Bladder And Bowel Problems Due To Antidepressants: How To Deal With Them

Bladder And Bowel Problems Due To Antidepressants: How To Deal With Them

INCONTINENCE OF URINE or the need to rush urgently to the toilet to avoid being incontinent, is a problem in a minority of people taking the modern antidepressants.

For these side-effects, the medication PROBANTHINE may help, although usually only in a minority of cases.  Probanthine needs to be taken 3 to 4 times a day and may give you a dry mouth.

Constipation and difficulty passing urine are very common side effects from the tricyclic antidepressants.  Constipation also occurs in a minority of people taking the modern antidepressant agents, especially Nefazodone.  Diarrhoea is a common side effect of the other modern antidepressants available, being the SSRIs and Effexor.  

CONSTIPATION is a common side-effect of the older antidepressants and occurs in a minority of those taking the newer drugs, often due to interference with nerve transmission in the cholinergic system.  There is an antidote to the range of anticholinergic symptoms.  BETHANECHOL  (UROCARB) is a simple antidote, which will relieve the anticholinergic side effects of tricyclic antidepressants in the majority of people.  This medication normally has no side effects itself and needs to be taken in a dose of 10-20 mgs three times per day usually.  While the timing of the medication is not an issue for the majority of people, some people find Bethanechol works far better if taken on an empty stomach and half an hour before any food is consumed.

Older people have to be cautious if the antidepressant they are taking causes constipation, due to the rare possibility they will go on to develop bowel obstruction. 

Older men, especially with enlarge prostate glands, also have to be careful they do not develop a total inability to pass any urine as a complication of taking tricyclic antidepressants.

In some cases, it may be possible for your doctor to change your tricyclic antidepressant to one with fewer anticholinergic side effects in most people, (eg Nortriptyline or Dothiepien) or consider Mianserin, a derivative of the tricyclic antidepressants with no anticholinergic side effects.  However, do keep in mind that a new antidepressant may not necessarily give you the same benefits as the one you are currently taking.

Important Disclaimer:  This site is medical information only and is not to be taken as diagnosis, advice or treatment, which can only be decided by your own doctor.