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Bladder Control Solutions for Men

Overactive bladder or incontinence is the inability to control bladder and urinary urges, resulting in accidental discharge of urine. It is often a symptom signifying a problem with the urinary system. Incontinence in men can be caused by a variety of factors such as urinary tract infections, damage to the nerves and sphincter during surgery to remove the prostrate gland, improper functioning of the bladder nerves thereby squeezing the sphincter too hard or blockage of the urethra.

  1. Types of Incontinence or Bladder Control Issues

    • There are several types of incontinence in men: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, overflow incontinence and total incontinence. Stress incontinence is a condition when any stress on your bladder, such as a laugh, cough or sneeze, causes you to leak urine. Urge incontinence is a strong urge to urinate because your bladder squeezes itself too hard, such that you are not able to make it to the toilet in time. This happens even if there is only a small amount of urine in the bladder. Overflow incontinence happens when the bladder does not empty itself during urination and then leaks urine later. Total incontinence is the continuous release of urine, often the result of a non-functioning sphincter. Bladder control issues can be treated with either medication or certain non-drug remedies.

    Treatment by Medication

    • Several types of medication are prescribed for the treatment of overactive bladder or bladder control issues. The most common type are anticholinergics. These drugs act by blocking the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, thereby shutting out the action of certain nerves. They include Detrol LA (tolterodine), Ditropan XL (oxybutynin, also available as a patch called Oxytrol and a gel called Gelnique), Enablex (darifenacin), Sanctura (trospium) and Vesicare (solifenacin). Their main side effects are dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation and increased heartbeat.

      Other drug options are tricyclic antidepressant imipramine hydrochloride (Tofranil), for its ability to relax bladder muscles as well as capsaicin, which desensitizes bladder muscles.

    Non-Drug Remedies

    • Non-drug approaches to solving bladder control issues include bladder training and pelvic floor exercises. Bladder training helps you to control your urges to urinate, so that you learn to go at only certain times of the day. This is called scheduled or times voiding. Pelvic floor exercises help you to train the Kegel muscles that control urination. This makes them stronger and therefore less prone to involuntary contraction and relaxation.

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