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Magnesium Hydroxide for Incontinence

Urge incontinence is a condition in which a woman feels a sudden need to urinate, quickly followed by involuntary release of the bladder. This condition, although not life-threatening, can be annoying. The Bastyr Center for Natural Health cites a 2004 study showing that magnesium hydroxide may help control the symptoms of this disease by relaxing the bladder muscles and reducing bladder spasms.

  1. About Urge Incontinence

    • Urge incontinence occurs most often in women. The Bastyr Center estimates that 1 out of 50 adult women suffers from this type of incontinence. The elderly are also particularly susceptible to urge incontinence.
      The Bastyr Center says that the exact cause of urge incontinence is unknown. However, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) states that hysterectomies, recurrent urinary tract infections and high caffeine intake all contribute to the likelihood of urge incontinence.

    Magnesium Hydroxide as Treatment

    • The Bastyr Center reports that a 2004 study of 60 women showed that magnesium hydroxide is an effective treatment for urge incontinence. In this study, 30 women who suffer from urge incontinence were given 350 mg of magnesium hydroxide per day while 30 were given a placebo. After a month, 12 of the women who were given magnesium hydroxide reported improvement of symptoms, as opposed to only five women in the control group.
      The Bastyr Center says that women who were taking magnesium hydroxide for a seemingly unrelated problem--spasms in their calf muscles--discovered that urge incontinence symptoms improved, and that the 2004 study resulted from this discovery.

    How to Get Magnesium Hydroxide

    • Women who suffer from urge incontinence can take a daily 350 mg magnesium supplement. Magnesium is also found in nuts, fish, wheat germ and leafy green vegetables. The Bastyr Center says that using wheat flour rather than white flour helps increase magnesium levels.

    Side Effects and Danger

    • According to JAMA, there is a slight risk of diarrhea when taking magnesium hydroxide. The Bastyr Center says that patients who have kidney problems should not utilize this treatment.

    Other Treatments

    • Other treatments for urge incontinence include pelvic muscle exercises, avoiding caffeine and spices, and taking medications such as oxybutin or tolterodine.

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