Bladder incontinence medications:
when the goal is control

When urinary control doesn’t return as quickly as hoped, your loved one’s doctor may prescribe one of several bladder incontinence medications.

The drugs used for “male incontinence” following treatment for prostate cancer are usually the same drugs that are used to treat a common condition called overactive bladder.

There are several different medications

You may already be familiar with some of the brand names of these drugs (as they are often advertised on television), including Detrol, Ditropan, Enablex, Oxytrol, Sanctura, and VESIcare.

While these drugs may contain different ingredients, they are typically prescribed to help reduce the frequent or urgent need to urinate.

Like medications for erection problems, if one medication doesn’t work well, your loved one can ask his doctor to try another. The most common side effects from these medications are dry mouth and constipation.

Sometimes the antidepressant Tofranil may be prescribed for moderate stress incontinence.

They may be used alone or with other methods

Bladder incontinence medications may be prescribed in addition to behavior modification techniques.

This may include drinking fewer fluids and staying away from foods or drinks that contain caffeine, because they can increase the need to urinate.

Your loved one may also be advised to do something called “double voiding.” When he is finished urinating, he remains at the toilet and urinates again after about a minute to completely empty his bladder.

Updated 6/09

Leach GE. Incontinence treatment options for post-prostatectomy. Prostate Cancer Research Institute. http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/sidefx/Leach_Incontinence.html. Accessed January 6, 2009.