Which medications cause bowel incontinence?

Which medications cause bowel incontinence?

Bowel incontinence is a condition that affects people of all ages in the UK, impacting their quality of life on a daily basis. It is typically characterised by the loss of ability to control and manage your bowel movements, leading to involuntary leakage of stool and a regular need to use products like incontinence pants.

While there are many possible causes of bowel incontinence - such as neurological disorders or chronic conditions like inflammatory bowel diseases - certain medications are also known to worsen it.

Let's take a closer look at some of the surprising side effects that some medicines have on bowel incontinence so you're well-informed on how to best manage yours.

Key takeaways

• What causes bowel incontinence?
• Which medications cause bowel incontinence?
• Using incontinence products to manage bowel incontinence
  

What causes bowel incontinence?

Bowel incontinence has many physical and neurological causes, which is why it's so common. In fact, an estimated 10% of UK adults experience some form of bowel incontinence at some point in their lives.

Physical causes of bowel incontinence

• Damage to the anal sphincter muscles is a common cause of bowel incontinence. These muscles help keep the rectum closed until it’s time to go. This damage often comes from childbirth and surgical procedures around the pelvic area (e.g. hysterectomy, treatment for rectal cancer).

• Nerve damage is another key cause of bowel incontinence. Nerve signals tell the muscles when to regulate bowel movements, so when these signals are damaged, it makes it difficult for the body to recognise the need to go.

• Chronic diarrhoea caused by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) can also lead to bowel incontinence. Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are examples of IBDs that inflame the digestive tract and make bowel control tricky, often resulting in a need to use incontinence pants or other products. 

Neurological causes of bowel incontinence

• Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological condition that affects the central nervous system, including the nerves that control the bowel, resulting in bowel incontinence. In the UK, MS affects about 130,000 people, with many experiencing bowel incontinence as it progresses.

• Parkinson's disease is another neurological condition that causes the neurons in the brain to degenerate. As it progresses, the muscles and nerves that regulate digestion can become less responsive. This can lead to a "neurogenic bowel", where the bowel muscles fail to contract properly.

Which medications can cause bowel incontinence?

On top of the physical and neurological causes of faecal incontinence, there are a handful of medications that can worsen the condition. 

1. Laxatives

This first one is obvious, as it is a common over-the-counter remedy for constipation. It stimulates the muscles in the intestines, causing increased bowel movements over a short period.

For occasional constipation, laxatives are an ideal solution, but when they're used for prolonged periods or excessively, they can lead to adverse effects like a total loss of bowel control and liquid stool leakage.

Other potential negative effects of excessive laxative use include:

• Abdominal cramping
• Bloating
• Dehydration
• Electrolyte imbalance

Prolonged use of laxatives can also lead to dependency, where the body becomes reliant on laxatives to complete bowel movements, potentially worsening issues like chronic diarrhoea.

2. Antidepressants and Antipsychotics

Other medications known for their negative effects on bowel control are antidepressants and antipsychotics.

Typically prescribed to alleviate the psychological symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolar, and more, they alter the levels of certain neurotransmitters to improve mood.

However, certain kinds of these medications can have adverse effects on the digestive system, leading to constipation.

While constipation may seem like the opposite problem of loss of bowel control, it can eventually lead to strain on the pelvic floor.

Over time - or on top of other neurological disorders - this can lead to loss of bowel control and urinary incontinence.

3. Opioid painkillers

Opioids like morphine are commonly used to treat pain, including acute post-surgery pain and chronic pain associated with arthritis and cancer.

While they're highly effective at reducing pain, they are also known for affecting bowel control and causing constipation.

This is a particular problem for care home residents who may regularly take opioid painkillers and already have poor bowel function. In this case, loss of bowel control is a common occurrence, affecting the quality of life for many nursing home patients.

Using incontinence products for medication-induced incontinence

If you're managing incontinence caused by certain medications, you should consider using incontinence products to manage symptoms and maintain good quality of life.

Understand the type of incontinence

Before choosing the right incontinence product, you should know the type of incontinence you or your loved one is experiencing.

As we know, laxatives produce loose stool and chronic diarrhoea over time, whereas opioids and antipsychotics cause constipation, which can lead to both bowel and urinary incontinence from the strain on pelvic muscles.

Both of these conditions demand different levels of protection, from light incontinence pads to heavier-duty incontinence pants and pull-ups.

Choose the right absorbency level

If your medication-induced bowel incontinence leads to looser, more liquid stools, you should choose an incontinence product with high absorbency to prevent leaks. While incontinence pads are best for smaller leaks, pull-ups and incontinence pants are more suitable for those needing more secure, all-round protection.

Discreetness and ease of use

For many people—especially young professionals or those leading active lives—discreetness is a top priority when choosing an incontinence product. In this case, incontinence pads and liners designed to blend in under regular clothing fit the bill.

Ease of use is equally important for less mobile people—such as care home residents. Incontinence pants and pull-ups are usually easier to manage for these kinds of people. 

Get the best bowel incontinence protection with Incontinence UK

If you're dealing with bowel incontinence from your medication, you need the right support to maintain confidence and quality of life.

Incontinence UK is here to offer that and more; with our extensive range of premium incontinence pants designed for comfort, reliability, and discretion, we've got you covered.

And with our Subscribe and Save option, you'll never have to worry about running out of essentials again - just enjoy the convenience of regular deliveries and 10% off every order.