Prostate news article, March 2007
| TWO DRUGS
BETTER THAN ONE FOR OVERACTIVE BLADDERS
Men struggling with the symptoms of overactive bladder
may find new hope in combining two common medications,
researchers have shown. Summarised by: Allyson Jones BSc Medical writer, Prostate Research Campaign |
 |
Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) is common. Symptoms include an urgent feeling to go to the toilet, going to the toilet frequently, and sometimes leaking urine before reaching the toilet. Fear of being too far away from a toilet, and the embarrassment of OAB, can make it difficult for the sufferer to do many things that most of us take for granted. Medications such as tolteridone and tamsulosin are often prescribed to 'relax' the bladder and help alleviate symptoms. The problem is that some men don't gain any benefit from either of these drugs.
But there may be hope for men struggling with OAB. A recent trial in 879 men with moderate to severe OAB found that the vast majority of men taking both tolterodine and tamsulosin together saw a marked improvement in their condition within weeks.
The patients in the study had an average age of 62, but some were as young as 40. They were given tolterodine, tamsulosin, or both drugs together for 12 weeks. Some patients were given a placebo so that the real benefit of the different treatments could be measured more accurately. All patients were asked to keep special 'bladder diaries' so that they could keep track of any benefits they thought they were getting from the treatment.
Of the patients who who took both drugs together, 80% reported a marked improvement in their symptoms - significantly better than any of the other treatments. The slight downside of this combination regimen was a higher chance of dry mouth, but the researchers thought that taking the drugs just before bed could reduce the risk of this side-effect.
The study investigators concluded that many men bothered by OAB might not respond to therapy with tolteridine or tamsulosin alone, and that the best result comes from tackling the problem on two fronts: by giving both drugs together.
Reference:
Tolterodine and Tamsulosin for Treatment of Men With Lower Urinary Tract
Symptoms and Overactive Bladder: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
by Steven A. Kaplan et al. JAMA. 2006;296:2319-2328
Further advice on incontinence is available from The Continence Foundation