Medication

Oestrogen therapy

Many women develop overactive bladders after going through the menopause. The bladder is very sensitive to hormone levels, and this may affect you even if you are using HRT treatments. Using an oestrogen cream or pessary, which is inserted into the vagina, can help replenish the oestrogen levels and improve OAB symptoms.

This type of oestrogen treatment is very safe as only minimal amounts are absorbed into the rest of the body, and it does not have the risks associated with many other types of oestrogen treatments.

Anti-muscarinic tablets

  • image
If the above treatments do not work, the doctor may recommend medication. Antimuscarinics (also called anticholinergics) are the most commonly used medicines, and these include: oxybutynin, tolterodine, fesoterodine, trospium chloride, darifenacin, and solifenacin. These also come in different brand names. They work by relaxing the bladder muscle and making it less sensitive, which can increase the bladder capacity. 

These medicines may help you to control your bladder symptoms and may make it easier to do the bladder training described above. Side-effects are not uncommon, but are usually minor and tolerable. The most common are dry mouth, dry eyes, constipation or blurred vision. Some patients find the first drug they try does not suit them, either due to side-effects or because if doesn’t work very well. If this happens, don’t worry: the medicines all have differences, and you may find that if one medicine causes troublesome side-effects a switch to a different one may suit you better.