antimuscarinic agents are patients with closed angle glaucoma, myasthenia gravis, severe ulcerative colitis, a toxic megacolon, or intestinal obstruction because of their anticholinergic effects on the bowel. However, treatment decisions should be individualized and their prescription might need approval from the clinician caring for these disorders.
Compliance in using antimuscarinic may not be sufficient, as shown in a 2011 systematic review of 149 papers that found discontinuation rates of 4383% in the first 30 days of treatment, and more than half of patients never refilled the initial prescription . Regular follow-ups are important in monitoring treatment effects and adherence. All available antimuscarinic drugs come as an oral preparation.
Pelvic Floor Muscle Training
Your pelvic floor muscles surround the bladder and urethra and control the flow of urine as you pee.
Weak or damaged pelvic floor muscles can cause urinary incontinence, so exercising these muscles is often recommended.
A GP may refer you to a specialist to start a programme of pelvic floor muscle training.
The specialist will assess whether youre able to squeeze your pelvic floor muscles and by how much.
If you can contract your pelvic floor muscles, youll be given an exercise programme based on your assessment.
Your programme should include a minimum of 8 muscle contractions at least 3 times a day and last for at least 3 months. If the exercises are helping after this time, you can keep on doing them.
Research has shown that pelvic floor muscle training can benefit everyone with urinary incontinence.
Find out more about pelvic floor exercises.
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Overactive Bladder Treatment In Elderly Patients And Patients With Dhic
Patients with DHIC or older age usually have low detrusor contractility, low Qmax, and large postvoid residual . Antimuscarinic treatment in patients with DHIC might increase risk of difficult urination and large PVR and subsequent urinary tract infection . Adding antimuscarinic medication on alpha-blocker has been shown safe and effective in improving LUTS in short term without increased PVR and urinary retention . Our previous study also showed the safety and efficacy of antimuscarinic add-on alpha-blocker in elderly male patients with clinical benign prostatic hyperplasia . Our recent study revealed that the use of mirabegron in elderly patients is safe and effective in improvement of OAB symptoms without increase of PVR . Both patients with DO and DHIC can have improvement in patient perception of bladder condition, but the efficacy was less in DHIC patients, although PVR did not increase after mirabegron treatment . Another concern on long-term antimuscarinic therapy in the elderly is cognitive dysfunction. It has been noted that antimuscarinic long-term use may increase risk of cognitive dysfunction in patients with OAB due to Alzheimer’s disease . Therefore, mirabegron should be considered the first choice of medication for elderly patients with OAB .
Home Remedies For Treating Overactive Bladder Problems
Overactive bladder can cause many health problems and social embarrassment, try these home remedies to treat this condition.
There are many problems that are associated with our urinary system. Not all the problems can be considered as a disease but are quite serious issues. Overactive bladder is one such condition in this a person has the urge to urinate more frequently than normal which is not good for health. This can happen both during the day and in the night. Overactive bladder also results to urgency and uncontrollable urge, that means a person loses his control to urinate and sometimes leaks urine trying to control. This can affect your social life and relationships, hence it is important to treat it. Here are some home remedies that you should try to treat your overactive bladder.
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Getting Help For Overactive Bladder
The first step in treatment is to ask for help. It may feel funny talking to your doctor about something as private as urinary issues, but rest assured that your doctor is a professional and is here to help. Be prepared before your appointment by keeping a bladder diary for a few days. This will help your doctor see the extent of your problem, and may help him or her to see any triggers that may be causing your urinary urgency issues.
Be prepared to have a thorough discussion with your doctor about your overactive bladder symptoms, as well as any other symptoms you may be experiencing. You should also let you doctor know if you suffer from any other conditions, such as diabetes, and provide a list of medications youre currently taking, which may be contributing to your symptoms.
Making a list of questions beforehand is also a great idea to ensure that you dont forget anything during your appointment. You may want to ask your doctor about different treatment options that he thinks may be a good fit for you, or about any options youve read about that youre interested in trying. Make sure you find out about the potential side effects for any treatment your doctor proposes, as well as what you can expect in terms of a success rate.
What Is Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder syndrome is characterized by the occurrence of urinary urgency which is a sudden compelling desire to urinate that is difficult to postpone. It is usually accompanied by frequent urination and nocturia . It is also commonly accompanied by urgency incontinence, where urine is accidently lost with urgency. This commonly manifests as the inability to get to the bathroom on time once urgency starts. OAB is quite common and affects about 11-16% of adults to varying degrees. Although it is common, that does not mean that a person who is affected by OAB should simply live with the condition, as many do. For some OAB can have a profound effect on quality of life causing disruptions at work, curtailing of social activities, reduction of sexual intimacy, and interfere with sleep. However, it is important to know that there are effective treatments for the symptoms of OAB.
There are other conditions such as urinary tract infections , polyps or tumors in the bladder, and excessive drinking of fluids that can cause similar symptoms and these conditions should be ruled out by your health care provider before embarking on OAB treatment.
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Medical Treatments For Nocturia
Your doctor may prescribe medications when preventive measures and lifestyle changes fail to reduce the frequency of your nighttime urination. Doctors prescribe a class of drugs called anticholinergics to treat symptoms of OAB, if thats the cause of your nocturia. They reduce bladder spasms that create the urge to go.
Your doctor may suggest you take a diuretic for regular urine production. A diuretic can itself cause nocturia. But if you take it early enough in the day, it may help you get rid of excess fluid while youre awake. This should decrease your urine production at night.
Other drugs that may help are:
- desmopression in cases of diabetes insipidus to cause the kidneys to produce less urine
- tamsulosin , finasteride , or dutasteride to treat prostate enlargement
- antibiotics if you have a urinary tract infection
Your doctor may also adjust your diabetic medications to lower your blood sugar if theyre causing nocturia.
Drugs For Overactive Bladder
In people with overactive bladder, muscles in the bladder wall contract at the wrong time. A group of drugs called anticholinergics combat this problem by blocking the nerve signals related to bladder muscle contractions. Research suggests that these drugs also might increase bladder capacity and decrease the urge to go.
Anticholinergic drugs include:
Oxytrol for women is the only drug available over the counter. Overall, these drugs work about the same in treating overactive bladder, and generally people tolerate all of them well. The main side effect is dry mouth, but anticholinergics also can cause constipation, blurred vision, and increased heartbeat.
Anticholinergics aren’t right for everyone. Some people with glaucoma, urinary retention, or gastrointestinal disease should avoid using anticholinergic drugs.
The drugs mirabegron and vibegron called beta-3 adrenergic agonists. These medications work by activating a protein receptor in bladder muscles that relaxes them and helps the bladder fill and store urine.
Another type of drug for overactive bladder is the tricyclic antidepressantimipramine hydrochloride , which also relaxes bladder muscles.
Doctors also treat men with drugs that relax a muscle at the bladder neck and prostate to help with emptying. They include:
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How Is Overactive Bladder Diagnosed
A healthcare provider can diagnose overactive bladder by reviewing your symptoms and conducting a physical examination of the organs around your pelvis and rectum. They may ask you questions such as:
- What are your symptoms?
- How long have you had these symptoms?
- Do you have a family history of overactive bladder?
- What over-the-counter and prescription drugs do you take?
- What kinds of fluids do you drink during the day?
- What time of day do you drink certain fluids?
- What do you eat during the day?
They may also refer you to a urologist. A urologist is a doctor who specializes in diseases and conditions that affect your urinary tract and reproductive system.
How To Prevent And Heal A Leaky Bladder
As a long time physician, I have always lived by the rule that doctors should have their patients use natural healing methods prior to invasive measures.
Iâve had so many stories of patients who come to me thinking they need surgery for an organ prolapse or incontinence. However, once I put them on natural hormones for a few weeks as a part of a pre-surgery preparation they noticed that they no longer need the surgery!
As I always say: DO THE NATURAL STUFF FIRST!
Below are some common treatments used to treat menopausal symptoms including urinary leakage:
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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.
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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Treating Bladder Conditions At Healthcare Associates Of Texas
Soto emphasizes, The right time to see your doctor about overactive bladder symptoms is when it is affecting your quality of life and limiting what you would normally do.
Healthcare Associates of Texas is home to a large team of board-certified doctors and medical professionals who can treat bladder conditions, including an overactive bladder. To make an appointment, visit the appointments page.
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Attain Solves Overactive Bladder
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Stop suffering and act now. Find out more about the benefits of Attain from InControl Medical and begin to enjoy your leak-free life.
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Fixing Overactive Bladder Without Medication
Considering the side effects, many doctors do not always turn to medications to help treat your bladder problems. Here are some ways to treat the condition without medication.
1. Try Kegel Exercises
Sometimes, the weak pelvic floor is the reason behind your overactive bladder. If this is the case, performing Kegel exercises may help. You can do Kegel exercises anywhere you want and they are equally effective for both men and women. Be sure to perform Kegel exercises when you feel the urge to use the toilet. The exercises will prevent the bladder spasm and make it easier to hold the urine. It certainly takes some time to experience the benefits of these exercises, but they will eventually take effect and help treat your overactive bladder.
2. Identify and Avoid Dietary Triggers
You may not know it but what you eat can make your urinary problems worse. Studies have found that eliminating or reducing the intake of certain foods and drinks from your diet may help treat overactive bladder. Some of these dietary triggers include citrus juices, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, spicy foods, carbonated beverages, high sugar foods, and milk products. You may develop acute incontinence when you consume something that is diuretic in nature this is true in case of alcohol and caffeine. Certain medications act as diuretics and aggravate your overactive bladder. Interestingly, you should avoid cranberry juice when you have OAB.
3. Control Your Fluid Intake