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Oxybutynin for Daytime Wetting and Bed-Wetting

Examples

Generic Name Brand Name
oxybutynin Ditropan, Oxytrol

Oxybutynin comes in pills or syrup. It usually is taken 2 or 3 times a day.

How It Works

Oxybutynin reduces bladder tightening (contractions), decreases the irritability of the bladder muscles, and delays the first urge to urinate.

Why It Is Used

Oxybutynin is used to treat children who have daytime wetting because they have problems controlling the tightening of their bladders. Symptoms of problems controlling bladder tightening include:

  • Feeling the need to urinate immediately (urgency).
  • Urinating more often than normal (frequency).
  • Dribbling urine or having damp underclothes.
  • Leaking urine when feeling the need to urinate (urge incontinence).
  • Pain when urinating (dysuria).

Oxybutynin also is used sometimes in children who wet their beds when the doctor thinks that a small bladder capacity might be the cause, especially if the child also has accidental daytime wetting.

How Well It Works

Oxybutynin is helpful in treating daytime wetting caused by problems with controlling bladder tightening (contractions). It also can be helpful in some cases of nighttime wetting (nocturnal enuresis), especially when both nighttime and daytime wetting are present.

Side Effects

The most common side effects of oxybutynin include:

  • Dry mouth.
  • Facial flushing.
  • Mood changes.
  • Blurred vision.
  • Constipation.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What To Think About

Oxybutynin is not recommended for the treatment of most cases of bed-wetting because it has not been found to be helpful. It may be helpful in cases where a small bladder capacity appears to be the cause of the bed-wetting.

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Credits

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics
Specialist Medical Reviewer Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MD, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics
Last Revised October 26, 2010

Last Revised: October 26, 2010

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics & Thomas Emmett Francoeur, MD, MDCM, CSPQ, FRCPC - Pediatrics

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