Irritable bladder syndrome: an introduction

The symptoms of Irritable bladder are basically the same as IC & Painful bladder syndrome. Yet again the main symptoms are Frequency, Urgency & Bladder Discomfort/Pain.

Frequent emptying of the bladder can become a habit and this habit prevents the bladder from filling to its true capacity. It causes the bladder to become even more irritable and a vicious circle is established. You can retrain your bladder. Every time you get an urge to urinate, hold on by contracting your pelvic floor muscles. If "holding on" is difficult, try distracting your attention from your bladder by doing something. The feeling of urgency will subside as the bladder contraction dies away. Learn to hold your urine for longer periods. Start by choosing a time interval you are reasonably comfortable with.

If your bladder is overactive resulting in you going to the toilet too frequently or having to rush there urgently you may benefit from taking a tablet two to three times a day. These tablets are called Oxybutynin or Probantheline and they work by blocking some of the bladder activity. They are usually effective but unfortunately have some side effects the most troublesome one being the dry mouth. This side effect can often be minimized by reducing the dose of the tablets, and failing this the side effects often improve over a week or two.

Alternatively you can take the tablets on an occasional basis for instance before going out if you find the side effects troublesome. There are some medical read more