What are the treatments for overactive bladder syndrome?
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Some general lifestyle measures may help.
- Bladder training is usually the main treatment. This can work well in up to half of cases.
- Medication may be advised instead of, or in addition to, bladder training.
- Pelvic floor exercises may also be advised in some cases.
Some general lifestyle measures which may help
- Getting to the toilet. Make this as easy as possible. If you have difficulty getting about, consider special adaptations like a handrail or a raised seat in your toilet. Sometimes a commode in the bedroom makes life much easier.
- Caffeine. This is in tea, coffee, cola, and is part of some painkiller tablets. Caffeine has a diuretic effect (will make urine form more often). Caffeine may also directly stimulate the bladder to make urgency symptoms worse. It may be worth trying without caffeine for a week or so to see if symptoms improve. If symptoms do improve, you do not need to give up caffeine. However, you may wish to limit the times that you have a caffeine-containing drink. Also, you will know to be near to a toilet whenever you have caffeine.
- Alcohol. In some people, alcohol may make symptoms worse. The same advice applies as with caffeine drinks.
- Drink normal quantities of fluids. It may seem sensible to cut back on the amount that you drink so as the bladder does not fill so quickly. However, this can make symptoms worse as the urine becomes more concentrated which may irritate the bladder muscle. Aim to drink normal quantities of fluids each day. This is usually about two litres of fluid per day - about 6-8 cups of fluid, and more in hot climates and hot weather.
- Go to the toilet only when you need to. Some people get into the habit of going to the toilet more often than they need. They may go when their bladder only has a small amount of urine so as "not to be caught short". This again may sound sensible as some people think that symptoms of urgency and urge incontinence will not develop if the bladder does not fill very much and is emptied regularly. However, again, this can make symptoms worse in the long-run. If you go to the toilet too often the bladder becomes used to holding less urine. The bladder may then become even more sensitive and overactive at times when it is stretched a little. So, you may find that when you need to hold on a bit longer (for example, if you go out), symptoms are worse than ever.
By Lucie Tobin
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