Extended-Release Oxybutynin

Excerpt

The treatment of urge urinary incontinence has encompassed a variety of modalities over the last 10 to 20 years, including behavioural therapy, bladder training, pelvic floor training, biofeedback, electrical stimulation and surgical and drug therapy. The inclusion of standard anticholinergic therapy (such as oxybutynin 3 times daily) usually results in improvements in urgency and urge incontinence, but at the cost of significant adverse effects. Patients are generally unable to tolerate anticholinergic medications on a long term basis. Debilitating adverse effects mainly consist of dry mouth, constipation and difficulty with swallowing. Very often, patients return to the clinic after 4 to 6 weeks of drug treatment and report that, although their urge incontinence has been improved, the adverse effects are worse than the incontinence problem that prompted the initial physician visit. Thus, the availability of extended-release oxybutynin has been a major advance in the treatment of urgency, urge incontinence, and the overactive bladder. …