Drugs that can cause urinary incontinence

The problem of urinary incontinence is faced by many women. Sometimes they go for certain drugs which can further increase the intensity of the problem. Find out more about such drugs.

Incontinence is the problem experienced mainly by women, characterised by the sudden urge to urinate even after you have urinated a while ago. It is also a problem which is determined by an involuntary loss of urine during laughing, coughing or sneezing. It can happen to men, but women are more likely to experience this problem. It is known that  more than 30 percent of all women experience the problem of urinary incontinence after pregnancy and menopause. In men, the problem may occur because of prostrate enlargement or after a prostrate surgery.

Can medications lead to incontinence?
Yes. Certain medications can worsen or cause the problem of urinary incontinence. If you have the problem of incontinence, you should avoid taking medications which have ingredients that can worsen this condition. Here are some of the drugs which you should avoid if you have the problem of incontinence.

• Antidepressants, sedatives and tranquillizers: These medications can hinder the proper working of the bladder and can restrict the bladder contractions and some can even make you forget the need to urinate.
• High blood pressure/diuretic pills: These pills can help the bladder to relax and lose urine easily. Some also increase the urine production.
• Sleeping pills:These pills reduce your awareness about the need to urinate.
• Muscle relaxant pills: They can relax the pelvic muscles and the bladder muscles leading to a loss of urine.

If you are taking any of these medicines, you must consult your doctor and ask for alternative medicines which would not create problems for you by increasing the degree of incontinence. Apart from these drugs, you should also avoid foods and beverages that can increase incontinence risks. These risks include alcohol, too much or too little intake of fluids/water, chocolate, tea, coffee, colas or foods containing caffeine, acidic foods such as citrus fruits and tomatoes, carbonated drinks, spicy foods, sugar, honey, milk products and artificial sweeteners.

Types
Different types of urinary incontinence can occur. Different people may have different problems which can lead to a particular type of incontinence condition. The types of urinary incontinence are mentioned below:

• Urge incontinence: When there is a nerve dysfunction, the bladder muscle contraction becomes uncontrollable. This results in a sudden urge to urinate but  you cannot hold it until you get to the toilet. This may be caused by a stroke, trauma or multiple sclerosis. This is also known as an over-active bladder.
• Stress incontinence: It is the problem wherein you lose a lot of urine when your bladder gets stressed by sneezing, coughing or running. This may be because of damage to the pelvic floor muscles. Damage is caused by childbirth, menopause, surgeries such as hysterectomy and prostatectomy.
• Mixed incontinence: It is a combination of two types of incontinence conditions namely urge and stress incontinence.
• Overflow incontinence: It is the condition wherein the body produces more urine than the bladder can hold causing a leaking of urine. This problem can be caused because of bladder problems such as tumour, enlarged prostrate, certain drugs, diseases such as multiple sclerosis, polio, spinal cord injuries, pelvic trauma or surgery.

Incontinence treatment
If you feel the need to treat incontinence effectively and that too very soon, you can try one of the incontinence treatments such as the KegelMaster. This device should be inserted into the vagina, which can help you tighten your pelvic muscles and vaginal walls. It can help you treat long term bladder and urinary problems and increase the sensitivity of your vagina, tightening it to enhance sexual pleasure.

Incontinence is not the end of the world. You can get relief from this embarrassing condition only if you know what causes it and which drugs you should avoid to further increase the problem.  Stay alert to prevent incontinence.

Article Tags: Urinary Incontinence, Should Avoid

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