If you are experiencing incontinence for the first time, or if already had the condition but now it has become heavier or more frequent, you may want to check any medications that you are taking for other conditions.  As a population we have become dependant on a vast array of pharmaceuticals to treat everything from cancer to toenail fungus and all of those chemicals have the potential for undesired side effects including urinary incontinence.

If you are on medication for high blood pressure for example, initially the odds are good that your doctor will place you on a diuretic.  This diuretic has a number of beneficial qualities for not only lowering your blood pressure but flushing out excess sodium but it does it by frequently and rapidly filling your bladder.  In fact if you went to a different doctor and complained that you had a constant urge to use the bathroom, and didn't mention the diuretics, it would be understandable if he diagnosed you with urge or overactive bladder incontinence and prescribe a medication for it.

Do you see where this is going?  The more chemicals we have in us the more complicated our bodies become.  Aside from the obvious chemicals like diuretics, other medications like sedatives, antidepressants and muscle relaxants have very similar side effects when it comes to incontinence.

Obviously if you're taking medication for a condition your doctor thinks you need to have it.  It's up to you and your doctor to develop a therapy that will allow you to take your medication while at the same time having a minimal affect on your bladder.  It may take adjusting dosages or changing types of medication but often there is a solution that can lessen your urinary incontinence.

In the worse case scenario, if you can't change medicines, then you can turn to a wide variety of discreet urinary incontinence products like pads and pants to manage your condition and allow yourself to continue your normal lifestyle without fear of a public accident.

About the Author:
For over 40 years Dryforlife.co.uk has been a leading source of discreet information on urinary incontinence.  If you would like to learn more about this subject, please visit our site at http://incontinencehelp.dryforlife.co.uk/medications-and-their-effect-on-urinary-incontinence/2009/06/12/