Tolterodine, sold under the brand name Detrol among others, is a

medication Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...

used to treat frequent urination,

urinary incontinence Urinary incontinence (UI), also known as involuntary urination, is any uncontrolled leakage of urine. It is a common and distressing problem, which may have a significant effect on quality of life. Urinary incontinence is common in older women ...

, or urinary urgency. Effects are seen within an hour. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include headache, dry mouth, constipation, and dizziness. Serious side effects may include angioedema,

urinary retention Urinary retention is an inability to completely empty the bladder. Onset can be sudden or gradual. When of sudden onset, symptoms include an inability to urinate and lower abdominal pain. When of gradual onset, symptoms may include urinary incont ...

, and QT prolongation. Use in

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

and

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the process where breast milk is fed to a child. Infants may suck the milk directly from the breast, or milk may be extracted with a Breast pump, pump and then fed to the infant. The World Health Orga ...

are of unclear safety. It works by blocking muscarinic receptors in the

bladder The bladder () is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys. In placental mammals, urine enters the bladder via the ureters and exits via the urethra during urination. In humans, the bladder is a distens ...

thus decreasing bladder contractions. Tolterodine was approved for medical use in 1998. It is available as a

generic medication A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. Because the active ch ...

. In 2020, it was the 271st most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 1million prescriptions.

Medical uses

Detrusor overactivity (DO, contraction of the muscular bladder wall) is the most common form of urinary incontinence (UI) in older adults. It is characterized by uninhibited bladder contractions causing an uncontrollable urge to void. Urinary frequency, urge incontinence and nocturnal incontinence occur. Abnormal bladder contractions that coincide with the urge to void can be measured by urodynamic studies. Treatment is bladder retraining, pelvic floor therapy or with drugs that inhibit bladder contractions such as oxybutynin and tolterodine.

Side effects

Known side effects: * Dry mouth * Decreased gastric motility (upset stomach) *

Headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...

Constipation Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The Human feces, stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the ...

* Dry eyes * Sleepiness *

Urinary retention Urinary retention is an inability to completely empty the bladder. Onset can be sudden or gradual. When of sudden onset, symptoms include an inability to urinate and lower abdominal pain. When of gradual onset, symptoms may include urinary incont ...

The following reactions have been reported in people who have taken tolterodine since it has become available: * Allergic reactions including swelling * Rapid heartbeat or abnormal heartbeat * Accumulation of fluid in the arms and legs *

Hallucinations A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

Tolterodine is not recommended for use in people with

myasthenia gravis Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a long-term neuromuscular junction disease that leads to varying degrees of skeletal muscle weakness. The most commonly affected muscles are those of the eyes, face, and swallowing. It can result in double vision, ...

and angle closure glaucoma.

Pharmacology

Tolterodine acts on M₂ and M₃ subtypes of muscarinic receptors whereas older

antimuscarinic A muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, also simply known as a muscarinic antagonist or as an antimuscarinic agent, is a type of anticholinergic drug that blocks the activity of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs). The muscarin ...

treatments for overactive bladder act more specifically on M₃ receptors. Tolterodine, although it acts on all types of receptors, has fewer side effects than oxybutynin (M₃ and M₁ selective, but more so in the parotid than in the bladder) as tolterodine targets the bladder more than other areas of the body.

Society and culture

Brand names

It is marketed by

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

in Canada and the United States under the brand name Detrol. In Egypt it is also found under the trade names Tolterodine by Sabaa and Incont L.A. by Adwia. In the US, Detrol is marketed by Viatris after Upjohn was spun off from Pfizer.

References

{{Portal bar , Medicine Benzhydryl compounds Diisopropylamino compounds Drugs developed by Pfizer HERG blocker M1 receptor antagonists M2 receptor antagonists M3 receptor antagonists M4 receptor antagonists M5 receptor antagonists Phenols Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate