Medications Linked to Incontinence Issues

Urinary incontinence, or loss of bladder control, is a frustrating problem for more than 13 million Americans, most of them women.  Incontinence is an issue that many women deal with but few and that can stem from multiple different sources.  One wouldn’t expect that the prescriptions they are using for other ailments would cause side effects like incontinence, however, with a few medications, that is the case. Commonly used drugs could be the cause of your incontinence.

If you have noticed that since starting a new prescribed medication has seemingly been combined with an issue with urinary and untimely leaks or similar, you may wish to discuss with your doctor.  From there, your medication could possibly be altered, swapped out or reduced.

Here are the most common medications that can worsen or cause urinary incontinence:

High Blood Pressure Meds. Also called alpha-adrenergic antagonists or alpha blockers, these high blood pressure drugs dilate blood vessels to reduce blood pressure. In fact, they are often prescribed to help relax the muscles in the bladder which allow for urine to flow more easily. Women taking an alpha blocker who are experiencing urinary incontinence should also ask their doctor if there is an alternative medication available to treat their high blood pressure.

Antidepressants and Incontinence. While a few antidepressants actually help urinary incontinence, many are linked to worsening symptoms of incontinence.

Antidepressants can negatively affect the bladder’s ability to contract, worsening symptoms of overflow incontinence, because the bladder doesn’t entirely empty. Other antidepressants may actually affect one’s ability to maintain awareness around bodily functions, causing them to misjudge or miss altogether a timely trip to the restroom.  

Diuretics. Known for prompting the kidneys to reduce blood pressure by flushing excess water and salt out of the body, diuretics can certainly cause more urine to flow, leading oftentimes to incontinence.

 Simply keep an eye out for any increase in urinary incontinence or untimely leaks, relative to your intake of medications.  Of course, whether taking medications or not, be sure to discuss incontinence with your doctor as there are multiple options that can help you manage and maintain your pelvic health.