Understanding Overactive Bladder
Do you suffer from the abnormally frequent urge to urinate? Chances are, you are suffering from overactive bladder. There can be many causes of overactive bladder, including urine flow rate issues or pelvic muscle strength issues. While there is no one cure-all for this condition, there are treatments and medications you can take advantage of to help ease your symptoms.
Signs and Symptoms of Overactive Bladder
- Feeling a sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate
- Involuntary loss of urine
- Frequent urination – 8 or more times in a day
- Awakening two or more times in the night to urinate
- Bedwetting
- Spasms in bladder
Treatment for Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder can be a frustrating, embarrassing condition. There are many things you can do to help control the symptoms of this condition, such as behavioral treatments, medications or taking part in a clinical trial.
Behavioral Treatment
One of the first methods of treating overactive bladder is by implementing behavioral treatments in your life. They are often very effective in helping relieve the symptoms of this condition. Behavioral treatments include:
- Pelvic exercises. Strengthening the muscles around the bladder will help ease contractions that you cannot control.
- Wearing absorbent pads. Wearing pads can help prevent any embarrassing accidents and give you extra confidence when in public.
- Bladder training. While this method takes time, you can train your bladder from urinating every 30 minutes, to urinating every 4 hours. You can also work to schedule bathroom trips every couple of hours, even when you don’t feel like you need to go so that you don’t feel a sudden urge and have an accident.
- Maintaining a healthy weight. If you are overweight, losing weight can greatly help overactive bladder symptoms by relieving the pelvic area of extra pressure and weight. In addition, eating healthy foods low in salt or caffeine can help keep your symptoms at bay.
- Catheterization. With the help of a medical professional, scheduling intermittent catheterization can help empty your bladder of urine completely. This helps an overworking bladder and can relieve symptoms for a period of time.
Medications to Relax Overactive Bladder
According to Mayo Clinic, medications that relax the bladder can be helpful for relieving symptoms of this condition and reducing episodes of urge incontinence. These drugs include:
- Tolterodine (Detrol, Detrol LA)
- Oxybutynin (Ditropan XL)
- Oxybutynin as a skin patch (Oxytrol)
- Solifenacin (Vesicare)
- Oxybutynin gel (Gelnique, Gelnique 3%)
- Trospium (Sanctura)
- Darifenacin (Enablex)
- Mirabegron (Myrbetriq)
- Fesoterodine (Toviaz)
Clinical Trials for Overactive Bladder
Taking part in a clinical trial for overactive bladder can let you take advantage of the most cutting-edge technologies and treatments not yet available to the public. If you have tried all of the above methods but still aren’t getting any relief, it might be time for you to try something new. If you are interested in taking part in an overactive bladder clinical trial, simply fill out our form to let us know. You will be compensated, and will also be able to enjoy personalized medical supervision.
