Medications That Can Cause Urinary Incontinence

Types Of Dogs More Likely To Have Urinary Incontinence

Urinary Incontinence (Stress, Urge, Overflow & Functional) | Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment

While urinary incontinence can happen to any dog, it is more likely in certain types.

Female Dogs. Middle-aged to older spayed female dogs are prone to what is referred to as âspay incontinence.â This is a form of incontinence commonly caused by lower estrogen levels, which can lead to a loss of muscle tone in the urethra. In some cases, incontinence may be caused by a weak bladder. This condition is referred to as weak bladder sphincter incontinence. Your vet may call it Urethral Sphincter Mechanism Incompetence . It is the most common cause of urinary incontinence in spayed female dogs.

Older Dogs. Bladder leaks are not an uncommon occurrence in older dogs. This is because the urethral muscles are not as strong as they used to be. As your dog ages, they may have a harder time holding in urine.

Often, incontinence starts when dogs are mature or middle-aged. Several factors are thought to play a role in USMI. These include:

Abnormal bladder positioning

These tests can help determine the root cause and best treatment plans for your dog. A urinalysis may prove your dog has a bladder infection. Some other tests, like blood tests, may be necessary to rule out underlying causes like diabetes or Cushingâs disease. Radiographs can rule out urinary stones, and ultrasounds will rule out tumors or growth in the bladder. Depending on the findings of these tests, other tests may be necessary too.

Three Types Of Incontinence

In order to discuss medication-induced incontinence, its important to first understand the three basic types of incontinence. They are:

Stress. This is when urine leaks due to increased abdominal pressure, often brought on by laughing, coughing, sneezing or other physical activity. Stress incontinence occurs mostly in women.
Urge. The urge to urinate comes on suddenly and strongly, and urine leaks if a bathroom isnt immediately available. This affects both men and women.
Overflow. This mainly affects men. Its caused by an inability to expel urine, resulting in bladder overflow and urine leakage.

Problems with urine leakage may require you to take extra care to prevent skin irritation:

Use a washcloth to clean yourself.
Allow your skin to air-dry.
Avoid frequent washing and douching because these can overwhelm your bodys natural defenses against bladder infections.
Consider using a barrier cream, such as petroleum jelly or cocoa butter, to protect your skin from urine.
Ask your doctor about special cleansers made to remove urine that may be less drying than other products.

If you have urge incontinence or nighttime incontinence, make the toilet more convenient:

Move any rugs or furniture you might trip over or collide with on the way to the toilet.
Use a night light to illuminate your path and reduce your risk of falling.

If you have functional incontinence, you might:

Keep a bedside commode in your bedroom
Install an elevated toilet seat
Widen an existing bathroom doorway

What Causes Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is not an inevitable result of aging, but it is particularly common in older people. It is often caused by specific changes in body function that may result from diseases, use of medications and/or the onset of an illness. Sometimes it is the first and only symptom of a urinary tract infection. Women are most likely to develop urinary incontinence during pregnancy and after childbirth, or after the hormonal changes of menopause.

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Are Your Medications Causing Urinary Incontinence

In theory, prescribing diuretics, muscle relaxants, antidepressant medications, and even nasal decongestants may promote urinary incontinence in some patients. The side effects of these drugs are usually temporary, but it is imperative to talk to your doctor about this problem, especially if you have urinary problems related to your prostate.

Diuretic drugs

It is easy to see why diuretics can promote urinary incontinence, their purpose being to increase the production of urine by your kidneys. By increasing the volume of your urine, diuretics promote urge incontinence, which is the feeling of an urgent urge to urinate.

Muscle relaxants drugs

Besides increasing your urine volume, muscle relaxants work on your pelvic muscles and relax the urethra. They also promote urge incontinence along with a sense of urgency to have to go to the bathroom as soon as possible.

Antidepressant médications

Nasal decongestants drugs

Over-the-counter nasal decongestants are also among the treatments for temporary urinary incontinence. Avoid or limit the way you use decongestants and antihistamines during colds and allergy flares, as they tighten the muscles that control your urine flow and can make urination more difficult or trigger stress incontinence when coughing, laughing, or performing physical effort.

When in doubt, talk to your doctor.

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Stress Urinary Incontinence Pathophysiology

Stress urinary incontinence is caused by a variety of factors and typically be attributed to mechanical and functional factors. Myogenic, connective tissue, and hormonal alterations are significant variables. In addition, muscle cell density falls because of natural aging process and decreased muscle function in rhabdosphincter, with the overall volume reducing from 88% at birth to 34% in the 90th year of life . Female SUI is frequently caused by multiple factors, including dysfunctions of the sphincter and nerve injury. The mid-urethral sling has the benefit of requiring less intervention time. The rate of any re-operation was 5.56.9% in long term follow-up . However, several organizations has frequently issued warnings against the use of mesh materials in the treatment of female urinary incontinence as the result of many severe adverse events .

Preclinical studies have progressively used several stem cell types to treat SUI in recent years. Determine the best cell type for therapeutic usage by carefully weighing the benefits and drawbacks of each sort. The idea of regenerative medicine is based on the rehabilitation of a dysfunctional rhabdosphincter, with enhancements in the activity of the sphincter’s muscles as well as its blood flow.

Urinary Incontinence In Children Facts

Urinary incontinence in children is very common.
Nighttime wetting is more common than daytime wetting .
Most urinary incontinence is nonorganic and resolves without intervention.
Persistent primary enuresis and secondary enuresis may require further medical evaluation.
Treatment for most cases of enuresis involves behavioral modification.
Bedwetting alarms are very effective.
Medications should be reserved for select children.
Less than 1% of all affected children have persistent incontinence into adulthood.

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Urinary Incontinence In Women: What You Need To Know

Urinary incontinence is the accidental loss of urine.
Over 25 million adult Americans experience temporary or chronic urinary incontinence.
This condition can occur at any age, but it is more common in women over the age of 50.
There are four types of urinary incontinence: urgency, stress, functional and overflow incontinence.
Behavioral therapies, medications, nerve stimulation and surgery are some of the treatments available for managing urinary incontinence.

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Why Is Urinary Incontinence A Health Issue

Urinary incontinence is a very common problem in aging women . When women leak urine during exercise, sneezing, or coughing, doctors call this type of incontinence stress-related . When women have strong urges to urinate and have trouble holding urine until getting to the bathroom, they may have what is known as urgency incontinence . Although most women have one or the other type of incontinence, older women often have both types. Incontinence hurts womens self-confidence, interferes with their ability to enjoy their favorite activities, and decreases the quality of their lives .

Medications That May Cause Increased Urination

Urinary incontinence – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology

There are several potential causes of frequent urination, and the meds youre taking might be one of them.

Stocksy

Maybe youve noticed that youre rushing to the restroom lately. Or youre waking up in the middle of the night to go. Perhaps youre needing to take way more breaks at work to pee.

There are many potential causes of frequent urination. They include, but are not limited to, an increase in water intake, a urinary tract infection, or onset of a new disease such as diabetes, as the Mayo Clinic notes.

Its worth asking yourself: Have I started a new medication lately?

That gotta-go impulse is a relatively common side effect of various drugs available over-the-counter and by prescription. Many medications can lead to urinary retention and something we call overflow incontinence, which is when the bladder is not able to contract and expel urine effectively, leaving urine in the bladder, says Brooke D. Hudspeth, PharmD, an associate professor and the chief practice officer at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy in Lexington. Other meds may interfere with the function of the urethra and lead to leakage or cause the bladder to quickly fill up with urine and make you pee more frequently.

Whether youre on diuretics to reduce your blood pressure, a decongestant to clear your sinuses, or a mood-stabilizing medication for bipolar disorder, here are some common medications that may be causing you to urinate more.

Management Of Urinary Incontinence In Dogs

Medical treatment is the best way to support the health effects of urinary incontinence. You can also take steps to manage the effects of your dogâs incontinence on your home, such as:

Using doggie diapers
Walking the dog more frequently
Using waterproof pads under their bedding
Maintaining proper hygiene to prevent skin infection

Urinary incontinence can quickly develop into an infection. Keep an eye on your dog’s condition and consult your vet for treatment plans.

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What Causes Nighttime Incontinence

After age 5, wetting at night often called bedwetting or sleepwetting is more common than daytime wetting. Experts do not know what causes nighttime incontinence. Young people who experience nighttime wetting are usually physically and emotionally normal. Most cases probably result from a mix of factors including slower physical development, an overproduction of urine at night, a lack of ability to recognize bladder filling when asleep, and, infrequently, anxiety. For many, there is a strong family history of bedwetting, suggesting an inherited factor.

Slower Physical Development

Between the ages of 5 and 10, bedwetting may be the result of a small bladder capacity, long sleeping periods, and underdevelopment of the bodys alarms that signal a full or emptying bladder. This form of incontinence will fade away as the bladder grows and the natural alarms become operational.

Excessive Output of Urine During Sleep

Normally, the body produces a hormone that can slow the production of urine. This hormone is called antidiuretic hormone, or ADH. The body normally produces more ADH at night so that the need to urinate is lower. If the body doesnt produce enough ADH at night, the production of urine may not be slowed down, leading to bladder overfilling. If a child does not sense the bladder filling and awaken to urinate, then wetting will occur.

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Treatment For Urinary Incontinence In Children

There are many different treatment options for urinary incontinence. The right treatment for your child will depend on whats causing the incontinence.

Behaviour modification The most common treatment for urinary incontinence is behaviour modification, which is also called urotherapy.

This involves giving children information about how their bodies store and get rid of wee, and also about:

going to the toilet regularly
not holding on when they need to wee
recognising the signs of needing to do a wee.

Your child might need to keep a diary of how often they go to the toilet, how long they go between wees, and how often they wet themselves.

Your child might also need to keep track of how much they drink and how much wee they do when they go to the toilet. As part of the treatment, your child will probably be asked to wee at particular times throughout the day.

Medication In some cases, the doctor might prescribe medication to treat daytime wetting. The type of medication depends on the cause. Your doctor can explain why medication is needed and whether it has any side effects.

Other treatment options Depending on the cause of your childs urinary incontinence, there are other treatment options. These treatment options are for more complex cases of incontinence, and your GP will usually refer you to a specialist for advice about these options.

Book An Appointment With Urology Specialist Today

Common Medications Used to Treat Male Urinary Incontinence

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Data Collection And Measurement

A research assistant recorded medication use from bottle labels for prescription drugs and over-the-counter products at the time of the initial clinic visit. Adherence was determined by asking patients if they were currently consuming each medication as prescribed. The name of each prescribed medication, the frequency, daily dose, and treatment duration were recorded. Medications were coded according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Classification for users and non-users of oral estrogens, alpha-blocking agents , benzodiazepines, antidepressants, antipsychotics, ACE inhibitors, loop diuretics, NSAIDs, lithium, narcotics and calcium channel blockers. Medications known to cause pedal edema such as other GABAergic analgesics and the thiazolinedione hypoglycemic agents were also recorded. Local estrogen formulations were not considered in this analysis.

Whats Unique About Yale Medicines Approach To Addressing Urinary Incontinence In Children

When I started out 25 years ago, no one was interested in kids wetting their pants, reflects Dr. Franco. Thats why he built the first program in southwestern Connecticut for young patients with incontinence issues. His team is dedicated to the treatment and care of children who need help in gaining control of their bladdersand their lives.

At Yale Medicine, we take a holistic approach to solving incontinence issues in children, considering all the factors that could be causing them. Our treatments range from simple fixes such as solving constipation to more complex solutions such as surgically addressing anatomical problems. Currently, were conducting clinical trials for children who have difficult-to-solve cases of urinary incontinence.

No matter what the cause, at Yale Medicine Pediatric Urology, we are experts in diagnosing and treating urinary incontinence issues in children of all ages.

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Diuretics As A Cause Of Urinary Incontinence

Commonly called “water pills,” diuretics work in the kidney to reduce blood pressure by flushing excess water and salt out of the body.

“If you take your diuretic, you are making more urine,” says David Ginsberg, MD, a urologist and associate professor of clinical urology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

That translates to more bathroom visits and a worsening of incontinence symptoms, he says.

“If you need the diuretic, you need it,” says Ginsberg. But he recommends you pay more attention to the recommended incontinence treatments, following your doctor’s instructions to the letter.

That may mean paying more attention to doing your Kegel exercises, designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Weakened pelvic floor muscles are often the cause of a common type of urinary incontinence called stress incontinence, in which small amounts of urine are leaked, especially when you cough, sneeze, or laugh.

Once you learn how to do Kegel exercises correctly , you can do them nearly anytime — even while driving a car or watching TV or sitting at your desk.

If nighttime incontinence is a problem, you might ask your doctor if you could take the diuretic in the morning, suggests Jennifer Anger, MD, MPH, a urologist at Santa Monica — UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, Calif., and an assistant professor of urology at the University of California Los Angeles’ David Geffen School of Medicine.

Incontinence In Alzheimers Disease

Urinary Frequency, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

People in the later stages of Alzheimers disease often have problems with urinary incontinence. This can be a result of not realizing they need to urinate, forgetting to go to the bathroom, or not being able to find the toilet. These tips may help:

Avoid drinks like caffeinated coffee, tea, and sodas, which may increase urination. But dont limit water.
Keep hallways clear and the bathroom clutter-free, with a light on at all times.
Provide regular bathroom breaks.
Use underwear that is easy to get on and off, and absorbent briefs or underwear for trips away from home.

Visit Alzheimers Disease: Common Medical Problems for more tips.

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Antidepressants As A Cause Of Urinary Incontinence

While a few antidepressants actually help urinary incontinence , most can worsen symptoms of urinary incontinence, at least in some people, Appell tells WebMD.

Antidepressants can impair the contractility of the bladder, and that can worsen symptoms of overflow incontinence, in which the bladder can’t empty completely. Other antidepressants may decrease your awareness of the need to void.

If you think your antidepressant is worsening your incontinence, talk to your doctor about switching to another medication.

When To See A Health Care Provider And What To Expect

Talk to your health care provider if you have urinary incontinence or any signs of a bladder problem, such as:

Needing to urinate more frequently or suddenly
Urinating eight or more times in one day
Passing only small amounts of urine after strong urges to urinate
Trouble starting or having a weak stream while urinating

Your doctor may recommend urodynamic testing and perform the following to try to figure out what might be causing your bladder problem:

Give you a physical exam and take your medical history.
Ask about your symptoms and the medications you take.
Take urine and blood samples.
Examine the inside of your bladder using a cystoscope a long, thin tube that slides up into the bladder through the urethra. This is usually done by a urinary specialist.
Fill the bladder with warm fluid and use a cystoscope to check how much fluid your bladder can hold before leaking.
Order or perform a bladder ultrasound to see if you are fully emptying your bladder with each void.
Ask you to keep a daily diary of when you urinate and when you leak urine. Your primary care doctor may also send you to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in urinary tract problems.

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