More Drug Side Effects for Enablex

Enablex is a medication used to treat overactive bladder. The cause of overactive bladder is involuntary contractions of the detrusor muscle. Enablex works by preventing the contraction of the detrusor muscle, thereby relieving symptoms of overactive bladder such as urinary frequency and urgency.

Effects

• The most common side effects of Enablex are dry mouth, constipation, and abnormal vision. These side effects occur because Enablex has effects on other parts of the body such as the salivary glands, gastrointestional smooth muscle, and the sphincter of the iris.

Warning

• Because Enablex affects other systems in the body, people with certain conditions should not use this medication. Those with a history of gastrointestional obstruction, gastroparesis, or pyloric stenosis are at risk of making these conditions worse by using Enablex. Also, due to the effects on the eye, those with closed-angle glaucoma should not use Enablex.

Theories/Speculation

• Enablex has been suggested as a treatment for irritable bowel symptom due to its gastrointestional side effects. Currently, no positive outcome has been established in this research.

Types

• Detrol, Ditropan, and Vesicare are other drugs that belong to the same family as Enablex. In comparison, dry mouth is less of a problem with Enablex than with some of the other drugs in its class. However, due to the way the body metabolizes Enablex, it has an extensive list of drug interactions. Patients should inform their physicians of all medication they are taking before beginning therapy with Enablex.

Considerations

• Both alcohol and caffeine have been associated with incontinence. For this reason, patients should not consume either alcohol or caffeine while using Enablex so as not to counteract the positive effects of the medication.