Antihistamine's and incontinence

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I'm 8 weeks post-op (radical robotic prostatectomy)and I thought I was actually starting to see a little improvement with my incontinence.....until the last couple of days.

I have been experiencing some pollen related allergy symptoms (post nasal drip, sinus pressure, etc) the past few days and I started taking an over-the-counter antihistamine (chlorpheniramine maleate)to help dry me up. Since I started taking these antihistamine pills, my incontinence has definitely gotten worse.....much more leaking and dribbling and less muscle control of my bladder. I did a little "due diligence" on the web this evening and found a couple of articles that indicated "some antihistamines can actually relax the bladder" causing urinary issues.

Anyone have any experience with this? I'm going to knock off taking the allergy pills for a few days and see if things get better for me.

 

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I take Zyrtec most days. I'm lucky I guess. No affect either way.

 

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Sudafed helps improve my incontinence.

 

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May I sound a warning bell? If these medications are categorized as anticolinergics (sp?) you should do some in-depth research before taking them, as there is a strong connection between them and Alzheimer's (or another form of dementia- I forget which.) I read that about 2 years ago, and the doctors being quoted sounded quite concerned about it. Sorry, I remember very little else regarding the article, or where I read it. FYI...

 

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Zyrtec is an antihistamine, Sudafed is not (decongestant). Antihistamine's are not classified as an Anticholinergic drug.

Anyone else have any issues with antihistamine's and incontinence effect?

 

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If you take something like Sudafed, it will make you pee much more because it’s a stimulant more than 4x as strong as caffeine. It’s one of the primary ingredients that illicit drug makers use to make meth. Similar meds would be Allegra-D, Claritin-D, anything with a “-D” after it means Decongestant, just like Sudafed. This is also true of other stimulant drugs like Adderall or Ritalin, which will increase your incontinence by 2-3x.

When I take plain Claritin (*not* the Claritin-D kind), I experience zero increased incontinence. I highly recommend the brand name, and the medication delivery method to be via the rapid melts, which melt after a future seconds of being on the roof of your mouth.

Try that instead of what you’re using and let us know how it goes.

 

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I remember reading and being asked if allergy medications helped with my incontinence. I still take OTC allergy medications, seasonally, periodically. I don't recall +/- effects on bladder urges/leaks.

So, I was curious to relook into it because of the comments on this thread. What a short query shows is that some allergy medications can help with incontinence. Here is _an_ example of information found:

10 Medications That May Cause Increased Urination

There are several potential causes of frequent urination, and the meds you’re taking could be one of the culprits. Here is a list of medications that may be giving you that “gotta go” feeling.

www.everydayhealth.com

It can help in cases of stress incontinence. I don't have experience w/ prostatectomies, this would be something to write/email your doctor.