Features of the use of the drug Driptan

Enuresis (urinary incontinence) is considered one of the most common diseases in children and adults. This deviation is often caused by urinary tract diseases or mental problems. When the process of urination is not impaired, but there is incontinence, this may indicate pathologies in the development of the bladder and its channels. Regardless of the cause of the problem, doctors often prescribe Driptan tablets - this is a drug that reduces the tone of the smooth muscles of the bladder and urinary tract. The medicine is used strictly according to the instructions.

Composition and release form

The popular drug Driptane can be purchased in tablet form. They are round, biconvex, white, and have a horizontal line on one side. The drug is packaged in blisters (30 pills each), which are packed in a cardboard pack. The packaging contains 1-2 blisters and detailed instructions for use. Composition of incontinence tablets:

Conditions and shelf life

This medicine must be used and stored according to the instructions, only then will it be safe. Inappropriate conditions will lead to the loss of beneficial properties, due to which its use will harm human health. Therefore, it is important to follow storage recommendations.

It is best not to transfer Driptan to other containers, but to leave it in the same packaging in which the manufacturer placed it. Do not allow it to be exposed to sunlight, especially prolonged exposure. You should also protect it from moisture. The product should be in a cool, but not cold place.

If these conditions are met, the tablets retain their properties for 3 years. After this, use of the drug is prohibited.

It is unacceptable for the product to fall into the hands of a child - it can be dangerous.

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics

The active substance has an antispasmodic effect on the smooth muscles of the detrusor (the muscular lining of the bladder). Oxybutynin blocks the effect of acetylcholine on m-anticholinergic drugs. After this, the detrusor relaxes and the volume of the membrane increases. This reduces the frequency of the urge to urinate. The drug is actively absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).

Oxybutynin penetrates the systemic bloodstream (its maximum concentration is recorded after 50-60 minutes). The half-life of the drug is about 3 hours, complete elimination occurs through the kidneys in the form of metabolites. The equilibrium concentration of the active substance in the blood plasma is achieved after 8 days of regular use of the tablets. Oxybutynin does not accumulate in tissues and organs if the patient moves a lot, but in a person with a weakened body, the pharmacokinetic parameters are prolonged. The substance may be metabolized in the liver.

Pharmacological properties of the drug Driptan

Pharmacodynamics . Oxybutynin is an anticholinergic antispasmodic. It reduces the contractility of the detrusor (the muscle that contracts the bladder) and thus reduces the severity and frequency of bladder contractions, as well as the pressure in the bladder. Pharmacokinetics. After oral administration, oxybutynin is rapidly absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract (Tmax - 0.5–1.4 hours). Studies have shown Cmax to be 8–12 ng/mL following a 5–10 mg dose in young healthy individuals. There were significant individual variations in plasma oxybutynin levels. Due to the first-pass effect through the liver, the absolute systemic bioavailability of oxybutynin is 6.2%. The main metabolite is the pharmacologically active desethyloxybutynin. Several other metabolites are formed, including phenylcyclohexyglycolic acid, but these are inactive. Less than 0.02% of the applied dose is excreted in the urine. The binding of oxybutynin to plasma albumin is 83-85%. The half-life is 2 hours. With long-term use, the accumulation of the drug is low.

Directions for use and dosage

The duration of drug treatment is determined individually for each patient. The doctor focuses on the severity of the symptoms of the disease, the patient’s age and his tolerance to the medication. The average dose for an adult patient is 10-15 mg (1 tablet - 5 mg) three times a day. Driptan tablets can be prescribed in an amount of 20 mg per day, but only after detailed consultation with a doctor and in the absence of pronounced side effects.

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For elderly people, the dose is adjusted. In most cases, it is recommended to take ½ of the tablet twice a day. According to the instructions, the maximum allowed dosage is 10 mg. Children from 5 years of age can take 1 tablet per day (divided by 2 times). Sometimes the dosage is increased (5 mg divided by 3 times), but only as prescribed by the attending physician.

Use of the drug Driptan

It is administered orally. Adults . The initial dose is 2.5 mg 3 times a day. If necessary, it can be increased to the minimum effective dose that provides a satisfactory clinical effect. The usual dose is 5 mg 2-3 times a day, the maximum dose is 5 mg 4 times a day. Elderly patients. In elderly people, the half-life of the drug may be prolonged, therefore, at the beginning of treatment, an initial dose of 2.5 mg 2 times a day is recommended. It can be increased, if necessary, to the minimum effective dose that provides a satisfactory clinical effect. Usually a dose of 5 mg 2 times a day is sufficient, at least in patients with low body weight. Children over 5 years of age . The initial dose is 2.5 mg 3 times a day. It can be increased, if necessary, to the minimum effective dose that provides a satisfactory clinical effect. The recommended dose is from 0.3 to 0.4 mg/kg body weight per day. The maximum doses are shown in the table:

Children under 5 years of age . The use of this drug is not recommended.

special instructions

The instructions for use of the tablets contain special instructions, thanks to which you can avoid a negative reaction of the body during the treatment process. The drug Driptan is prescribed with caution to elderly people with liver or kidney dysfunction, autonomic neuropathy, coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension, and heart failure. The medicine can also cause a negative reaction in patients suffering from hyperthyroidism, hiatal hernia, or benign prostate hyperplasia (enlargement).

Reviews from doctors

You should ask specialists about the effectiveness of any drug. You can see the following reviews about the drug Driptan.

I often prescribe Driptan to patients suffering from urinary incontinence. This medicine helps normalize urinary function because it affects the muscles. Complaints about the drug are rare - usually patients speak well of it, and some themselves ask whether they can use these tablets.

Konstantin Petrovich

I am a pediatrician, and sometimes mothers with children who have nocturnal enuresis come to me. Driptan has an age limit, but this product can be given to children over 5 years old. The tablets show good results, the problem can be solved. But you should not start treatment with this drug on your own. Enuresis in a child can be caused by various reasons, and you need to make sure whether Driptan is suitable in a particular case.

Elena Dmitrievna

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Doctors use this medicine as needed and consider it safe even for children. However, you should not self-medicate.

Drug interactions

To avoid side effects and not aggravate the disease, you need to be aware of the interaction of Driptan with other drugs. Instructions for use contain the following features:

1. The simultaneous use of oxybutynin with Lisuride can provoke serious disturbances of consciousness.
2. Caution is required when using Driptan with various anticholinergic drugs. This threatens to potentiate the anticholinergic effect.
3. Oxybutynin should not be used simultaneously with phenothiazines, butyrophenones, amantidine, tricyclic antidepressants, or levodopa. This mixture may cause decreased gastric motility, which will impair absorption of other medications.
4. Doctors do not recommend taking tablets with alcohol and sedatives. This significantly increases drowsiness and causes severe dizziness.

Drug interactions Driptan

When used simultaneously with lisuride, there is a risk of impaired consciousness, so regular clinical monitoring of patients is necessary. When used simultaneously with atropine and other atropine-like drugs (antidepressants of the imipramine group, sedative H1-antihistamines, atropine-like antispasmodics, other anticholinergic drugs for the treatment of parkinsonism, disopyramide, phenothiazine neuroleptics), additional side effects of atropine may occur: urinary retention, constipation, dry mouth .

Side effects

During therapy with Driptan, adverse reactions are sometimes observed. The instructions for use describe the following negative effects from taking the tablets:

• weakness, overexcitation, headache, insomnia or drowsiness, dizziness;
• decreased sweating;
• cardiac arrhythmia;
• abdominal pain, dry mouth, nausea, bowel dysfunction (diarrhea or constipation), discomfort in the abdominal area;
• dryness of mucous membranes and skin;
• disturbance of urine outflow;
• decreased libido (sexual desire) in women, impotence in men;
• allergies (itching, skin rashes, urticaria);
• glaucoma, paralysis of accommodation (the ability to focus vision), mydriasis (dilation of the pupils).

Overdose

When tablets are used for a long time and in a dosage that exceeds the permitted norm, negative reactions of the body may develop. Main signs of overdose:

• fever;
• irritability, sleep disturbance, hallucinations, spatial disorientation, delirium, anxiety;
• attacks of nausea, vomiting;
• respiratory problems;
• decrease in blood pressure.

Actions in case of overdose:

• for agitation and anxiety, administer 10 mg of Diazepam intravenously;
• urinary retention requires bladder catheterization;
• for tachycardia, Propranolol is administered intravenously;
• with the development of life-threatening anticholinergic syndrome, neostigmine is used.

Danger of overdose

You should not exceed the maximum dose of Driptan, as this will lead to a deterioration in your health. In case of overdose, the following phenomena may occur:

• labored breathing;
• increased excitability;
• dizziness;
• decrease in pressure;
• paralysis.

In the most severe cases, the patient may fall into a coma.

In order to overcome the symptoms of an overdose, gastric lavage is performed. Drug therapy with Diazepam, Neostigmine, and Propranol is also used. Sometimes artificial ventilation is required.

Contraindications

The drug is allowed to be used only as prescribed by a doctor and for detailed diagnosis. A number of contraindications described in the instructions for Driptan:

• myasthenia gravis (autoimmune neuromuscular disease);
• angle-closure glaucoma;
• individual intolerance to the components of the tablets, allergies;
• pathological expansion of the colon;
• obstructive uropathy;
• erosive ulcerative colitis;
• the patient's age is less than 5 years;
• first trimester of pregnancy, breastfeeding period;
• failures in the evacuation of digested food through the intestines, atony (weakened intestinal muscle tone);
• bleeding of various origins;
• obstruction (loss of patency) of the digestive organs;
• pathologies of the urinary tract that have developed due to deposits of sand or stones;
• exacerbation of chronic gastrointestinal diseases.

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Contraindications for use

In some cases, the use of this drug is prohibited, despite the presence of an appropriate diagnosis. This is due to the patient’s characteristics, due to which Driptan can have an unpredictable effect on the body. These include:

• angle-closure glaucoma;
• intestinal atony;
• obstructive uropathy;
• ulcerative colitis;
• myasthenia gravis;
• gastrointestinal obstruction;
• bleeding;
• period of childbearing and natural feeding;
• age less than 5 years.

Any of the above circumstances is a reason to refuse to use Driptan. It is because of them that self-medication with this remedy is prohibited.

Driptan's analogs

If the patient cannot take Driptan for a number of reasons, then he is prescribed drugs with a similar effect. The most popular and effective medications in this category:

1. Vesicare. This drug reduces the tone of smooth muscle organs. Belongs to the group of antispasmodics and is prescribed for the treatment of urological diseases.
2. Another analogue of Driptan is Detrusitol tablets and capsules. They are a blocker of m-cholinergic receptors. They are used in the treatment of urinary hyperactivity, which is characterized by urinary incontinence and frequent urge to go to the toilet.
3. Spazmex is a drug that effectively reduces the tone of the smooth muscles of the bladder. It is prescribed in the presence of an urgent urge to urinate, which is caused by detrusor overactivity. Tablets are also used in the complex treatment of enuresis, cystitis, and mixed incontinence.
4. The herbal remedy Urocholum eliminates inflammation, improves blood circulation in the liver and kidneys, has choleretic, diuretic and bactericidal effects, normalizes the muscle tone of the upper urinary tract and bile ducts.
5. Urotol tablets are an m-cholinomimetic with an antidysuric effect. They are prescribed to treat hyperreflexia (instability) of the bladder, which is manifested by frequent urination and/or urinary incontinence.

Similar means

Sometimes the medicine prescribed by the doctor cannot be used. It can lead to the development of side effects, due to which the patient is forced to refuse treatment. In this case, you need to choose a substitute - a product with a similar effect, but not causing a negative reaction. The same should be done if there are contraindications.

Analogues of Driptan are:

• Sibutin;
• Spasmex;
• Urotol;
• Vesicare;
• Urocholum;
• Detrusitol.

The doctor must choose from these and other drugs. He will evaluate the features of the clinical picture and correlate them with the characteristics of the drug. It's not easy to do this on your own.

Price of Driptan

You can purchase medicine at almost every pharmacy kiosk or order it online from a catalog. The price of the drug depends on the manufacturer and the specific point of sale. Average cost of tablets in Moscow and the region: