What is causing my urinary incontinence?

I have had urinary incontinence for almost all my life. I'm 22 now and have a history of bed wetting until I was about 10 or 11. Even now when I am asleep at night, urine leaks out and sometimes it can be a lot. I do wake up to the sensation of a full bladder but I just CAN'T hold it in. I've seen a urologist who diagnosed me with neurogenic bladder and prescribed me to Ditropan. I took this medication for about a year but it never worked for me. I told my primary physician that I wanted to try something else and he prescribed Enablex. I've been taking that for a few months now and I still have times where the urine just comes out. I have actually been in public and all of a sudden the urine starts to leak out and run down my legs. And I try so hard to keep it in, but I can't. I don't know what to do and I don't know why this is happening. It honestly feels like I'm missing a physiologic feature in my bladder that holds urine in. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Hello. It sounds like you have urge incontinence. I have heard of people taking Ditropan (which you have tried) along with Imipramine. It is a med used for depression, but some studies show that it helps. It helps you sleep without wetting by allowing the bladder to actually fill and give you a sign that you have to urinate. It then decreases your deepness of sleep in the last few hours to allow you to get up and empty your bladder. As for leaking during the day, imipramine is said to make people "more aware of their bladder". Have you had a cystoscopy (a scope used to look in your bladder)? This test will make sure that you are actually emptying your bladder and that you don't have any tumors or stones in your bladder which can cause incontinence. What that means is that your bladder may have a foreign object in it that it is trying to eliminate. The bladder will do the only thing it knows how to do...urinate. Also, has any of your doctors suggested "self cathaterization"? It will help you make sure that your bladder is fully empty before you leave the house or go to bed. I wish you the best. I see this everyday at work and it is not an easy thing to deal with especially at your young age! Take care!

Huh this is a very interesting question. Yes I kinda believe that you may not have the ability to hold urine in your bladder. My grandmother when she was younger fell and landed on her "butt" after that she lost the ability to hold her poop. If she was some where and felt the urge to go she would have to hurry and find a bathroom, she would even sometimes make her self go even when she felt like she didn't need to.
Anyway you say you have been taking this new medication for a couple of months now I would keep taking it for about another month to see if it kicks in and if it doesn't work go see an experienced urologist and tell them you have from doctor to doctor and ask them if you have something physicaly wrong that may be preventing you from holding your urine. I hate to say this because you are so young but adult diapers might be a choice if your are missing a physical feature to your bladder. I really do hope everything turns out good for you.