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Treatment of bowel incontinence should begin with identifying the cause of the incontinence and taking measures to correct the dysfunction. There are several measures that can be taken to promote normal bowel function and enhance the tone of the rectal sphincter.
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MEDICATIONS
In people with bowel incontinence attributed to diarrhea, medications may be used to control the diarrhea and potentially eliminate the bowel incontinence. Loperamide (imodium) has antidiarrheal properties and increases the tone of the rectal muscle.
Other antidiarrheal medications include cholinergic medications (belladonna or atropine) which decrease intestinal secretions and bowel motility, opium derivatives (paregoric or codeine) which increase intestinal tone and decreases bowel motility, and diphenoxylate (lomotil) which decreases bowel motility and slows the movement of stool through the bowel.
Other medications used to control bowel incontinence include medications that reduce the water content in the stools (activated charcoal or Kaopectate), protect the intestinal lining from irritation (amphogel or Pepto-Bismol), or absorb fluid and add bulk to the stools (Metamucil).
MEDICATION EVALUATION
Review all medications that you take with your health care provider. Certain medications can cause or increase the frequency of bowel incontinence, especially in older people. These medications include:
- sedatives and hypnotics
- laxatives
- narcotics
- antacids
- muscle relaxants
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