Aging Support Group

Johns Hopkins Health Alert

The Best Ways to Treat Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder is a common bladder control problem in which a frequent and intense urge to urinate may be accompanied by wetting accidents. Approximately 33 million Americans are affected by overactive bladder, and the risk increases with age. Contrary to popular belief, men are just as likely as women to develop overactive bladder, although women are more likely to experience wetting accidents.

In men, the symptoms of overactive bladder can be mistakenly attributed to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In fact, some men suffer from both overactive bladder and BPH. Bladder control problems may also be caused by stress incontinence, a leakage of urine brought on by activities such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercising. Because stress incontinence can overlap with both overactive bladder and BPH, proper evaluation by a physician is essential for an accurate diagnosis. If overactive bladder is the problem, a variety of effective treatments are available.

The best program for someone with overactive bladder involves:

•eliminating bladder irritants

•drinking four to eight glasses of water a day (because restricting fluid intake results in concentrated urine that can irritate the bladder)

•strengthening the pelvic floor muscles

•retraining the bladder

•taking medication

A complete bladder-training program can take as long as 60 days to produce results. The goals are to be able to hold about 1 pint of urine in the bladder and to urinate every two to four hours during the day.

To begin the program, keep a detailed bladder control diary for at least 72 hours. The diary helps you keep track of what you drink, how much you drink, how many times you urinate and how much each time (a minimal, moderate, or large amount), whether you felt a strong, sudden urge to urinate, and what activity was interrupted by the need to urinate. Wetting accidents are also noted.

Kegel exercises are performed daily. These exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and help reconnect the transmission of nerve impulses between the bladder and the brain.

To retrain the bladder, when you feel the urge to urinate, try to hold the urine for five minutes before going to the bathroom. The pelvic floor exercises will help with this. Each week, add five minutes to the length of time the urine is held before going to the bathroom.

Prescription drugs for overactive bladder relax the bladder muscle and decrease its sensitivity to irritants. By reducing the sensation of urgency, the drugs also provide more time to get to the toilet.

Posted in Enlarged Prostate on March 15, 2011

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Medical Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute for the advice of a physician

Thanks nevayda hope your sunday is great.

These last two days here have been beautiful. Yesterday was 80 during the day and into the 40's at night. Today is not quite as warm, but still beautiful. As I was driving today, there were two more forsythia bushes in full bloom, and daffodils. they weren't there last week. The dogwood are are in bloom and we have a pink flowering tree in the front yard in bloom. A wren began building her nest on a shelf under the backporch roof yesterday, and the carpenter bees appeared once again. I have to get some spray to stop them from making little circles in the wood for their nests. I put up another bird feeder right in the tree in front of the front porch, and today did get my new humingbird feeder up. I babysat this morning, so he and I did more raking around the house, moved a plant from a container to outside my backdoor, found dirt in the y ard to fill the container and planted beets. He planted the seed after sticking his two year old finger down in the dirt,followed by a seed, and then he watered them with the watering can. So, now we have beets, lettuce, which is coming up already, and peas. I think we found a place to plant sunflower seeds this week. He is also learning to put tools (and toys) back in their place when we're done using them. He found a worm so that took about 20 minutes of attention, and after an hour and a half, I took the literally, dirt covered little boy into the house to wash up. That of course was great fun for him and he has learned how to use a fingernail brush, so after clean hands and face, fresh clothes, it was time for lunch, and then a favorite program until his Mom came home. I'm pooped!

Sounds like u had the perfect day couldn't beat that with a stick Grandkids are such fun!!

I know why i am feeling good and doing more. I'm taking prednisone tablets for my itchy skin. I am hypersensitive to poison plants and was really in a bad way. This kind of medicine makes me almost hyper so I just kept going yesterday afternoon like the energizer bunny. I'm thinking after two more days of medicine, I'll have to sleep for three days. LOL Fortunately, the itch is practically gone, the swelling has gone down and I can go out of the house again in public after 5 days of staying in the house.

Your right, goopy. I feel blessed to be able to share in the life of my 2 year old great grandson. He motivates me to reexplore old interests like gardening. It's new to him and besides we both love playing in the dirt. I just put adult concerns on h old for awhile and get into his perspective of the world for awhile, where finding and examing an earth worm is the most important thing in the world. Watching him explain to his grandmother that a seed that he planted will grow into food that he can eat is pure pleasure and wonder to me.

Did u get into poison ivy I am allergic too and I got it every year trimming my hedges got tired of that and took the hedges out. I took a lot of stuff out that required extra work cause I have to do all of it now so the easier the better. I still have my little rock garden where my pond use to be and I do potted plants in there it's easy. Well glad your skin is clearing up believe me I know how that feels.

I don't think it was poisen ivy, but either oak or sumac. Being from the north, it didn't occcur to me to have to look for it in March!! But, boy did I get a bad case of it. My g grandson got some on his arm, but just a few dots and we took him to the pediatrician right away and it hasn't spread at all, thank goodness. Me, tho, I looked awful and felt worse. It's bad stuff. Am feeling better now and the medicine to clear it up has me spring cleaning, lol,I feel about 45, lol, but know I will have to rest later. Am enjoying it while I can.

Prednisone is wonderful! I love when I'm taking it. It clears up my disease totally. However, when I go off, it comes right back with a vengeance! One can't take Prednisone indefinitely because of serious side-effects. Darn it!

What a good day you had! Glad you are enjoying the springtime and the grandchild. Nothing is better.

Violet, what is it about prednisone that clears up your illness?