Your Medicines and Bladder Control
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Do you have a bladder control problem?
If so, one cause of your problem may be sitting in your medicine cabinet.
Medicines (drugs) can cause people to lose bladder control.
Do not stop taking any medicine without talking to your doctor.
If your medicine is causing your bladder problem, your doctor may find another
medicine. If you need to keep taking the same medicine, your doctor can help
you find another way to regain bladder control.
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Parts of the bladder control system. |
How does bladder control work?
Your bladder is a muscle shaped like a balloon. While the bladder stores
urine, the muscle relaxes. When you go to the bathroom, the bladder muscle tightens
to squeeze urine out of the bladder.
Two sphincter (SFINK-tur) muscles surround a tube called the
urethra (yoo-REE-thrah). Urine leaves your body through this tube.
The sphincters keep the urethra closed by squeezing like rubber bands. Pelvic
floor muscles under the bladder also help keep the urethra closed.
When the bladder is full, nerves in your bladder signal the brain. That's when you
get the urge to go to the bathroom.
Once you reach the toilet, your brain tells the sphincter and pelvic floor muscles to relax. This allows urine to pass through the urethra. The brain signal also tells the bladder to tighten
up. This squeezes urine out of the bladder.
Bladder control means you urinate only when you want to. For good bladder control, all parts of your
system must work together:
- Pelvic muscles must hold up the bladder and urethra.
- Sphincter muscles must open and shut the urethra.
- Nerves must control the muscles of the bladder and pelvic floor.
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Medicine for high blood pressure can cause bladder control problems.
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How can medicines cause leaking?
Leaking can happen when medicines affect any of these muscles or nerves.
For instance, medicines to treat high blood pressure may make the sphincter muscles
too tight or too loose. Medicines to treat colds can have the same effect.
You may take medicine to calm your nerves so that you can sleep or relax. This medicine may dull
the nerves in the bladder and keep them from signaling the brain when the
bladder is full.
Without the message and urge, the bladder overflows.
Drinking alcohol can also cause these nerves to fail.
Water pills (diuretics) take fluid from swollen areas of your body and send it to the
bladder. This may cause the bladder to leak because it fills more quickly than
usual. Caffeine drinks such as coffee and cola have the same effect. Some
foods such as chocolate also can cause bladder problems.
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What can you do about your bladder control problem?
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Your doctor needs to know what medicines you take.
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Before your next doctor visit, make a list of all the prescription medicines you take. Also list medicines you buy without a prescription. Or you can bring all your medicines with you to show
the doctor. Ask your doctor if any of the medicines could cause your bladder
problem. Your pharmacist can also give you information about your medicines.
You may have to continue taking a medicine that causes a bladder control
problem. Ask your doctor to help you find another way to control your bladder.
Other ways might include
- exercises for the muscles that close the bladder
- devices to stimulate the muscles
- training the bladder to hold more urine
Points to Remember
- Never stop taking a prescribed medicine without first talking to
your doctor.
- Certain medicines, foods, and drinks can cause bladder control problems.
- Make a list of your medicines—both prescription and nonprescription—to
show your doctor. Take the list to talk about bladder control.
- You may have to keep taking important medicines, even if they cause
some bladder control problems.
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Let's Talk about Bladder Control for Women is a public health awareness
campaign conducted by the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information
Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), an information dissemination service of the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National
Institutes of Health.
1–800–891–5388
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
3 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892–3580
Phone: 1–800–891–5390
Fax: 703–738–4929
Email: nkudic@info.niddk.nih.gov
Internet: www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov/
The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1987, the Clearinghouse provides information about diseases of the kidneys and urologic system to people with kidney and urologic disorders and to their families, health care professionals, and the public. The NKUDIC answers inquiries, develops and distributes publications, and works closely with professional and patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate resources about kidney and urologic diseases.
Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are carefully reviewed by both NIDDK scientists and outside experts.
This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse encourages users of this publication to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired.
NIH Publication No. 02–4185
April 2002
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