How is urge incontinence (overactive bladder) treated?
Several approaches are used to treat urge incontinence (also called overactive bladder), which is the sudden and strong sensation of needing to use the bathroom, followed by a leakage of urine before this can happen. It’s more common in older women, but many men are also affected. First-line treatments: Bladder training. Bladder training requires up to six weeks of dedicated effort but can be very effective. Not all doctors have the experience or time to coach patients through this method of learning to gradually gain better control over the bladder. One tactic is to try to develop a schedule for bathroom breaks and consciously delay urination until the set time. Gradually, the break times can be spaced farther apart. Biofeedback and electrical stimulation also are sometimes used to retrain the bladder. Dietary changes. Controlling fluid intake and avoiding acidic foods (which are known to irritate the bladder) are especially useful with this type of incontinence. But withholding fluid
