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Incontinence & Overactive Bladder Health Center

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Diet, Drugs, and Urinary Incontinence Symptoms

What you eat and drink, as well as the drugs you take, may all have an effect on incontinence symptoms. Use these two charts to learn more about the potential effects of food, drink, and medication on incontinence.

Diet and Urinary Incontinence Symptoms

Food or Drink

Effect on Incontinence

What to Do

Too much water or other fluid

Overfills the bladder.

Drink no more than 2 liters (about 2 quarts) of fluid a day.

Drink most fluids during the daytime and limit fluids in the evening.

Too little fluid

Irritates the bladder.

Promotes infection.

Drink at least 1 liter (about 1 quart) of fluid every day.

Alcoholic beverages

Cause dehydration by increasing the amount of urine.

Interfere with brain’s signals to the bladder about when to release urine.

Cut down on or eliminate alcohol.

Caffeine-containing drinks and foods (such as coffee, tea, colas, or chocolate)

Stimulate the bladder.

Act as diuretics, producing more urine.

Reduce or eliminate caffeine from your diet.

Acidic foods and drinks (such as citrus fruits, coffee, tea, and tomatoes)

Irritate the bladder.

Cut down or avoid these items.

Carbonated drinks

Irritate sensitive bladders.

Use sparingly or not at all.

Spicy foods

Irritate the bladder.

Avoid these foods.

Sugar, honey, and artificial sweeteners

Irritate the bladder.

Limit your use of these foods, if possible.

Medicine and Urinary Incontinence Symptoms

Medicine

Effect on Incontinence

What to Do

High blood pressure medicine (diuretic “water pills", calcium channel blockers, and more)

Some increase urine output.

Some relax the bladder, allowing urine to escape.

 

Let your doctor know that your medication may be making incontinence worse.

Ask your doctor if you can adjust the dose or switch to another medication to lower your blood pressure.

If you cannot switch or adjust medications, ask your doctor about ways to limit the incontinence symptoms.

Antidepressants, sedatives, and tranquilizers

Some hinder ability of the bladder to contract.

Some decrease your awareness of the need to urinate.

(Note that some may improve incontinence symptoms.)

Ask your doctor about switching to another medication or to another type of therapy to treat your depression.

Muscle relaxants

Relax bladder muscles.

Use only if necessary.

Ask your doctor about steps to limit incontinence side effects.

Sleeping pills

Reduce your awareness that the bladder is full.

Explore alternatives to sleeping pills, such as exercising regularly to sleep better, or launching a bedtime ritual.

If you suspect that any of your drugs are making incontinence worse, DO NOT stop taking the medication on your own. Rather, tell your doctor about your concerns. Your doctor may be able to switch or adjust your medication to relieve these incontinence symptoms. In some cases, however, the benefit of the medication may be worth the increase in your incontinence symptoms. If so, work with your doctor to find other ways to ease those symptoms.

WebMD Medical Reference

Reviewed by Marcel Horowitz, MD on February 10, 2009

ENABLEX is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder:

  • · having a strong need to go to the bathroom right away (also called "urgency")
  • · leaks or wetting accidents (also called "urinary incontinence")
  • · having to go to the bathroom too often (also called "urinary frequency")

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

You should not take once-daily ENABLEX if you have certain types of stomach problems, glaucoma, or have trouble emptying your bladder. Side effects of ENBLEX include blurred vision, and more commonly dry mouth, constipation, indigestion, and abdominal pain. Use caution when doing certain activities until you know how ENBALEX affects you.

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