The choice of treatment will depend on how severe the symptoms are, and how much they interfere with your lifestyle. There are three main treatment approaches for urge incontinence: medication, retraining, and surgery. MEDICATION If evidence of infection is found in a urine culture, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. Medications used to treat urge incontinence relax the involuntary bladder contractions and help improve bladder function. There are several types of medications that may be used alone or in combination: Anticholinergic agents (oxybutynin, tolterodine, enablex, sanctura, vesicare, oxytrol); Antispasmodic medications (flavoxate); Tricyclic antidepressants (imipramine, doxepin). Oxybutynin (Ditropan) and tolterodine (Detrol) are medications to relax the smooth muscle of the bladder. These are the most commonly used medications for urge incontinence and are available in a once-a-day formula that makes dosing easy and effective. The most common side effects of anticholinergic medicines are dry mouth and constipation. The medications cannot be used by patients with narrow angle glaucoma. Flavoxate (Urispas) is an antispasmodic drug. However, studies have shown that it is not always effective at controlling symptoms of urge incontinence. Tricyclic antidepressants have also been used to treat urge incontinence because of their ability to "paralyze" the bladder smooth muscle. Possible side effects include: Blurred vision; Dizziness; Dry mouth; Fatigue; Insomnia; Nau
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