Enablex (darifenacin) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2004 as a prescription medication to treat overactive bladder in adults. Enablex comes in 7.5 or 15-mg extended-release tablets. There are some side effects and drug interactions that patients should be aware of while taking Enablex.
Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder affects about 35 million Americans. It occurs equally in men and women, and can happen at any age. The symptoms are an urgent, sudden need to urinate, frequent urination (more than eight times per day) and urge incontinence (leaking before being able to reach a bathroom).
Causes of Overactive Bladder
The causes of overactive bladder are not completely understood; however, doctors believe that it is caused by a malfunction in the brain's signals to the bladder muscles. In simple terms, urine builds up in the bladder, and the bladder muscles hold the urine in. When the body is ready to urinate, the brain signals the bladder muscles to release urine. With overactive bladder, the bladder muscles are signaled to release urine unexpectedly or too often.
How Enablex Works
Enablex is a competitive muscarinic receptor antagonist. This means it plays a role in urinary bladder muscle contractions. It helps to reduce bladder leakage, urinary accidents and the urgent or sudden need to urinate. Enablex is metabolized by the liver.
What Enablex Does Not Treat
There are some urinary conditions that Enablex does not treat, including stress incontinence and nocturia. Stress incontinence causes urine leakage when people sneeze, cough, laugh or lift strenuously. Nocturia is the urgent need to wake up during the night and urinate.
Side Effects
The reported side effects of Enablex are dry mouth, constipation, abdominal distress, diarrhea, urinary tract infection, blurred vision, dry eyes, dizziness and heat prostration. Patients experiencing any of these symptoms while using Enablex should notify their doctor immediately.
Drug Interactions
There are several drugs that can interact with Enablex, including ritonivir or nelfinavir (Viracept), ketoconazole (Nizoral), clarithromycin (Biaxin), itraconazole (Sporonox), nefazadone (Serzone), flecainide (Tambocor), thioridazine (Mellaril) and some tricyclic antidepressants. Always advise your doctor of all medications you take, including vitamins and herbal supplements.
Who Should Not Take Enablex
Enablex has not been studied in children and, therefore, should not be prescribed to children. It is not recommended for people with severe liver disease. Enablex should be avoided in pregnancy unless the benefits outweigh the risks. It is unknown whether Enablex is excreted in human breast milk, but it is in rats. Therefore, women who breastfeed should not use Enablex. Caution should be used in prescribing Enablex to patients with acute constipation, gastrointestinal obstructive disorders, controlled narrow-angle glaucoma, myasthenia gravis or ulcerative colitis.
Tags: bladder muscles, bladder bladder, bladder bladder muscles, brain signals, brain signals bladder, Enablex should