Comparison of Caffeine Reduction and Anticholinergic Medications for Treatment of Overactive Bladder

Urinary symptoms such as frequency, urgency, nocturia, and incontinence occur in many women. Overactive bladder (OAB) accounts for forty to seventy percent of urinary incontinence. These symptoms can be mildly annoying to life altering. Many women wear pads or adult diapers daily and avoid social situations for fear of embarrassment. It is felt that up to sixteen percent of the adult population may suffer from these symptoms and many of these women seek medical help.

Currently, the standard of care for OAB includes some combination of lifestyle modification counseling, bladder retraining, or anticholinergic medications. It is anticipated that stimulants such as caffeine irritate the bladder and exacerbate OAB symptoms. There have been a few studies looking at the effect of caffeine but interventions have varied, and the results have been mixed.

Perhaps the most common treatment for significant OAB symptoms is the prescription of anticholinergic medications. We know that these are efficacious in many women but they can be expensive and have significant side effects4. In fact, many women discontinue their anticholinergics due to dry mouth, dry eyes, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary effects.

To date there have been no studies comparing caffeine reduction to anticholinergic medications.

Research Questions