Incontinence, Urinary: Nonsurgical Therapies

INTRODUCTION ¡@

Background: Urinary incontinence is defined by the International Continence Society as the involuntary loss of urine that represents a hygienic or social problem to the individual. This author defines urinary incontinence as any involuntary loss of urine. Different types of incontinence exist. They include stress incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed incontinence, overflow incontinence, and functional incontinence. Treatment of urinary incontinence must carefully be tailored to the specific cause of incontinence.

Stress incontinence may be treated with surgery, pelvic floor physiotherapy, and anti-incontinent devices. Urge incontinence may be treated with changes in diet, behavioral modification, pelvic-floor exercises, and/or anticholinergic medications. Mixed incontinence often requires anticholinergics, in addition to surgery. Overflow incontinence is treated with some type of catheter regimen. Functional incontinence is self-limited when the underlying cause is identified and treated in an appropriate fashion.

As a general rule, the first choice for treatment is the least invasive, with the least potential complications for the patient. Examples of noninvasive treatments include medications or exercises; however, the least invasive treatment may not afford the best outcome in certain situations. In specific situations, surgery may be the most effective form of managing urinary incontinence.

¡@

Pathophysiology: The differential diagnosis of urinary incontinence is broad, with multiple causes. Sometimes, more than one contributing factor exists, making diagnosis and therapy more difficult. Distinguishing these different etiologies is imperative because each condition warrants a different therapeutic approach.

Stress incontinence is urinary incontinence that occurs coincident with increased intra-abdominal pressure in the absence of uninhibited detrusor contraction. In stress incontinence, the bladder outlet has poor resistance to urinary flow. The most common cause of stress incontinence is urethral hypermobility secondary to poor anatomic pelvic support. A less common cause of stress incontinence is an inherent defect in the urethra known as intrinsic sphincter deficiency.

Urge incontinence is involuntary urine loss that occurs due to detrusor overactivity. Urge incontinence may be a result of detrusor myopathy, neuropathy, or a combination of both. When the identifiable cause is unknown, it is termed idiopathic urge incontinence. Symptoms of overactive bladder or urge incontinence in the absence of neurologic causes are known as detrusor instability.

Mixed incontinence is urinary incontinence resulting from a combination of stress and urge incontinence. In mixed incontinence, the bladder outlet is weak and the detrusor is overactive. A classic example of mixed incontinence is a patient with meningomyelocele and an incompetent bladder neck with a hyper-reflexic detrusor; however, a combination of urethral hypermobility and detrusor instability is a more common scenario.

Reflex incontinence occurs as a result of neurologic impairment of the central nervous system. Common neurologic disorders associated with reflex incontinence include cerebrovascular accident (CVA or stroke), Parkinson disease, and brain tumors. Reflex incontinence also occurs in patients with spinal cord injuries and multiple sclerosis. When patients with suprapontine or suprasacral spinal cord lesions manifest symptoms of urge incontinence, this is known as detrusor hyperreflexia.

Overflow incontinence occurs because of overdistention of the detrusor muscle. Overflow incontinence may occur as a result of bladder outlet obstruction, detrusor atony, or neurologic impairment of the urinary bladder. Common causes of bladder outlet obstruction in men include benign prostatic hyperplasia, vesical neck contracture, and urethral strictures. In women, urethral obstruction after anti-incontinence surgery such as pubovaginal sling or bladder neck suspension can result in iatrogenically induced overflow incontinence. Some common neurologic causes of overflow incontinence include herniated lumbar disc, diabetic cystopathy, and peripheral neuropathy. Less common causes of overflow incontinence include AIDS, genital herpes affecting the perineal area, and neurosyphilis. A decompensated detrusor resulting from a neurologic disorder is known as an areflexic detrusor.

Frequency:
¡@

Mortality/Morbidity: Chronic urinary incontinence is a major problem in the older population, particularly in patients in nursing homes. Chronic urinary incontinence is a health hazard that affects 10-35% of adults and 50% of the 1.5 million residents in nursing homes.

Urinary incontinence-related morbidities include prolonged hospital admission (35%), urinary tract infections (2%), contact dermatitis (1.6%), and falls (1%). Costs incurred for treating incontinence-related complications approach $2.8 billion compared to $35 million for diagnostic and treatment costs.

Race: Although the information regarding urinary incontinence in different races is sparse, data are emerging that race may play an important role in the prevalence and likelihood of reporting of incontinence. There also may be effects on prevalence of incontinence due to differences in the anatomic morphology of the urinary sphincter mechanism for different races.

CLINICAL ¡@

History: One popular way to classify urinary incontinence is to define it according to symptom presentation. Although symptom classification is helpful in describing bladder and urethra function, the symptoms of urinary incontinence are not always clear markers for a proper diagnosis. Furthermore, the symptom complex alone does not allow accurate localization of the problem site, such as the bladder, urethra, or both.

Classification of urinary incontinence into types allows the clinician to make an educated guess at a particular anatomic abnormality that warrants further investigation. The 5 major types of urinary incontinence are as follows:

DIFFERENTIALS ¡@

Other Problems to be Considered:

Transient incontinence
Ureterovaginal fistula
Vesicovaginal fistula
Urethrovaginal fistula
Ectopic ureter
Normal vaginal secretions

WORKUP ¡@

Lab Studies:
¡@

Imaging Studies:
¡@

Other Tests:
¡@

Procedures:
¡@

TREATMENT ¡@

Medical Care: Stress incontinence may be treated with surgical and nonsurgical means. Urge incontinence may be treated with behavioral modification or with bladder-relaxing agents.

Mixed incontinence may require medications as well as surgery. Overflow incontinence may be treated with some type of catheter regimen. Functional incontinence may be resolved by treating the underlying cause, such as urinary tract infection, constipation, or by simply changing a few drugs.

Do not consider anti-incontinence products to be a cure-all for urinary incontinence; however, judicious use of pads and devices to contain urine loss and maintain skin integrity are extremely useful in selected cases. Absorbent pads and internal and external collecting devices have an important role in the management of chronic incontinence.

The criteria for use of these products are fairly clear-cut, and they are beneficial for women who meet the following conditions: (1) women who fail all other treatments and remain incontinent, (2) women who are too ill or disabled to participate in behavioral programs, (3) women who cannot be helped by medications, (4) women with incontinence disorders that cannot be corrected by surgery, and (5) women who are awaiting surgery.

Surgical Care: Surgical care for stress incontinence involves procedures that increase urethral outlet resistance. Operations that increase urethral resistance include bladder neck suspension, periurethral bulking therapy, pubovaginal sling, and artificial urinary sphincter. Surgical care for urge incontinence involves procedures that improve bladder compliance or bladder capacity such as detrusor myomectomy or Ingelman-Sundberg procedure. Ingelman-Sundberg procedure is an operation designed to transect the preganglionic pelvic nerves near the inferior surface of the bladder. Additional operations that increase bladder compliance and/or capacity include sacral nerve modulation and bladder augmentation.

Diet: The fact that certain foods in a daily diet can worsen symptoms of urinary frequency and urge incontinence is well known. If a patient's diet contains dietary stimulants, changes in her diet may help in ameliorating incontinence symptoms. Dietary stimulants are substances contained within the food or drink that either cause or exacerbate irritative voiding symptoms. By eliminating or minimizing the intake of dietary stimulants, unwanted bladder symptoms can be improved or possibly cured. Avoidance of dietary stimulants begins with consumer awareness through careful label reading and maintaining a daily diet diary. Experimenting with dietary changes is not for everyone and should be done on an individual basis. Certain food products exacerbate symptoms of urge incontinence.

Activity: Anti-incontinence exercises emphasize rehabilitating and strengthening the pelvic floor muscles that are critical in maintaining urinary continence. Pelvic floor muscles also are known as levator ani muscles. They are named levator muscles because they function to levitate or elevate the pelvic organs into their proper place. When levator muscles weaken and fail, pelvic prolapse and stress incontinence result. An anatomic defect of the levator ani musculature requires physical rehabilitation. If aggressive physical therapy does not work, surgery is warranted.

Pelvic muscle exercises may be used alone, augmented with vaginal cones, reinforced with biofeedback therapy, or with electrical stimulation. Burgio et al reported that behavioral treatment is a safe and effective intervention that should be used as a first-line treatment for urge and mixed incontinence. If the patient is using abdominal muscles or contracting their buttocks, they are not doing these exercises properly. If patients have difficulty identifying the levator muscles, biofeedback therapy may be instituted. For selected individuals, electrical stimulation further enhances pelvic muscle rehabilitation therapy.

MEDICATION ¡@

Stress incontinence results from a weak urinary sphincter. The internal sphincter contains high concentrations of alpha-adrenergic receptors. Activation of the alpha-receptors results in contraction of the internal urethral sphincter and increases the urethral resistance to urinary flow. Sympathomimetic drugs, estrogen, and tricyclic agents increase bladder outlet resistance to improve symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Medical conditions that cause urge incontinence may be neurologic or nonneurologic. The urethra is normal but the bladder is hyperactive or overactive. Pharmacologic therapy for stress incontinence and an overactive bladder may be most effective when combined with a pelvic exercise regimen. The 3 main categories of drugs used to treat urge incontinence include anticholinergic drugs, antispasmodics, and tricyclic antidepressant agents.

All drugs with anticholinergic adverse effects are contraindicated if patients have documented narrow-angle glaucoma. Wide-angle glaucoma is not a contraindication to their use. Urinary retention, bowel obstruction, ulcerative colitis, myasthenia gravis, and severe heart diseases are contraindications for anticholinergic use. These agents may impair the patient's ability to perform hazardous activities, such as driving or operating heavy machinery, because of the potential for drowsiness. Anticholinergic drugs should not be taken in combination with alcohol, sedatives, or hypnotic drugs.

When a single drug treatment does not work, a combination therapy such as Oxybutynin (Ditropan) and Imipramine (Tofranil) may be used. Although their mechanism of action differs, Oxybutynin and Imipramine both work together to improve urge incontinence. Oxybutynin causes direct smooth muscle relaxation of the urinary bladder and also has local anesthetic properties. Imipramine has a direct inhibitory and local anesthetic effect on the bladder smooth muscle, like Oxybutynin; however, Imipramine also increases the bladder outlet resistance at the level of the bladder neck. Thus, the combination of these drugs produces a synergistic effect to relax the unstable bladder to hold in urine and prevent urge incontinence. Potential anticholinergic adverse effects may be additive because both drugs have similar adverse reactions.
¡@

Drug Category: Alpha-adrenergic drugs -- The bladder neck contains a high concentration of receptors that are sensitive to alpha-agonists. Alpha agonists increase bladder outlet resistance by contracting the bladder neck.

Drug Name
¡@
Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (Sudafed) -- Helps stress incontinence. The subjective improvement and cure rates are similar to that of phenylpropanolamine (recalled from US market). Stimulates vasoconstriction by directly activating alpha-adrenergic receptors.
Adult Dose Nonextended release: 60 mg PO qid
Extended release: 120 mg PO bid
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity, severe anemia, postural hypertension or hypotension, closed-angle glaucoma, head trauma, cerebral hemorrhage
Interactions Propranolol, MAOIs, and sympathomimetic agents may increase toxicity of pseudoephedrine; methyldopa and reserpine may reduce effects of pseudoephedrine
Pregnancy C - Safety for use during pregnancy has not been established.
Precautions Caution in cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, prostatic hypertrophy, and increased intraocular pressure

Drug Category: Estrogen -- Conjugated estrogen increases the tone of urethral muscle by up-regulating the alpha-adrenergic receptors in the surrounding area, and it enhances alpha-adrenergic contractile response to strengthen the pelvic muscles, which is important in urethral support (prevents urethral hypermobility). Mucosal turgor of periurethral tissue from proper nourishment enhances urethral mucosal coaptation. Result is an improved mucosal seal effect, which is important in urethral function (prevents intrinsic sphincter deficiency). Estrogen supplementation appears to be the most effective in postmenopausal women with mild-to-moderate incontinence. Both types of stress incontinence will benefit from estrogen fortification.

Drug Name
¡@
Conjugated estrogen (Premarin) -- Conjugated estrogen may be used as an adjunctive pharmacologic agent for postmenopausal women with stress or mixed incontinence. Oral or vaginal form of estrogen may be used. The usual oral dose of Premarin (conjugated estrogen) is 0.3-1.25 mg taken qd in a cyclic regimen. When oral estrogens are needed, prescribe Premarin 0.625 mg pills. To prevent overstimulation of uterus, Premarin is taken once a day for 21 consecutive d, followed by 7 d without the drug (eg, 3 wk on and 1 wk off). Regimen is repeated prn and tapered off or discontinued at 3- to 6-mo intervals.
Premarin vaginal cream is available in a package with a plastic applicator and a tube that contains 42.5 g of conjugated estrogens. Each g contains 0.625 mg of conjugated estrogens. When vaginal cream is used, 2-4 g (1/2-1 applicator full) of cream may be administered intravaginally qd in the usual cyclic regimen. Estrogen cream is readily absorbed through the skin and mucous membranes. When Premarin cream is used for treatment of atrophic vaginitis, the cream may be placed intravaginally or applied topically around the vaginal tissues.
When estrogen is used long term, the addition of progestin therapy is recommended to prevent endometrial hyperplasia in women with an intact uterus. Progestin (eg, medroxyprogesterone 2.5-10 mg/d) is needed for 10-13 d to provide maximum maturation of endometrium and to eliminate any hyperplastic changes. Progestin may be administered continuously or intermittently.
Pharmacologic therapy using estrogen derivatives result in few cures (0-14%) but may cause subjective improvement in 29-66% of women. Limited evidence suggests that oral or vaginal estrogen therapy may benefit some women with stress and mixed urinary incontinence. Other potential beneficial effects of estrogen use include decreased bone loss and resolution of hot flashes during menopause.
Routinely prescribing conjugated estrogens to premenopausal women is not recommended. Use this medication in postmenopausal incontinent women who have had a hysterectomy. For postmenopausal women with an intact uterus, cautiously recommend a short-term low-dose of Premarin, with frequent monitoring.
Adult Dose 0.625 mg/d PO
0.625 mg/g of cream applied topically to vaginal area
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity; known or suspected pregnancy; breast cancer; undiagnosed abnormal genital bleeding; active thrombophlebitis; thromboembolic disorders; history of thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, or thromboembolic disorders associated with previous estrogen use (except when used in treatment of breast or prostatic malignancy)
Interactions May reduce hypoprothrombinemic effect of anticoagulants; coadministration of barbiturates, rifampin, and other agents that induce hepatic microsomal enzymes may reduce estrogen levels; pharmacologic and toxicologic effects of corticosteroids may occur as a result of estrogen-induced inactivation of hepatic P450 enzyme; loss of seizure control has been noted when administered concurrently with hydantoins
Pregnancy X - Contraindicated in pregnancy
Precautions Certain patients may develop undesirable manifestations of excessive estrogenic stimulation, eg, abnormal or excessive uterine bleeding or mastodynia; estrogens may cause some degree of fluid retention (exercise caution); prolonged unopposed estrogen therapy may increase risk of endometrial hyperplasia

Drug Category: Anticholinergic drugs -- First-line medicinal therapy for women with urge incontinence. Effective in treating urge incontinence because they inhibit involuntary bladder contractions. Useful in treating urinary incontinence associated with urinary frequency, urgency, and nocturnal enuresis. All anticholinergic drugs have similar a performance profile and toxicity. Potential adverse effects of all anticholinergic agents include blurred vision, dry mouth, heart palpitations, drowsiness, and facial flushing. When anticholinergic drugs are used in excess, the bladder may go into acute urinary retention.

Drug Name
¡@
Propantheline bromide (Pro-Banthine) -- Typical prototype for all anticholinergic agents. Blocks action of acetylcholine at postganglionic parasympathetic receptor sites. In a medical study, propantheline bromide has been shown to decrease incidence of urge incontinence by 13-17% when 30 mg were used qid. When stronger doses were used, 60 mg qid, the cure rate was reported to be over 90%.
Adult Dose 15 mg PO tid/qid
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity, ulcerative colitis, narrow-angle glaucoma, and obstructive disease of the GI or urinary tract
Interactions Effects decrease when administered concurrently with antacids; toxicity increases when administered concurrently with disopyramide, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, corticosteroids, and bretylium
Pregnancy C - Safety for use during pregnancy has not been established.
Precautions In addition to urinary retention, potential adverse effects include visual blurring, dry mouth, nausea, constipation, heart palpitation, drowsiness, and mental confusion; caution in renal or hepatic disease
Drug Name
¡@
Dicyclomine hydrochloride (Bentyl) -- Another anticholinergic agent with smooth muscle relaxant properties. Blocks the action of acetylcholine at parasympathetic sites in secretory glands, smooth muscle. In a medical study, subjective improvement was reported by 62% of the subjects while on dicyclomine hydrochloride 10 mg tid. The reported cure rate was 90%.
Adult Dose 10-20 mg PO tid
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity, myasthenia gravis, narrow-angle glaucoma, breastfeeding
Interactions Effects are weakened when administered with anti-Parkinson drugs, haloperidol, and phenothiazines; toxicity of dicyclomine increases when administered concurrently with amantadine, antihistamines, type-I antiarrhythmics, phenothiazines, TCAs, or narcotic analgesics
Pregnancy B - Usually safe but benefits must outweigh the risks.
Precautions If an adequate response is not obtained within 3 wk or adverse effects are too severe, discontinue the drug; caution when administering to patients with hepatic or renal insufficiency, cardiovascular disease, urinary tract obstruction, ulcerative colitis, GI obstruction, hyperthyroidism, or hypertension
Drug Name
¡@
Hyoscyamine sulfate (Levsin/SL, Levsin, Levsinex, Cystospaz-M, Levbid) -- Anticholinergic agents with antispasmodic properties used in urologic practice for the treatment of urge incontinence. Blocks action of acetylcholine at parasympathetic sites in smooth muscle, secretory glands, and the CNS, which in turn has antispasmodic effects. Hyoscyamine is absorbed well by the GI tract. Food does not affect absorption of this drug. Hyoscyamine sulfate is available in sublingual form (Levsin SL), conventional tablets (Levsin), extended-release capsules (Levsinex Timecaps, Cystospaz-M), and extended-release tablets (Levbid).
Adult Dose 0.125 mg PO q4h; alternatively 0.375 mg PO bid; for severe symptoms 0.375 mg PO tid
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity, obstructive uropathy, narrow-angle glaucoma, myasthenia gravis, obstructive GI tract disease
Interactions Effects decrease when used concurrently with antacids; toxicity increases when used concurrently with phenothiazines, amantadine, or haloperidol; MAOIs; TCAs
Pregnancy C - Safety for use during pregnancy has not been established.
Precautions Caution in older patients; some products contain sodium metabisulfite, which can cause allergic type reactions

Drug Category: Antispasmodic drugs -- They relax the smooth muscles of the urinary bladder. By exerting a direct spasmolytic action on the smooth muscle of the bladder, these medications have been reported to increase the bladder capacity and effectively decrease or eliminate urge incontinence. The adverse effect profile of antispasmodic drugs is similar to that of anticholinergic agents. These drugs may impair the patient's ability to perform activities requiring mental alertness and physical coordination. Drinking alcohol and using sedatives in combination with these antispasmodic drugs is contraindicated.

Drug Name
¡@
Oxybutynin chloride (Ditropan IR, Ditropan XL) -- Ditropan IR (immediate release) and Ditropan XL (extended release) has both anticholinergic and direct smooth muscle relaxant effect on the urinary bladder. In addition, it provides a local anesthetic effect on the irritable bladder.
Human detrusor has M2 and M3 muscarinic receptors. M3 receptor mediates contractile response of human detrusor. Oxybutynin has greater affinity for M3 receptor. Urodynamic studies have shown oxybutynin increases bladder size, decreases frequency of symptoms, and delays initial desire to void.
Ditropan XL has an innovative drug delivery system - Oral osmotic delivery system(OROS). Ditropan XL tablet has a bilayer core that contains a drug layer and a "push layer" that contains osmotic components. Outer tablet is composed of a semipermeable membrane with a precision laser drilled hole that allows the drug to be released at a constant rate.
When drug is ingested, aqueous environment in gastrointestinal tract causes water to enter tablet via semi-permeable membrane at constant rate. Introduction of water inside tablet liquifies drug and also causes push layer to swell osmotically. As the push layer swells, it forces the drug suspension out the hole at a constant rate over a 24-hour period.
Ditropan XL achieves steady-state levels over a 24-hour period. Avoids "first pass metabolism" of liver and upper gastrointestinal tract to avoid cytochrome P450 enzymes. Has excellent efficacy with minimal adverse effects.
Medical studies have shown that oxybutynin chloride reduces incontinence episodes by 83-90%. Total continence rate has been reported to be 41-50%. Mean reduction in urinary frequency was 23%. In clinical trials only 1% stopped taking Ditropan XL due to dry mouth and less than 1% stopped taking Ditropan XL due to CNS adverse effects.
Adult Dose Ditropan IR 2.5 mg PO tid, titrate prn to 5 mg bid/tid/qid; alternatively Ditropan XL 5-15 mg PO qd
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity, uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma, partial or complete GI obstruction, myasthenia gravis, ulcerative colitis, toxic megacolon
Interactions CNS effects may increase when administered concurrently with other CNS depressants
Pregnancy B - Usually safe but benefits must outweigh the risks.
Precautions Potential adverse effects include dry skin, blurred vision, confusion, drowsiness, nausea, constipation, and dry mouth; caution in urinary tract obstruction, reflux esophagitis, and heart disease

Drug Category: OBJECT Trial -- Recently, Appell et al conducted an OBJECT trial (Overactive Bladder: Judging Effective Control and Treatment). This was a large double-blind, multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled study that compared the efficacy and tolerability of Ditropan XL (N=160) vs Detrol (N=170) in men and women with symptoms of overactive bladder. The study concluded that Ditropan XL 10 mg was statistically superior to Detrol 2 mg BID in terms of efficacy. However, both drugs had similar adverse effect profile.

Drug Name
¡@
Tolterodine L-Tartrate (Detrol and Detrol LA) -- Competitive muscarinic receptor antagonist for overactive bladder. However, it differs from other anticholinergic types in that it has selectivity for urinary bladder over salivary glands. Exhibits a high specificity for muscarinic receptors, has minimal activity or affinity for other neurotransmitter receptors and other potential targets such as calcium channels. In clinical studies, the mean decrease in urge incontinence episodes was 50% and the mean decrease in urinary frequency was 17%. The mean decrease in urge incontinence episodes per week was 53% for Detrol LA 4 mg qd.
Adult Dose Detrol 2 mg PO bid
Detrol LA 4 mg PO qd
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity, urinary retention, gastric retention, uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma
Interactions Do not administer doses of tolterodine >1 mg bid to patients being treated with macrolide antibiotics or antifungal agents
Pregnancy C - Safety for use during pregnancy has not been established.
Precautions Potential adverse effects include dry mouth, headache, drowsiness, upset stomach; do not administer doses >1 mg bid to patients with significantly reduced hepatic function; caution in renal impairment

Drug Category: Tricyclic antidepressant drugs -- Historically, these drugs were used to treat major depression; however, they have an additional use, treatment of bladder dysfunction. They function to increase norepinephrine and serotonin levels. In addition, they exhibit an anticholinergic and direct muscle relaxant effect on the urinary bladder.

Drug Name
¡@
Imipramine hydrochloride (Tofranil) -- Typical tricyclic antidepressant. Facilitates urine storage by decreasing bladder contractility and increasing outlet resistance. Has alpha-adrenergic effect on the bladder neck and antispasmodic effect on detrusor muscle. Imipramine hydrochloride has local anesthetic effect on bladder mucosa.
Adult Dose 10-50 mg PO qd/tid, range is 25-100 mg qd
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity; narrow-angle glaucoma; in acute recovery phase following myocardial infarction; avoid in patients taking MAOIs or fluoxetine or patients who took them in previous 2 wk
Interactions Increases toxicity of sympathomimetic agents, such as isoproterenol and epinephrine, by potentiating effects and inhibiting antihypertensive effects of clonidine
Pregnancy D - Unsafe in pregnancy
Precautions May impair mental or physical abilities required for performance of potentially hazardous tasks; caution in cardiovascular disease, conduction disturbances, seizure disorders, urinary retention, hyperthyroidism, or receiving thyroid replacement
Clinical reports of fetal malformation have been reported with use of imipramine, but a causal relationship has not been established; nursing mothers should not take this medication because it may be excreted via the mother's milk and be harmful to the infant
Drug Name
¡@
Amitriptyline hydrochloride (Elavil) -- Another TCA with sedative properties. Increases the circulating levels of norepinephrine and serotonin by blocking their reuptake at nerve endings and is ineffective for use in urge incontinence. However, it is extremely effective in decreasing symptoms of urinary frequency in women with pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. Restores serotonin levels and helps break the cycle of pelvic floor muscle spasms. Well-tolerated and effective in majority of women with urinary frequency.
Adult Dose 10 mg/d PO; titrate prn by 10 mg/wk until maximum dose of 150 mg is reached, urinary symptoms disappear, or adverse effects become intolerable
Pediatric Dose Not established
Contraindications Documented hypersensitivity; patient is taking or has taken MAOIs in past 14 d; history of seizure; cardiac arrhythmias; glaucoma
Interactions Phenobarbital may decrease effects; coadministration with CYP2D6 enzyme system inhibitors (eg, cimetidine, quinidine) may increase amitriptyline levels; amitriptyline inhibits hypotensive effects of guanethidine; may interact with thyroid medications, alcohol, CNS depressants, barbiturates, and disulfiram
Pregnancy D - Unsafe in pregnancy
Precautions Caution in cardiac conduction disturbances and history of hyperthyroidism, renal or hepatic impairment; avoid using in the elderly
FOLLOW-UP Section 8 of 11   Click here to go to the previous section in this topic Click here to go to the top of this page Click here to go to the next section in this topic

Further Outpatient Care:
¡@

Complications:
¡@

Prognosis:
¡@

MISCELLANEOUS ¡@

Medical/Legal Pitfalls:
¡@

BIBLIOGRAPHY ¡@