|  | Conditions Treatments | Urinary Disorders

Medicine to Treat Loss of Bladder Control

Loss of bladder control is a growing problem as the number of older Americans continues to grow. There are medications available to relieve the problem, but some come with irritating and sometimes troublesome side effects.

  1. The Causes

    • Urinary incontinence or loss of bladder control can be an inconvenient and embarrassing problem. There are dozens of causes, including child bearing, menopause and prostate disorders.

    Anticholinergic Medications

    • Several medications that contain anticholinergic agents are available that can strengthen or relax the bladder, allowing it to hold more urine.

    How They Work

    • Anticholinergic means to offset the movement of certain nerve fibers that cause the bladder to contract. The medication works by inhibiting the involuntary contractions of the bladder, increasing its capacity and prolonging the urge to urinate. This class of drugs includes flavoxate (Urispas), hyoscyamine methantheline (Banthine, Pro-Banthine), oxybuty (Detrol, Detrol LA) and trospium (Sanctura).

    Some Antidepressants May Help

    • There are also some tricyclic antidepressant medications with strong anticholinergic effects such as imipramine (Tofranil, Tofranil PM) that might successfully treat incontinence.

    Antispasmodic and M3 Selective Receptor Antagonist

    • Antispasmodic drugs are also used for urge incontinence because they relax the bladder. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration approved darifenacin (Enablex) for patients diagnosed with urge incontinence and overactive bladder.

Urinary Disorders - Related Articles