bladder

Can CBD Help With An Overactive Bladder

Published

8 months ago

April 23, 2024

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From watching a movie, going to live sports or performances to car trip, the frequent need to go can disrupt day to day life in big and little ways. Over 33 million Canadians and Americans live with overactive bladder disease (OAB). While not as life-threating as other issues, it can make like miserable. Having OAB, or spastic bladder, is so big over $3 billion is spent annually trying to help those who suffer. The two key medicines often prescribed have rough side effects, so can CBD help with an overactive bladder?

Symptoms include frequent urination (8+ times in 24 hours) and a a sudden hard to control urge to go. Another is getting up more than twice in the night to head to the bathroom. It is normal to go once a night in your 40s and 50s, twice a night in your 60s and 70s and even two to three times a night in your 80s and beyond. But waking up too often in the night can keep you from getting enough sleep and is sometimes a sign of a health condition.

water — Photo by Anderson Rian via Unsplash

CBD can help in certain situations. Aside from the natural aging process, causes of OAB including menopause, an enlarged prostate, neurologic disease and smoking. Short term causes can include drinking too many fluids, caffeine, and spicy foods. CBD can help in some of the root issues.

CBD can have an impact on the signals between your brain and bladder. If it’s a signaling disconnect (neurologic) causing the detrusor muscle to spasm and contract erratically, cannabinoids may help reduce the number of misfires that make your bladder run on overdrive.

Researchers have found the body has receptors for the cannabinoids CB1 and CB2 in the brain and bladder, as well as in other parts of the body. CB1, and to a lesser extent CB2, work at various levels on the detrusor muscles. Research is pointing toward the conclusion that CB1 receptors do have an impact on urination, and their manipulation with cannabinoids from marijuana has promise for treating OAB.

CBD can help regulate the body’s inflammatory response and reduce neuroinflammation, thus reducing the need to go. Neuroinflammation, in particular, is associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease. These conditions can involve an increased risk of overactive bladder.

It is always wise to work with a trained health care provider on frequency and dosage amounts.

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American Journal of Medicine

Is Marijuana Use Linked With An Overactive Bladder?

Published

1 year ago

July 20, 2023

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Marijuana has gone mainstream and become part of people’s weekly life. Similar to alcohol, it is even moving into people’s routine. We know how beer makes you want to visit the restroom, but what about cannabis. It seems heavy use of marijuana might be linked with an overactive bladder.

Overactive bladder is defined as a condition where people have to urinate with more frequency. It includes behaviors like nocturia, urge incontinence, and more. It’s considered a chronic disease. At worse it is a major inconvenience and can cause disrupted sleep, but it can lead to other conditions. It affects up to 33 million adults, including as many as 30% of men and 40% of women. However, that number may be higher because many people may feel embarrassed and won’t get help.

A study published in the American Journal of Medicine examined whether marijuana has an impact on overactive bladders and found regular marijuana consumers are more likely to suffer from the condition than non-users.

restroom — Photo by Panupon Pongeaim / EyeEm/Getty Images

Researchers collected data from 2005 and 2018 on regular and non-regular marijuana users aged 18 to 59, who answered a variety of questions about drug use and kidney conditions.

Over 18,000 samples were gathered, with 24% of respondents identifying as regular marijuana users. These people were more likely to be male, single, smokers, thinner, and younger when compared to the other participants in the study. They also reported more urinary incontinence and frequent nocturia, which is the urge to wake up in the middle of the night to go use the bathroom.

While researchers don’t fully understand why marijuana affects bladders specifically, the study shows regular marijuana users were at higher risk of overactive bladder disorder and are especially at higher risk of nocturia.

“Our data do not support the evidence for the use of cannabinoids in the medical treatment of patients with overactive bladder, especially given the thorny health problems caused by marijuana,” concludes the study.

Before you becoming overly concerned about marijuana, there are multiple causes for an overactive bladder. They include drinking too much fluid, urinary tract infections (UTIs), caffeinated drinks, alcohol, spicy foods, and other bladder irritants, and having certain health conditions, for example, bladder stones or diabetes. In addition, certain medications can lead to the same condition, so if they are issues, chat with your doctor.

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