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Drugs Used for Frequent Urination

Frequent urination affects men and women and can occur within any age group. Proper diagnosis of this condition helps physicians to prescribe the most effective medications. There are several types of drugs available for frequent urination, each of which affects the body differently. Knowledge of the causes of frequent urination and side effects of available drugs will help patients work in partnership with their physician in finding the best treatment.

  1. Definition

    • Frequent urination describes the need to urinate more than usual and can be broken into subcategories. Polyuria is the term used when the amount of urine being produced by the body has increased, therefore causing urination to occur more often than normal. If urination frequency is due to problems with releasing urine or normal urine storage, this is considered a dysfunction of the urinary system. Urinary incontinence is another subcategory of frequent urination and occurs when urine loss is involuntary.

    Anticholinergic

    • Anticholinergic medications, which relax the bladder muscles and help provide bladder control, include tolterodine (brand name Detrol), solifenacin (Vesicare), darifenacin (Enablex), trospium (Sanctura), fesoterodine (Toviaz) and oxybutynin (Ditropan). These drugs block the nerves that affect how the bladder contracts and are prescribed for increased frequency, urgency and incontinence. Side effects commonly reported are dry mouth, constipation, blurry vision or rapid heartbeat.

    Tricyclic Antidepressants

    • Tricyclic antidepressants such as imipramine (Tofranil) are often prescribed for nocturia, which is the need to urinate frequently during normal sleep hours. These types of drugs relax the muscles of the bladder neck. Tricyclic antidepressants also typically produce side effects of drowsiness, dry mouth and constipation. Some individuals may also experience dizziness or fainting.

    Desmopressin

    • Desmopressin is a synthetic reproduction of a natural hormone called anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). Brand names include DDAVP, Stimate and Minirin. If the body does not naturally create enough ADH, urine production increases and causes frequent urination. Desmopressin has a rare but reported side effect of water retention and can cause sodium levels in blood to drop below normal.

    Estrogen

    • Estrogen is another drug often given to women past menopause to increase flexibility and strength of the pelvic tissues, and assist with blood flow and nerve function, thus reducing urinary frequency. Estrogen treatment is typically applied to the skin area instead of ingested as a pill and usually does not produce side effects. Estrogen is often used in conjunction with other medications such as those listed above.

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