The surprising link between that ‘leak’ and your medicine cabinet
Of all the Big Pharma ads out there, you have to admit that the ones for overactive bladder (OAB) are over the top.
We’ve got walking bladders that take people by the hand to the bathroom and a horrifying pitch to inject our bladders with Botox.
And if you or someone you live suffers from OAB, I understand why you’d try just about anything to get it under control. There’s nothing more embarrassing than an unexpected “leak” or having to make a mad dash for the nearest toilet.
But before you start taking powerful (and dangerous) pills for your OAB, French scientists have a new discovery you need to know about.
Because prescription drugs might not solve your problem — but there’s a good chance they’re causing it.
Leave it to Big Pharma to cause a problem and then try to sell you a drug to fix it.
According to the Urology Care Foundation, about 33 million Americans suffer from OAB — most of them women. And lots of them are given risky meds to tackle the problem (more on those in a minute).
But in lots of cases, it’s not your bladder that’s failing you — it’s the prescription drugs you’re taking, usually for conditions that have nothing to do with your bladder at all.
A group of French researchers recently put together a complete list of medications that can cause incontinence. And it’s practically a who’s who of some of the most popular drugs on the market today!
Some of the meds they found that can cause OAB and “leakage” include:
- Benzo drugs, such as Xanax, Librium, Valium and Halcion, which can relax the urethra.
- Antidepressants, including Seroquel, Risperdal, Clozaril and Versacloz. These meds can reduce muscle tone and relax the muscles that hold the bladder closed and keep you from having accidents.
- Alpha blockers, used for high blood pressure and some prostate problems. These drugs can cause urine leakage by reducing the muscle tone and relaxing your bladder muscles.
- Hormone replacement therapy meds such as Premarin, Prempro and Premphase. On top of all the other issues that come along with these drugs, they can undermine the strength of collagen, something that helps the connective tissue provide support to your bladder.
- Meds for dementia and Alzheimer’s, like donepezil. This one is just heartbreaking! Can you imagine how many of these people are having their bladder symptoms shrugged off by docs who say it’s just another symptom of dementia?
Now, we all know what happens when someone who’s taking one (or more) of these meds asks a typical mainstream doctor about OAB. Nine out of ten times the Rx pad will be whipped out and a prescription for one of those heavily advertised bladder medicines will be given out.
And they have some horrible side effects of their own.
Take Myrebetriq, for example. That cute little animated bladder you see all over TV could lead you right to heart problems, cancer, liver damage, urinary tract infections, high blood pressure, and…”trouble emptying your bladder.”
Talk about going from the frying pan to the fire!
And over the past few years the mainstream has even been pushing Botox — that same stuff celebrities inject into their wrinkles — to improve bladder control.
Let’s leave that stuff to the Kardashians! Botox paralyzes your muscles, which can make it painful to go to the bathroom. In one clinical trial, some folks who got Botox ended up with catheters for months.
So if you’re having a problem with OAB or urine leakage, the very first thing you need to do is check your medicine cabinet for one of these drugs I’ve mentioned. Then go directly to your doctor and find out what alternatives may be available.
And keep in mind that there are natural supplements like magnesium and vitamin D that help with nerve and muscle function and can help improve bladder control.
These safe remedies are a good place to start for OAB.
Because the only thing that may be worse than suffering a side effect like incontinence from drugs is taking yet another drug to treat it.
Sources:
“Drugs that cause loss of bladder control” Worst Pills Best Pills Newsletter, February, 2016, worstpills.org
