Medical Therapy for Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence caused by an overactive bladder is also called urge incontinence. An uncontrollable, strong urge to urinate usually accompanies this form of urine leakage because the muscle of the bladder is contracting without the signal from you to empty your bladder. This urge sensation often occurs when washing dishes, or even at the sound of running water. If this strong need to urinate cannot be overcome, urinary leakage will occur. These symptoms can sometimes be controlled or significantly improved with medications that are generally well tolerated with the most common side effect being dry mouth. Women with closed angle glaucoma should not use these medications.

Sometimes urinary incontinence occurs because of an overactive bladder in the presence of stress urinary incontinence. This is termed mixed incontinence. Sometimes special tests called urodynamic studies (UDS) need to be performed to determine the type of problem present before surgery is done to treat the urinary incontinence.