Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common condition affecting millions worldwide, causing sudden and frequent urination urges, often resulting in involuntary leakage. The symptoms of OAB can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life, causing embarrassment, social isolation, and a loss of confidence.
However, the good news is that OAB can be treated, and its symptoms can be relieved.
This blog will explore the various treatment options available to manage OAB and help you achieve lasting relief from its symptoms.
Table of Content:
- What Is Overactive Bladder And What Are Its Symptoms?
- Lifestyle Changes to Manage Overactive Bladder
- Medications for Overactive Bladder
- Botox Injections for Overactive Bladder
- Final Words
What Is Overactive Bladder And What Are Its Symptoms?
Overactive bladder disorder is a medical condition arising from involuntary bladder muscle contractions. It is a dysfunction in bladder control that results in sudden and frequent urges to urinate, often without the individual’s ability to control them.
The impact of this condition on daily life can be significant. It may result in urinary incontinence, which can be a source of embarrassment and restrict activities.
OAB can present various symptoms that can impact an individual’s daily life. These symptoms include:
- A frequent need to urinate, more than eight times a day,
- sudden and difficult-to-ignore urges to urinate (urgency),
- waking up at night more than once to urinate (nocturia),
- urine leakage that cannot be stopped (incontinence).
However, it is essential to note that men and women may present with different symptoms of OAB. For example, men may experience excessive nocturia, while women are more likely to give with urgent or mixed urinary incontinence.
Lifestyle Changes to Manage Overactive Bladder
OAB can be managed through lifestyle modifications that can help alleviate its symptoms. Here are some changes that individuals can make as a part of their overactive bladder treatment:
- Fluid Management:Drinking enough fluids to stay hydrated is essential, but overusing fluids can exacerbate OAB symptoms. Individuals should monitor their fluid intake and avoid drinking large amounts of fluids before bedtime, as this can increase the frequency of nighttime urination.
- Dietary Changes:Certain drinks and food can trigger OAB symptoms. Spicy or acidic foods, caffeine, and alcohol can irritate the bladder and increase urinary urgency. Individuals with OAB should limit their intake of these foods and drinks.
- Pelvic Floor Exercises:These exercises can help strengthen the muscles that control urination. It involves contracting and relaxing the muscles that control urination, which can improve bladder control and reduce urine leakage.
- Bladder Training:Bladder training is a technique that involves gradually increasing the time between urinations. This technique can help retrain the bladder to hold more urine, reducing the frequency of urination and decreasing the likelihood of urine leakage.
Medications for Overactive Bladder
Modern medications are an effective overactive bladder treatment Sydney. For example, daily prescribed tablets can reduce urination urgency by lowering bladder pressure. There are two main types of drugs for OAB management: anticholinergic medications and selective beta-3 adrenergic agonists.
Anticholinergic medications, including Darifenacin, Oxybutynin, Solifenacin, and Tolterodine, have similar efficacy in reducing urgency, frequency, and urge incontinence.
Selective beta-3 adrenergic agonists, such as Mirabegron, are well tolerated due to the lack of common anticholinergic side effects. However, Mirabegron should not be used in people with severe uncontrolled high blood pressure. On the other hand, people with well-controlled blood pressure on antihypertensive medication can safely use Mirabegron.
Botox Injections for Overactive Bladder
Botox therapy works by interfering with the chemical signalling between nerves and muscles, which reduces the ability of the bladder muscle to contract. An overactive bladder specialist injects the medication directly into the bladder muscle under local anaesthetic by passing a small telescope into the bladder.
This overactive bladder treatment Sydney is a minimally invasive procedure and is usually performed on an outpatient basis, meaning you can go home the same day. Patients typically experience a significant reduction in bladder symptoms, such as urgency, frequency, and incontinence, within a week or two of the procedure.
Patients who have not responded to medication, pelvic floor exercises, or lifestyle changes may benefit from Botox therapy. The effects of Botox therapy can last up to six months, after which the procedure can be repeated.
Final Words
An overactive bladder can be frustrating and uncomfortable, but effective treatments are available. From lifestyle changes and pelvic floor exercises to medication and Botox therapy, various options exist to manage your symptoms and achieve lasting relief. Talk to your overactive bladder specialists to find the best treatment plan for you.
