5 Ways to Treat an Overactive Bladder

1. Train Your Bladder

Overactive bladder, very common in older adults, can be treated with bladder training. You'll be taught techniques that will allow you to resist the urge to urinate, gradually expanding the intervals you can go between voiding.

2. Prescription Medication to the Rescue

There are many drugs classified as anticholinergics (antispasmodics) that are effective in alleviating the symptoms of overactive bladder as well as in reducing episodes of urge incontinence. They work by relaxing the bladder muscles, which reduces the contractions that can lead to frequent urges and wetting accidents. If you take them orally once per day, these medications will usually take effect within 2 weeks. These medications include oxybutinin (Ditropan), tolterodine (Detrol), trospium (Sanctura) and solifenacin (Vesicare).

3. Overactive Bladder Patch

Oxybutinin can also be delivered by a transdermal system in the form of Oxytrol. This thin, clear, flexible patch is applied to the skin of the hip or abdomen twice per week to treat overactive bladder. The patch delivers a continuous dose of oxybutinin through your skin into your bloodstream and can relieve your symptoms for up to 4 days.

4. Stimulate the Sacral Nerve

Sacral-nerve stimulation, or neuromodulation therapy, involves the use of an implanted neurostimulation system, called an InterStim. This system sends mild electrical pulses to the sacral nerve, which is the nerve by your tailbone that influences the bladder-control muscles. Stimulating this nerve may relieve symptoms of urge incontinence and overactive bladder.

5. Surgery for a Bigger Bladder

If behavioral therapy, medication and sacral-nerve stimulation all fail to relieve overactive bladder symptoms, you may elect to undergo augmentation cystoplasty. This procedure uses pieces of your bowel to replace a portion of your bladder to increase its capacity. This procedure is performed only as a last resort, since it may require you to use a catheter to empty your bladder.