Your bladder, once weakened, can betray you: people suffering from overactive bladder face daily problems of frequent urination, sudden urges to urinate, and even accidental urine leakage. Fortunately, there are overactive bladder treatment options. Learn about treatment options so that you can be free from the embarrassing effects of your overactive bladder.
Are you aware of how many times you visit the toilet to urinate? How about at night? According to the Society of Urologic Nurses Association, we urinate at an average frequency of four to six times during daytime and once during nighttime. If you urinate eight or more times in daytime, coupled with two or more times at night, you most likely have an overactive bladder.
Overactive bladder, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, is a health condition involving frequent urination. Overactive bladder symptoms also include nocturia (or nighttime urination) and bedwetting which is caused by the sudden unexpected urge to urinate. Patients who suffer from this type of urinary incontinence commonly experience urge incontinence on top of their overactive bladder syndrome. When overactive bladder syndrome is experienced alongside stress incontinence, this is referred to as mixed incontinence and is a cause for concern. If left uncured, overactive bladder syndrome can lead to irritable bladder syndrome wherein urination is accompanied by pain and/or burning sensation.
Causes of Overactive Bladder Syndrome (OAB)
There are no specific causes of overactive bladder. Most specialists believe that overactive bladder syndrome has multiple causes. Some of these causes are identified by the National Institute of Aging and the Mayo Clinic as follows:
– Weak bladder muscles
– Impaired urinary tract
– Damage to the nerves that control the bladder
– Possible prostate problem in men
With the present advancements in medicine and in the specialized field of urology, you and your health provider can now choose among different kinds of overactive bladder treatment.
Overactive Bladder Treatment
WebMD lists several types of treatment for overactive bladder, which can be grouped as follows:
a. Behavioral Therapy
This first line of treatment involves lifestyle and behavioral changes to help you regain control of your body. This “mind over bladder” approach does not involve drugs and constant medication, but focuses instead on bladder training or timed/scheduled voiding as well as pelvic muscle exercises (also known as kegel exercises) to strengthen your bladder. Patients undergoing this type of treatment are also given tips to minimize incidences of urinary incontinence.
b. Drugs for overactive bladders
Specialists also prescribe anticholinergics, a class of drugs for the treatment of overactive bladder. These drugs are effective in blocking the nerve signals that are responsible for bladder muscle contractions; increasing your bladder capacity; and decreasing your urges to go. Darifenacin (Enablex), Fesoterodine (Toviaz), and Oxybutynin (Ditropan) are just some examples of anticholinergics. Another drug used for relaxing bladder muscles is tricyclic antidepressant imipramine hydrochloride (sold as Tofranil). Your doctor may choose any of these medications according to the severity of your condition and the contra-indications, interactions, and side effects of the drugs.
c. Bladder Surgery
In severe cases of overactive bladder syndrome, surgery may be required, such as bladder augmentation. While surgery is invasive and needs time for recovery, this can result in long-term relief and possible cure for your urinary incontinence.
Overactive bladder symptoms can be managed and the condition itself can be cured given your cooperation with your doctor. Now that you know the common types of overactive bladder treatment, you may want to discuss with your doctor which option works best for you so that you can once more regain bladder control.