Treatment for Urinary Incontinence

Today, there are more urinary incontinence treatment options than ever before. Experts agree that no treatment is perfect for everyone with incontinence. The choice of urinary incontinence treatment depends on many factors, including: the type of urinary incontinence you have, how serious it is, and what best fits your lifestyle.

 

Treatment for Urinary Incontinence: An Overview

Today, there are more urinary incontinence treatment options than ever before. The choice of urinary incontinence treatment depends on:
 
  • The type of urinary incontinence you have
  • How serious it is
  • What best fits your lifestyle.
     
Urinary incontinence treatment options fall into four broad categories:
 
  • Medications
  • Behavioral therapy
  • Devices
  • Surgery.

 

Urinary Incontinence Treatment Medications

One option for treating urinary incontinence is medication.
 
Urge Incontinence (Overactive Bladder) Medications
Medications approved to treat overactive bladder include:
 
All of these medications come in pill form, and oxybutynin is also available as a skin patch.
 
All five drugs work in essentially the same way: to decrease urgency, frequency, and urge incontinence. They block the nerve impulses to the bladder that cause it to contract and leak. Side effects of the drugs include:
 
Enlarged Prostate Medications
Other drugs, called alpha-blockers and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, may be prescribed for men with incontinence problems due to an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hypertrophy or BPH for short).
 
Alpha-blockers relax the prostate and bladder neck, allowing improved urine flow; 5-alpha reductase inhibitors hinder the production of a male hormone believed to be responsible for prostate enlargement.
 
Examples of BPH medications include:
 
 
(Treatment for Urinary Incontinence Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD