Over-the-Counter Therapies for Urinary Incontinence before Presentation at a Specialty Clinic: Patient Perspective and Use.

Objective: The estimated prevalence of female urinary incontinence (UI) is 60% in the United States, and several over-the-counter (OTC) therapies for bladder health and UI exist on the market. Safety, efficacy, and patient use profiles of OTC treatment for medical issues such as constipation and headache are well established; however, research on OTC treatment of female UI before specialist presentation is sparse. The goal of this study was to characterize patient use of and attitudes toward OTC therapies for UI.

Methods: We developed an institutional review board-approved patient survey capturing demographic information and characterization of OTC therapy use. New patients presenting with a complaint of UI to the urogynecology providers at a tertiary care center were eligible for the study. Data analysis consisted of analyzing trends in participant responses.

Results: Forty-five survey responses were collected as a convenience sample over 8 weeks. Two-thirds of patients experienced UI for more than 2 years before seeing a specialist; 87% of patients reported moderate or severe UI according to Sandvik's UI severity index. Two participants tried an OTC medication for UI and 17 tried pelvic floor exercises or devices. Sixty-two percent reported that they did not know any OTC treatments existed, and 71% believed healthcare providers were knowledgeable about OTC treatment and would be more likely to try these if recommended by their healthcare provider.

Conclusions: In a small sample of women with predominately moderate and severe UI, only 4% of patients tried OTC medications before specialist presentation despite two-thirds of patients experiencing symptoms for more than 2 years. Most respondents did not know that OTC treatments existed, but they said that would be likely to try them if recommended by a healthcare provider. This survey-based study highlights the lack of patient awareness about OTC therapies for female UI and the need for provider knowledge on this topic.