Health Centres - Detrusitol
How does it work?
Detrusitol tablets and Detrusitol XL prolonged release capsules both contain the active ingredient tolterodine tartrate, which is a type of medicine called an anticholinergic (or antimuscarinic) muscle relaxant. It works by relaxing the involuntary muscle that is found in the wall of the bladder.
The muscle in the wall of the bladder is called the detrusor muscle. It can sometimes contract in uncontrollable spasms, and this is often referred to as having an overactive bladder. The overactive detrusor muscle can increase in the number of times you need to pass urine, or cause uncontrollable urges to pass urine, or involuntary leakage of urine (urinary incontinence).
Tolterodine works by relaxing the detrusor muscle in the wall of the bladder. It does this by blocking receptors called cholinergic (or muscarinic) receptors that are found on the surface of the muscle cells. This prevents a natural body chemical called acetylcholine from acting on these receptors.
Normally when acetylcholine acts on these receptors, it causes the detrusor muscle to contract and the bladder to empty. By blocking acetylcholine, tolterodine helps the muscle in the bladder wall to relax. This reduces unstable, involuntary contractions of the bladder, and thereby increases the capacity of the bladder to hold urine. In turn, this reduces the need to pass urine.
Detrusitol tablets are known as an immediate release dose form. This means that the medicine is absorbed into the bloodstream from the gut soon after the tablets are taken. These tablets are taken twice a day.
Detrusitol XL capsules are known as prolonged release capsules. They are designed to release the medicine slowly over the day as the capsule passes through the gut. This means the capsules only need to be taken once a day. The capsules should be swallowed whole with liquid and not chewed or crushed, as this would stop their prolonged release action from working.
What is it used for?
Warning!
- This medicine may reduce your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you and you are sure it won't affect your performance.
- There is insufficient information regarding the safety and efficacy of this medicine in children. It is not recommended for children.
Use with caution in
- Decreased kidney function
- Decreased liver function
- Obstruction of the outflow of urine from the bladder
- Obstruction or decreased motility of the stomach or intestines
- Disorder of the involuntary nerves that control the internal organs (autonomic neuropathy)
- Hiatus hernia
- Abnormal heart rhythm seen on the heart monitoring trace as a 'prolonged QT interval', or people at risk of this (your doctor will know)
- Heart diseases, for example angina, heart failure, irregular heart beats (arrhythmias)
- Slow heart rate (bradycardia)
- Disturbance in the amounts of salts (electrolytes) in the blood, for example low potassium levels (hypokalaemia), low magnesium levels (hypomagnesaemia) or low calcium levels (hypocalcaemia)
Not to be used in
- Inability to pass urine (urinary retention)
-
Closed angle glaucoma
-
Abnormal muscle weakness
-
Severe inflammation of the bowel and back passage
- Sudden expansion of the large intestine seen in advanced ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease (toxic megacolon)
-
Pregnancy
-
Breastfeeding.
- Detrusitol XL capsules contain sucrose and so are not suitable for people with rare hereditary problems of fructose intolerance, glucose-galactose malabsorption or sucrase-isomaltase insufficiency.
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- There is no information available about the safety of this medicine during pregnancy. It is not recommended for use during pregnancy. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk. For this reason, it is not recommended for use by breastfeeding mothers. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Dry mouth
- Dryness of the skin and eyes
- Indigestion (dyspepsia)
- Abdominal pain
- Constipation
- Vomiting
- Excess gas in the stomach and intestines (flatulence)
- Blurred vision
- Nervousness
- Dizziness
- Sleepiness (somnolence)
- Pins and needles (paraesthesia)
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Difficulty in passing urine (urinary retention)
- Swelling of the legs and ankles due to excess fluid retention (peripheral oedema)
- Increased heart rate (tachycardia)
- Hallucinations
- Abnormal heart beats (arrhythmias)
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
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