Methods for Dealing with Medication Side Effects
Many medications for women’s urinary incontinence have a drying effect on the body, which causes the common side effects of dry eyes, dry mouth, and constipation. In addition, some medications cause nausea. To handle these side effects, many women have found the following strategies to be effective.
Dry Mouth
If you experience a dry mouth as a side effect of your medication, it may seem natural to load up on fluids. Unfortunately, this can worsen your urine leakage symptoms. Instead, to moisten your mouth you can chew gum, suck on lozenges and hard candy, or melt ice chips in your mouth. You can also try some artificial over-the-counter moisteners like Biotene. Check with your health care provider or pharmacist for these kinds of products.
Dry Eyes
There are many over-the-counter eye drops that can alleviate the itchiness and irritation of dry eyes. Artificial tears and any preservative-free moisturizing eye drops should work well. If you have glaucoma, be sure to let your healthcare provider know since some medications are contra-indicated for people with glaucoma.
Constipation
Changing your diet to include more fresh fruits, vegetables, and fiber can make a big difference in preventing constipation. Also, be sure you are drinking enough water, usually between four and nine cups of water per day. Drinking too little water can actually worsen urinary leakage symptoms (as can drinking too much water), and will definitely contribute to constipation. If you can’t get enough fiber in your diet, taking a fiber supplement/stool softener can also help. Common over-the-counter fiber supplements, such as Metamucil, Miralax, Konsyl, and Citrucel, work well. You might also want to consider our own home-remedy for regular bowel movements. Simply mix ¼ cup freshly ground flaxseed, ¼ cup aloe vera juice, and ½ cup apple juice. Drink immediately. Note that it’s very important to grind the flaxseed fresh each time.
Nausea
Although this side effect is less common than the three mentioned above, it can sometimes occur. To alleviate feelings of nausea, consider drinking mint or ginger tea, or taking ginger capsules. Exercise can also sometimes help.
We hope these tips help you balance any negative side effects of medications you are taking for women’s urinary incontinence. Medication is a proven conservative therapy for urine leakage, so don’t bypass its benefits. Just learn to manage the possible side effects!