Abstract: Pharmacologic Therapy for Urinary Incontinence

Gamal M. Ghoniem, MD, FACS. "Pharmacologic Therapy for Urinary Incontinence." Urologic Nursing 16 (June 1996) 2: 55-58.

Objectives:
* Ghoniem reviews the causes and urinary incontinence, and the types of medications commonly used to treat it, along with the major effects and side effects of each agent. He also briefly discusses the pharmacologic therapies that were under investigation for the treatment of bladder dysfunction at the time of the article's publication.

Conclusions:
* Drugs are often used in conjunction with other therapies for urinary incontinence, including intermittent catheterization, bladder-training programs, timed voiding programs, biofeedback, and electrical stimulation.
* Pharmacotherapeutic agents are characterized by their effect on the central nervous system and bladder. Types of agents used to treat incontinence include anticholinergics, musculotropic relaxants (antispasmodics), calcium antagonists, tricyclic antidepressants, b-adrenergic agonists and prostaglandin inhibitors, a-adrenergic agonists, estrogen, and intravesical therapy.
* Therapies being investigated for the treatment of incontinence at the time of this article's publication included Oral JO 1870, prostaglandins, and L-arginine/nitric oxide and potassium channel openers, and the intrathecal approach as a means of delivering other medications.

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