effects of bladder control meds

Submitted by saddleup on August 25, 2009 - 8:22am
Body: 

I'm 54, post-menopausal, with a cystocele that has recently become worse, after a year of largely "living well" and using WW techniques. Twinges felt in my abdomen suggest to me that perhaps some ligaments have let go a little more, and my POP is more irritating and producing more episodes of incontinence. I hope this is not a permanet setback, but it is a depressing experience. I wonder if some medication I'm on has contributed.

I've been on a low dose of Detrol LA, one of the "overactive bladder" control meds commonly prescribed. When it was prescribed, I argued with the uro-gyn doctor that my problem is structural, i.e., the bladder neck has moved and the sphincter muscles don't line up with the urethra like they should. He said it would still help control the urinary incontinence because it keeps the detrusor muscle of the bladder from firing randomly. I took it on faith, you might say.

Nine months or so later, I don't think it really helps, and it may have made things worse for me in the long run. Constipation is a listed side effect of Detrol LA. I take a full glass of water with the medication, as recommended. I get lots of exercise and eat fruits and vegetables. However, I have had several bouts of constipation anyway. Trying to not strain, but worrying that excess stool is causing harmful pressure in the pelvis, puts one into almost a no-win situation.

I was wondering if anyone else on this forum had tried Detrol or similar meds, and with what results. I've made an appointment with the doctor for later this month, though not till after I return from a long trip by car and airplane. I wish that surgery would actually fix a cystocele without causing huge new problems in the future, but it doesn't seem to have a good track record, does it? Things could be better.....

Thanks for any insights you all can give.

Saddleup

louiseds

August 25, 2009 - 9:26am

Hi Saddleup

Just wondering if this is a drug that breaks down quickly. If it is you could do a little trial without it for a week or so and see what happens. If it is a drug that hangs around in the system you might need a longer time. Check the drug's website. They usually have all that stuff on their site. Also, check how much better it is than a control treatment in clinical trials not done by the manufacturer.

Do you know about the little pressure point under your nose that you can press to stop your bladder from spasming? It will buy you a couple of minutes to get to the toilet. I don't know why, but this always happens to me when I have been outside, and am coming in, either from working in the garden or from arriving home in the car. I had my most recent period in February, just short of my 56th birthday so I suspect menopause may be at work too, though my POPs are the same as ever, less if anything. Might have to crack out the Kegels but I suspect they won't help because the POP's seem to be the main factor, not PF muscles.

Cheers

Louise

granolamom

August 25, 2009 - 1:02pm

I have to look it up and compare it to the meds my ds is on. he's on two medications, one to relax the bladder and one to relax the sphincter muscle.
the uro told us that we may find initially, and increase in incontinent episodes as his body gets used to the medications and learns (or relearns) what to do with normal amounts of urine collection.

honestly, I have mixed feelings about these meds, but sometimes the symptoms must be controlled one way or another. my ds goes back for reeval in sept so we will discussed decreasing/weaning from the meds at that time.

he's on ditropan and flomax. he was on terazosin hcl but that messed with his moods, poor boy was awfully depressed and it took us a while to figure out it was the meds.

ETA: seems that they are not the same meds, based on my 2 sec google search

Alix

August 26, 2009 - 7:33am

I have had some success using glycol suppositories for the occasional episode of constipation. For those who haven't seen these, they are like little torpidoes made of jelly. Once inserted into the rectum, they are supposed to soften the stool and also encourage evacuation. The results are not immediate or uncontrollable, any more than with a normal bowel movement. (Action in about 15 minutes.) I have found them easier than I feared to insert, but occasionally 5 minutes after insertion my body ejects the pessary unchanged into my underwear, I have no idea why. The instructions say to moisten the pointed end before insertion. The first time I went one better and moistened the whole thing under the tap, but this was a mistake as it made the suppository uncontrollably slippery. WARNING! Once I was feeling uncomfortable so although I had had a large bowel movement not long before I tried a suppository. The discomfort continued, and after quite a while I had sudden involuntary leakage - a lot of slippery gluey stuff. Had I been out of the house it could have been really embarrassing. I deduce that it is important for the stool softening stuff to meet and mix with some stool.

I only use this method when all else has failed: generally a high fibre vegetarian diet plus bran and psyllium husk and ground linseed plus exercise plus lots of fluid work for me. But it is soothing to know that I do have the pessaries as backup.