Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Urine Retention

Urine retention can be identified by a number of conditions. Some patients have difficulty urinating without strain or force. Some experience a weak or intermittent urine stream. Others feel the impulse to urinate with urgency or frequency, when only a small amount is produced. Urine retention, however, is not a symptom of IBS, but a side effect of certain conditions and treatments associated with IBS.

Types

• IBS is categorized in three different forms: Diarrhea-predominant (D-IBS); Constipation-predominant (C-IBS) and Alternating, both constipation and diarrhea (A-IBS).

Associations

• A number of patients with constipation-predominant IBS (C-IBS) also suffer from gastroparesis: a debilitating stomach condition with abdominal pain and vomiting. The medications used to treat gastroparesis can cause side effects like urine retention.

Theories/Speculation

• Urinary complications are not associated with IBS conditions, but may be the result of several gastro-intestinal problems occurring in the body simultaneously.

Potential

• Some IBS patients suffer from other medical conditions like GERD (Gastro-esophageal Reflux Disease) and hernias. These maladies, when coupled with IBS, have the potential of creating abdominal muscle tightening and situations where urinating is difficult standing up (for males).

Warning

• The use of antispasmodic medications, intended to relieve muscle tightening and painful intestinal spasms, can have several complications including urinary retention. If patients already suffer from urinary retention, due to a non-IBS condition or combination of conditions, they should not use antispasmodics.

Risks

• Any IBS patients using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID: ibuprofen, naproxen, Celebrex) double their risk of developing abnormal urinary-holding conditions, including acute retention and bladder muscle failure.

Treatment

• In cases of urinary retention, an urologist may conduct a series of uro-dynamics tests on the patient. As a result, the urologist may perform a urethra dilation or choose to drain the bladder by catheter.