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Overview
About Medications for an Overactive BladderAn overactive bladder can affect your more than just physically. It can cause social embarrassment when you must excuse yourself every twenty minutes to use the restroom. It can also affect you emotionally when you realize you cannot go anywhere without first locating the bathroom. You don't have to suffer with this condition, however. There are some great and effective medications on the market that can help you get back to a normal life.
Causes
An overactive bladder is caused when the detrusor muscle isn't working the way it was designed to. This can happen to anyone at any time. It is important to note that old age does not cause an overactive bladder. A person may also have an overactive bladder if they have bladder stones, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, any type of neurological disease or side effects from certain drugs.
Symptoms
There are three main symptoms of an overactive bladder. A person may have one of them or they could have all three. First, a person will begin to feel like they have to urinate more frequently than normal. Second, when the individual feels like the have to urinate they will feel like they must do it immediately. If they wait, it will begin to hurt. Finally, the individual may urinate a little before they reach a bathroom. This is called urge incontinence.
Treatments
Your doctor may want you to try a few treatments before you begin taking medications. First, a woman can perform Kegel exercises. The woman contracts and relaxes the vaginal muscles fifty times per day for two months. Second, pelvic floor electrical stimulation can be used along with Kegel exercises. The electrical impulses are used to stimulate the detrusor muscle so that it works properly again. Finally, a person can participate in some behavioral therapies, such as bladder training. This teaches individuals to control the need to urinate.
Medications
One type of medication is taken in pill form. These medications are taken once a day on a regular basis. They relieve all three symptoms of an overactive bladder. Some of these medications are Detrol LA, Ditropan, Enablex, Vesicare, and Sanctura. All medications have side effects, something you should discuss with your doctor. It is also important to tell your doctor whether you smoke, drink, or have a heart condition.
Medications
Another form of medication that can be taken by overactive bladder sufferers comes in a patch form. It is called the Oxybutynin Transdermal System. Every four days, the individual must place the clear, thin patch on their abdomen. The patch continuously releases the drug into the blood stream. This system may be preferred by individuals because it only requires two treatments per week verses taking a pill every day.
