Spastic Bladder Treatment

A spastic bladder causes frequent urges to urinate even though the bladder is not actually full. Urine leakage can also occur. The Mayo Clinic says that a person may have a spastic bladder if she has to urinate more than seven times per day or if she wakes up at least twice each night to use the restroom. The frequent need to urinate can interfere with daily activities and sleep. Fortunately, many options are available to treat a spastic bladder.

Exercises

• If you are a woman and your spastic bladder is causing urine leakage, do exercises to strengthen your pelvic and vaginal muscles. Dr. William C. Shiel Jr. of MedicineNet says you can use Kegel exercises, which involve contracting and releasing the pelvic muscles. Repeat the exercises up to 80 times per day for at least two months. Vaginal weight training can also be helpful. This involves tightening the vaginal muscles to hold small weights inside the vaginal cavity. Dr. Shiel says these exercises should be done twice a day for 15 minutes at a time and repeated for up to six weeks. Your own doctor can help you decide which specific exercises are best for you.

Cognitive Therapy

• You can deal with your spastic bladder more effectively by using cognitive techniques. Learn to ignore the urge to urinate for as long as possible. It will be uncomfortable at first, but you must keep reminding yourself that your bladder is not really full. With practice, you will gradually lengthen the span between bathroom visits because you have "retrained" your bladder and learned to resist your urges.

Medication

• Ask your doctor about medication to control your spastic bladder. Oxybutynin and tolterodine are two prescription drugs calm the urge to urinate by relaxing the bladder muscles. However, they can cause side effects like dryness of the mouth, blurry vision, constipation and retention of urine. Using extended release pills or a transdermal patch to deliver the medication can reduce these effects. If you are a post-menopausal woman, Dr. Shiel says that oral or vaginal estrogen may be helpful when used with other spastic bladder treatments.

Fluid Management

• Use fluid management to help control your spastic bladder. The National Association for Continence says this does not mean cutting down on the amount of fluid you drink. Taking in too little liquid can result in dehydration, which irritates the bladder. Instead, drink more water and avoid other beverages.