I went through pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation where the physical therapist used an intravaginal biofeedback training system. I have had improvement on holding my bladder after going thru this training. The literature she gave me says that 50-90% of people w/multiple sclerosis will have lower urinary tract dysfunction. Might be a good alternative for you to try along w/the medication.

I ALWAYS wear some sort of pad to pee in myself; I starded needing to have period pads worn everyday when I was just 14! So it's just an everyday thing, like a bra, underwear and a scrunchie is for me.

Poise pads work the best to actually pee more than a dime sized drop on/ in! If you place a thin liner on top of the Poise pad/ or whatever type you try (If you do) that could be removed if you do a squirt and you'd still be clean and not need to trough out a 5$ bill every time you are 20 seconds late to the toilet!!!!

Best of luck!(hugs)

see dr. orange below post on overactive bladder...
http://www.dailystrength.org/health_blogs/dr-orrange/article/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-an-overactive-bladder

on the oxytrol(transdermel oxybutynin) package for relief from overactive bladder(not same as bladder urgency but perhaps some of the same thing might help?)

you can pick up some oxytrol patches in the womans sectyion at walgreen... maybethe transdermel will work better than the oral & you don't need a script for the patches.
https://www.google.com/search?q=oxytrol+for+women&oq=oxytrol&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l5.9425j0j8&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8


-watch what foods you eat and drink. cofee,tea,artificial sweeners,caffine,alcohol,soda/fizzy drinks.citrus fruits,foods made with tomatoes,chocolate and spicy foods

-write it down- keep track of what you eat and drink and your tripsd to the bathroom for a few days in a "bladder diary" could show you some things that make the issue worse.

-don't limit your water nintake , drink when you are thirsty. if waking up at night touse the bathroom is a problem try to limit the amount of fluid you drink 2-3 hours b/4 bed time.


TIPSTO HELP RETRAIN YOUR BLADDER

-follow a schedule. try to follow a dailey b/r schedule..instead of going whenever you feel the slightese urge--try to go at set imes through out the day..for example you may decide to try to go every 2 hours whether you fel like you have to go or not..in time tryextending the time between b/r visits

-Go, an then Go Again-when you go to the bathroom, don't get up right away when you finish..wait a few seconds then try tomake yourself go again.

- Strengthen bladder muscles- imaging trying to stop the urine flow. Squeeze & release these muscles3-4 times in a row... several times a day

LIFESTYLE CHAM|NGES
- maintain a healthy wait.. excess weight can increase the pressure on your bladder
-Stop smoking

Hi

I also suffer from this, and also wear pads on a daily basis.

I take cranberry extract to help combat UTI's and drink at least eight glasses of water a day.

Try doing kagel exercises, that also seems to help a bit.

Good luck and HUGS

Thank you everyone! I should start doing some kegel exercises. I wasn't taking the full dose of the oxybutynin as the pharmacist had told me just to take it when i needed it. This seems to make it a little better, but it makes urinating slow and somewhat difficult and makes my mouth quite dry.

U must have been reading my mind! Just a few weeks ago I starting having this problem more severely & frequently. I started wearing a pretty heavy duty maxi pad pretty much daily a week ago, since the panty liners I had been using def don't do the job anymore. I would love to find a non-medication solution to this as I am sick of popping pills. . .

8 years ago i was taught to self cathertize & that was helpful as i didn't have a flood when i couldnt get to the br in time--i emptied my bladder by self cathin it out--anyway i had a few uti so urologist & i discussed going to med but i wanted tio keep the ption of self cathing,so i chose that, it was lucky i did bercause soon afterwards the FDA APPROVED OSYTROL OVER THE COUNTER--SO I ENDED BEING ABLE TO DO BOTH..AND THEN I READ ABOUT "BLADDER TRAINING" I HAD HEARD OF BOWEL TRAINING BUT NEVER BLADDER TRAING. i just resrtic fluids
but now igo wait a few seconds and go again---i think thats where my bladder retention was comming from--i only wear a p[atch about4-5 days and then my bladder is sluggish again i stiop werain a patch for a few weaks then when there is too many missed urgency issues i wear a patch for another week...i am tremedously impresxsed with these patchesd & feel sorry for thoser that have chosern the oral form, i read toomany people c/o of dry mouth---doesn't happen with patch. i can't speak highly enough of them and then thje ide of BLADDER TRAINING! go then wait a second and push to go again---but i think my problem causing bladder urgency is incomplete uriniation...GO AND then Go again! Works today for me.

my uro explained to me that urination is the operation of 2 valves in series with each other 1 valve at the discharge of the bladder is controled by the brain, we have no voluntary control of that valve and the second valve is the urthea which we do control...we can do kegel excersizes to strengthen, we can do that...but if the valve at the discharge of the bladder under involuntary control by the brain,affected by ms opens you cannot stop it with the valve at the urethea and i could do kegel excerrsizes until i was blue in the face and the ureatha wasn't going to stop it if the brain had oppened the valve at the base of the bladder;likewise if the valve at the base of ther bladder doesn't open you can't urinate. i was having some issues with the later when i was taught to self cath---which also took care of my bladder retention issue, preventing floods,now i am very exited about bladder training & i can't speak highly enough of patches. GO then wait a few seconds then force your self to GO again.

by patches i mean oxytrol patches----i wear urinary bladder protection pads always since 8 years ago...but i wear oxytrol patches a week at a time when i don't get to the br it time & do bladder training.

I was on oxybutynin for 2.5 years. I believe it helped.
Recently I decided to reduce the number of MS symptom meds I was taking. When you take a handful of those meds you don't know independently which of those are really working or not. work

I heard about this one PT that treats bladder and incontinence issues. She started with the idea that by strengthening my pelvic muscles it would enable me to better control my bladder demands.
She had me start doing Kegal exercises. The one you do when you are pregnant and the baby weight presses on your bladder making it hard to hold it.
Anyway try it: tighten that muscle and hold or 15 seconds then release. I do 3 sets of those 5 times a day. I do it while I'm driving and sitting at my desk. No one can see the activity.
Another exercise she suggested was when you're urinating try to stop the flow mid stream. I haven't mastered that yet but I'm practicing that one.

i've reduced the number of symptom management meds, I feel good about that. Doctors always want to prescribe meds to help all your ailments. I don't want to follow that principle any longer!

I have had constant bladder issues with my MS so my urologist who is a woman has been giving me Botox in my bladder once a yr for 3 yrs now and it really works! I was getting spasms so bad they would double me up and my bladder would then just empty, I could not go anywhere without a pad & I was miserable especially when traveling, the botox does paralyse your bladder so you have to cath till it wears off but I am very pleased with the results and cathing is easily learned,. I had tried every kind of med for it and when it starts to wear off I do go back on Tolteridine until I get it done again. It is an outpt procedure and I would recommend it to woman especially if you are still active.I asked about pelvic muscle retraining but my urologist said it wouldn't work for my bladder as it was rtoo bad. She already had me cathing so it easnt anything new to learn. Bladder infections are now non existent for me, Yeah!

I use a catheter because I cannot pee otherwise unless I have a very full bladder. I just cannot let it go. Anyway, I still have the problem with urgency or bladder spasticity. I have to go often. So I go through the maximum amount of catheters that Medicare allows monthly. Emptying your bladder with a catheter helps even if you can go because we all don't empty our bladder completely. When I am really full, I can go voluntarily but I don't empty my bladder completely and end up having to go again in 15 minutes.

Anyway, I tried Oxybutnin but it made my mouth so dry that I couldn't take it. All of those type of drugs (except a new one) cause dry mouth so I just go often. I do not know if you can train your bladder. If it wants to go, it will go. Just like I can't go no matter what I do. I can strain and go some but I can get a hernia from that so I don't recommend that.

this subject just keeps going so many struggle with it.. i was self cathing only a couple of times a month and got no bladder infection during that time then with a few monthhs i kept getting bladder infection---the doc was skeptical i had been cathing for 11 years without a bladder infection-----but i am one of those who cannot feel a bladder infection i just start having many incontince episodes--
for 11 years every time i would get alot of incontince issue i drank 2 qts of cranbery juice(light i have a weight issue) a day, until the incontence episodes decreased. i triedid cran pills but they did nothing for me---then in frustration i said to myself i will only drink cran juice and a lot of it for a lot of it for a day or 2 it seemed to stop the incontince episodes. for me cranberry pills no ---cran juice yes..but drinking a cup of cran j dailey as a preventative never worked for me...drinking 2 quarts a day when symptomatic helped me.

for those that deal with incomplete urination and bladder over flow have you ever had to resort to adult dipers at night?
at times when i go to bed at night it feels like i need to go but i go the the br with no success then a few times at night i would get up to empty my bladder with no success, i think my legs hurt too much to allow me to relax on the toilet...but if i wear an adult diaper i can relax my muscles enough to go inbed---i think its my legs that hurt too much to relax on the toilet,anyone else go through that? just like my toddler neice & nephew protection at night, adult underwear at night.