Colin M. Goudelocke, M.D.Q: Does caffeine really cause overactive bladder?
A: If you are a coffee drinker and suffer from symptoms of overactive bladder, such as frequent urination or urgent urination, it’s a safe bet someone has told you to cut out caffeine. Caffeine can serve as both a stimulant, an irritant and a diuretic so it should follow that it also leads to overactive bladder, right? That has been the conventional wisdom for years, though we should always be careful to ensure that “wisdom” is really based on facts.
Recent studies have indicated that more than 4 cups of coffee per day may result in developing symptoms of OAB, even in those with no prior symptoms.
The good news is that the small amount of caffeine in decaffeinated coffee does not appear to have any negative effect on OAB symptoms.
In this particular case, the conventional wisdom, dispensed for years by friends, family and even your health-care provider, appears to be spot on. You may want to skip that extra cup of coffee tomorrow if you have a long meeting in the morning.