An overactive bladder causes involuntary movements and contractions, which gives rise to urinary incontinence problems. Despite trying to manage the condition with the help of several positive lifestyle changes, if the bladder does not regain its normal function, then it is necessary to see your healthcare provider. They shall prescribe some medications that can decrease involuntary bladder contractions.

These medications prevent urine leakage and overcome urine incontinence. They can restore the normal function of the bladder. According to the Mayo Clinic website, the medications that are commonly prescribed for the treatment of overactive bladder are as follows:

Anticholinergics

These drugs suppress the action of a neurotransmitter chemical, known as acetylcholine. It is a chemical that is responsible for causing involuntary bladder contractions by signaling it to the brain. Due to the acetylcholine action, the person may develop an uncontrollable urge to urinate even when the bladder is not filled with urine yet.

However, anticholinergic drugs prevent these chemical messengers from triggering involuntary bladder movements. These drugs usually come in the form of pills or tablets for oral administration. The dose will be prescribed by the healthcare provider. Besides, they are also available as gels and skin patches.

They come under various brand names and their generic versions are also available. These drugs can give rise to some common side effects such as constipation, dry mouth, and blurry vision.

Onabotulinumtoxin type A (Botox)

These are the injections that can be helpful in reviving the normal bladder function. The Botox injections are given directly into the bladder muscles. Its function is to block the action of the chemical messenger which is acetylcholine. The effects of these injections paralyze the bladder muscles and prevent their untimely movements.

Your healthcare provider will prescribe the number of shots you need to take. Usually, these injections are repeated once or twice a year. Those who received an inadequate response after using Anticholinergics can talk to their healthcare provider and get to know about Botox injections and their side effects.

Mirabegron

These drugs come under the tradename Myrbetriq, which is helpfulin relaxing the bladder muscles and enhancing bladder capacity. The urine volume gets improved as the bladder’s capacity to hold the urine increases. The symptoms such as frequent urge to pass urine, untimely urine leakage, incontinence, etc., subside because of the effect of these drugs. Also, the bladder will be able to eliminate the urine and empty itself completely.

These medications come in the form of tablets and granules. The dose will be prescribed by the healthcare provider. The effects of these drugs can produce some common side reactions like headache, dizziness, nausea, constipation, or diarrhea.

Estrogen

The muscles that surround the bladder and surrounding organs may become weak because of the drop in the levels of estrogen hormone.Women after menopause are more likely to develop overactive bladder due to a decrease in the levels of estrogen. Estrogen is essential for the strength of the muscles that provide support to the bladder, urethra, and nearby organs.

The urethra is a tube that carries the urine from the bladder to get it eliminated from the body.Low levels of estrogen weaken the supportive tissues that surround the urethra, which leads to urine incontinence. This can be treated with the application of low-dose topical estrogen.

Several other methods of treatment are estrogen pills, creams, patches, or rings. One must talk to their healthcare provider to suggest some appropriate treatment and it is necessary to inform them in case you have some medical history of cancers related to breasts and the uterus.

Imipramine

These drugs belong to the class of tricyclic antidepressants that increase the relaxation of the bladder muscles. Their function is to balance the chemical messengers of the brain and prevent night time bed-wetting, especially in children.It might not be as effective in adults. They may lead to some side effects.

Duloxetine

These are also antidepressant drugs that are used for the treatment of mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.It can improve bladder function by relaxing the bladder muscles and preventing untimely urine leakage. It can treat urine incontinence as well. In addition, they can give rise to some side effects like nausea, insomnia, dizziness, fatigue, constipation, and dry mouth.

These drugs might interact with certain types of drugs and lead to dangerous side reactions. Therefore, to prevent health damage because of unwanted interactions, you must provide your healthcare provider with a list of medications or supplements you are taking currently or planning to take. By doing this you are informing them to prescribe the type of medicine or treatment that can be safe despite medicinal interactions.

Lastly, in addition to using medication for treating the symptoms of stress incontinence and urine continence, one must also combine behavioral treatment, which involves the following types of treatments:

• Kegels – These are pelvic floor muscle strengthening exercises.
• Exercise
• Weight loss
• Biofeedback

Overactive bladder can be a side effect of some medications. Certain medications can cause involuntary contractions in the bladder, which leads to urine incontinence. The person may not be able to control their urges to urinate, which may develop frequently, without any indication.

According to the Healthline website, the types of prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs that can cause overactive bladder are given below:

Diuretics

These are also known as water pills, which are used for the treatment of heart diseases and hypertension (high blood pressure). These pills help to eliminate excess fluids from the body. They prevent fluid retention in the body. Fluid retention can lead to damage to the heart and arteries because it increases the blood volume, which makes the heart get the blood pumped throughout the body with greater force.

The force exerted by the heart to pump the blood is very high, which can cause damage. So, diuretics help in the excretion of excess fluids from the body through urine. This can put pressure on the bladder to receive the fluids repeatedly to get it discarded from the body. This is how these medications can cause an overactive bladder.

Blood pressure medications

According to the study and research done by the National Institutes of Health, certain medications used for keeping blood pressure in the safe range can lead to an overactive bladder. These medications include:

• Beta-blockers – These medications can enhance the relaxation of the bladder muscles and increase the bladder capacity. These pills can contribute to involuntary bladder action.
• Calcium channel blockers – These drugs can increase urine volume due to their ability to decrease bladder contractions. This causes urinary retention, which makes the individual urinate more frequently.
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors – These drugs can interfere with the ability of bladder contraction. Their effects can affect the bladder muscles and their action.
• Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) – These drugs can also lead to unintentional loss of urine. Their effects can also cause urgency to urine frequently.

Psychotropic drugs

Certain types of psychotropic medications can affect the bladder function and cause frequent urination. The drugs that can cause an overactive bladder are as follows:

• Antidepressants – These drugs cause urinary retention and can impair the bladder’s ability to contract and evacuate itself. This can give rise to the symptoms of overflow incontinence due to the failure to empty the bladder.
• Mood stabilizers – These are lithium drugs that are prescribed for the treatment of bipolar disorder, which causes extreme and unusual mood shifts.These pills regulate mood. Their side effects can potentiate the risk of urine incontinence.
• Antipsychotic drugs – These drugs are prescribed for treating schizophrenia. The side effects can lead to urine incontinence.

Individuals consuming any of these drugs are more likely to experience a condition like an overactive bladder, which is one of their side effects. They may develop an urgent need to rush to the toilet to pass urine. This problem is mostly experienced during the nighttime, which keeps them awake all night.

Such people are subject to embarrassment because of their inability to hold the pressure of urine. The urine might even leak, which affects the social life big time. Women after menopause are more likely to develop overactive bladder due to the reduction in the estrogen levels in their body. They are more prone to such a condition in comparison to men.

Moreover, there are various other factors that can trigger the symptoms of urine incontinence and medications are one of them. Various other factors leading to involuntary bladder movement are:

• Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Neurological disorders
• Diabetes
• Tumors and stones in kidneys and bladder
• Hormonal changes
• Prostate enlargement or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)

Symptoms of Overactive bladder

• Sudden uncontrollable urge to pass the urine.
• Frequent need to urinate several times, especially at nighttime.
• Unintentional and untimely leaking of urine, known as urine incontinence.
• Nocturia, which requires you to wake up several times at night to pass urine.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, then see your doctor immediately. They will conduct a general physical examination and if it is confirmed that you are experiencing involuntary bladder contractions, then they will perform diagnostic tests to identify the reason behind urinary difficulties.

Diagnosis and treatment

Your doctor will suggest several tests to check the urine flow rate, the volume of urine left in the bladder after passing the urine, and the pressure exerted on the bladder at the time it gets filled with fluids. Once the reports arrive, the treatment will begin. Also, your doctor will refer you to some specialist, who can decide the treatment. The treatment will include a combination of various treatments.

Various treatment options available for treatment of overactive bladder are listed below:

• Behavioral therapies – Kegel or pelvic floor exercise, attaining healthy weight, Biofeedback, intermittent catheterization, etc.
• Medications
• Bladder injections
• Nerves stimulation
• Surgical procedure

If you are suffering from involuntary bladder contractions or overactive bladder, which is making you run to the toilet several times a day, then you should get it treated immediately. For treating the condition, your urologist will generally suggest you get some diagnostic tests that will help them identify the root cause of untimely bladder contractions, which are causing urine incontinence. The appropriate treatment will be initiated once the exact cause is known.

Diagnostic tests

To perform the proper diagnosis and treatment, your urologist will recommend you get some tests done. These tests will reveal the true cause of involuntary bladder contractions that are causing urine to leak unusually. They will check your medical history, conduct a physical examination, order urine samples, and suggest some neurological examinations.

According to the Mayo Clinic website, your urologist will check for bladder abnormalities. They will do an assessment of your bladder function and how much time it takes to excrete the urine. These tests are called urodynamic tests and they include:

Measurement of urine flow rate – The measurement will be done with the help of a uroflowmetry test.To do so, you will be asked to urinate inside a device called a uroflowmeter. This device indicates the flow rate and generates the data in the form of a graph.It measures the amount and speed with which you empty the bladder. Also, it will check for any obstruction that is affecting the flow of urine.

Measurement of the volume of urine left in the bladder – This test checks the ability of your bladder, whether it becomes empty after passing urine,or if there is still some urine residue in it. To check for the same, the doctor will ask you to get an ultrasound scan, which will check if some urine is still left in the bladder after evacuation. It will help in finding out the amount of residual urine.

Cystometry tests – These tests measure the pressure exerted on the bladder muscles when the bladder gets filled by urine. It involves the insertion of thin tubes, called catheters, inside the bladder. One catheter is used to fill the bladder with some liquid while another tube has a pressure-measuring sensor attached to it, which measures the amount of pressure your bladder must exert to empty itself completely.

Based on the test reports, your doctor will suggest some appropriate combination of treatments to restore normal bladder function.

Treatment  

The involuntary contractions of your bladder can be managed with the help of a combination of treatments that can be conducted through medical assistance, and some can be performed at home. According to the Mayo Clinic, the treatments include:

Behavioral therapies

These include lifestyle modifications such as pelvic floor muscle training, bladder training, fitness healthy weight, and several clinical interventions. These are safe practices that do not have any side effects. Let us understand them in detail.

• Kegels – Kegels are pelvic floor muscle strengthening exercises. These exercises are highly beneficial for people experiencing urine incontinence due to involuntary bladder movements. Kegels help in gaining better control over urinary incontinence and other pelvic floor problems.

Performing these exercises regularly will strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support the bladder, uterus, small intestine, and rectum.

• Weight –Overweight individuals are more likely to experience problems with their bladder function. Obesity and excessive weight gain around the abdominal region exert too much pressure on the pelvic region. This exertion of excessive pressure might lead to the damage of organs present in the pelvic region. So, to prevent it, one must keep their weight in check.

• Biofeedback – This technique involves the use of electrical sensors that help you learn to have better control over your pelvic floor muscles to avoid urine leakage. 

• Intermittent catheterization – This is done under medical supervision. If the bladder is unable to evacuate the urine, the catheter can help in doing so.

Bladder injections

Some kind of protein will be injected right into the bladder tissues, which helps in relaxing the bladder muscles. This might relieve the urine incontinence problem for a while, usually up to 6 months, after that, one has to take the injections again.

Medications

Your healthcare provider will prescribe you certain medications that can alleviate your bladder problems and relieve the symptoms of urinary incontinence. These medications might produce some mild side effects, so you need to become aware of those by talking to your healthcare provider.

Nerve stimulation

This technique involves the insertion of a thin wire inside the sacral nerves through an implantation procedure. The wire helps regulate the nerve impulses of your bladder and manage its involuntary contractions.

Surgery

For individuals who fail to respond to all kinds of treatments done to improve their bladder function, surgery is the last option. This might involve performing surgery on the bladder to increase its capacity or another way is to surgically construct a replacement bladder.

After assessing the cause of your bladder problems, your healthcare provider will suggest some treatment in combination with some positive lifestyle changes.