"The most common treatment for urinary incontinence httpshealth.nytimes.comhealthguidessymptomsurinaryincontinenceoverview.htmlinlinenytclassifier is a daily dose of an anticholinergic medicine that alters the action of certain nerves. Botox httpstopics.nytimes.comtopnewshealthdiseasesconditionsandhealthtopicsbotox_drugindex.htmlinlinenytclassifier injections are also used often in cases where the medicine does not work. Now a placebocontrolled study has found that the treatments are equally useful in reducing the frequency of episodes of incontinence but vary in side effects and longterm effectiveness https Researchers randomly assigned  women with urinary incontinence to daily medicine and a placebo injection or a Botox injection and a daily placebo pill. The scientists writing online on Oct.  in The New England Journal of Medicine found that both treatments significantly reduced incontinence episodes. Dry mouth was much more common in those who took the medicine urinary infections and incomplete emptying of the bladder were more common in those given Botox. Significantly those who took Botox were more likely to have their symptoms completely disappear. The medicine has to be taken daily while Botox is given in a single injection that is effective for about  to  months. These are both effective treatments said the lead author Dr. Anthony G. Visco an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Duke. This gives patients the information to make an informed decision. Both are reasonable options."