Bladder Control and your Medicines

Do you have a bladder control problem?

If so, one cause of your problem may be sitting in your medicine cabinet. Medicines (drugs) can cause people to lose bladder control.

Do not stop taking any medicine without talking to your doctor.

If your medicine is causing your bladder problem, your doctor may find another medicine. If you need to keep taking the same medicine, your doctor can help you find another way to gain bladder control.

Image of the pelvic bowl region showing the relationship of pertaining organs.

How does bladder control work?

Your bladder is a muscle shaped like a balloon. While the bladder stores urine, the muscle relaxes. When you go to the bathroom, the bladder muscle tightens to squeeze urine out of the bladder.

Two sphincter (SFINK-tur) muscles surround a tube called the urethra (yoo-REE-thrah). Urine leaves your body through this tube.

The sphincters keep the urethra closed by squeezing like rubber bands. Pelvic floor muscles under the bladder also help keep the urethra closed.

When the bladder is full, nerves in your bladder signal the brain. That's when you get the urge to go to the bathroom.

Once you reach the toilet, your brain tells the sphincter and pelvic floor muscles to relax. This allows urine to pass through the urethra. The brain signal also tells the bladder to tighten up. This squeezes urine out of the bladder.

Bladder control means you urinate only when you want to. For good bladder control, all parts of your system must work together:

Image of the bladder, and the related muscles used in the urination process. 
 
 Medicine for high blood pressure can cause bladder control problems.

How can medicines cause leaking?

Leaking can happen when medicines affect any of these muscles or nerves. For instance, medicines to treat high blood pressure may make the sphincter muscles too tight or too loose. Medicines to treat colds can have the same effect.

You may take medicine to calm your nerves so that you can sleep or relax. This medicine may dull the nerves in the bladder and keep them from signaling the brain when the bladder is full. Without the message and urge, the bladder overflows. Drinking alcohol can also cause these nerves to fail.

This is an illustration of five things that may keep the nerves in the bladder from signaling the brain that the bladder is full. These are chocolate, a glass of wine, a cup of coffee, a mug of beer, and a cup of cola. Water pills (diuretics) take fluid from swollen areas of your body and send it to the bladder. This may cause the bladder to leak because it fills more quickly than usual. Caffeine drinks such as coffee and cola have the same effect. Some foods such as chocolate also can cause bladder problems.

What can you do about your bladder control problem?

Image of the bladder, and the related muscles used in the urination process. 
 
 Your doctor needs to know what medicines you take.

Before your next doctor visit, make a list of all the prescription medicines you take. Also list medicines you buy without a prescription. Or you can bring all your medicines with you to show the doctor. Ask your doctor if any of the medicines could cause your bladder problem. Your pharmacist can also give you information about your medicines.

You may have to continue taking a medicine that causes a bladder control problem. Ask your doctor to help you find another way to control your bladder.

Other ways might include

Points to Remember

  • Never stop taking a prescribed medicine without first talking to your doctor.
  • Certain medicines, foods, and drinks can cause bladder control problems.
  • Make a list of your medicines--both prescription and nonprescription--to show your doctor. Take the list to talk about bladder control.
  • You may have to keep taking important medicines, even if they cause some bladder control problems.

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse

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The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, of the National Institutes of Health, under the U.S. Public Health Service. Established in 1987, the clearinghouse provides information about diseases of the kidneys and urologic system to people with these disorders and to their families, health care professionals, and the public. The clearinghouse answers inquiries; develops, reviews, and distributes publications; and works closely with professional and patient organizations and government agencies to coordinate resources about kidney and urologic diseases.

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Bladder Control: Let's talk about bladder control for women. There's treatment that works.

Let's Talk about Bladder Control for Women is a public health awareness campaign conducted by the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), an information dissemination service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health.

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NIH Publication No. 97-4185
January 1997

The information provided in this section should in no way serve as medical advice. Readers are encouraged to confirm the information contained here with other sources and seek medical advice from a physician. Neither the authors nor any other party who has been involved in the preparation or publication of this work warrants that the information contained herein is in every respect accurate or complete and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained for the use of such information.

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