Article Review on Overactive Ballder

Cholinergic Drugs: Oxybutynin and Tolterodine Oxybutynin and Tolterodine [Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees] The article concerns a study meant to assess the side effects and efficacy of two well-known medications for overactive bladder or OAB. They are oxybutynin and tolterodine. By comparing the efficacy rates and side effects of both medications, they ruled out which one was the less effective one as well as what side effect was most commonly experienced by the patients that participated in the study.

They chose to perform the study on one hundred Iranian women. The materials and methods used began with selecting an adequate group of participants which concluded with one hundred Iranian women with overactive bladder problems. It was a randomized double-blinded parallel-group and they gave both of the medications two for four weeks with tolterodine administered twice daily at a dosage of 2mg and for the other group oxybutynin, administered three times daily at a dosage of 5 mg. The drugs were kept in alike packaging.

They collected information three days before and three days after from the participants when treatment was concluded. They studied effectiveness of the drug by using paired t-test, observing improvement post treatment and the results showed a positive change in the patients in terms of improvement of urinary urgency, incontinency, frequency and urge to urinate. Both groups showed positive changes with oxybutynin showing slightly better results than tolterodine. Participants noticed the most common side effect was dry mouth.

Although oxybutynin and tolterodine had roughly similar results with no significant difference, tolterodine may be the better option as it is taken less frequently. Results also demonstrated four-week treatment was enough to provide relief of overactive bladder for the patients that took both medications. 2. Overactive bladder is a problem that affects many women daily. As women age, many experience a frequent urge to urinate. They are often adult diapers to help them deal with the potentially embarrassing leaks. They may take medication in order to reduce urgency.

Therefore, studies like these that compare the efficacy of oxybutynin and tolterodine may help in providing doctors with enough information on choosing the right medication for their patients. For example, patients take tolterodine twice a day versus oxybutynin, which is taken three times daily. Although oxybutynin performed better than tolterodine at treating overactive bladder, it was not a significant difference. Therefore, tolterodine can be prescribed so as to avoid having to take a medication three times a day.

Studies are necessary for doctors to prescribe the most suitable medication for their patients. Without the results from these continuously done studies, patients may receive treatments that they may not stick to because of side effects or dosing instructions. One final thing the study mentioned was the fact that both drugs left patients with dry mouth. Dry mouth although insignificant compared to other symptoms, may be important to note as this can cause oral hygiene problems for patients taking these kinds of medications.

Since the prevalence of overactive bladder has increased, more studies must be performed to help patients get the best treatment possible. They observed one hundred women. That size seems too small, especially since the end result was much not as significant as anticipated. Perhaps it would have been better also if the group of participants were varied. Perhaps including women of different races, ethnicities, and ages could provide a clearer picture as to which medication would be most effective. Also the time for the study was only four weeks.

That amount of time was too short. Furthermore, additional information collected like- if patients took the medications accordingly would have provided further clarity on efficacy of each medication. There was also a wait time of three days after treatment that the researchers took to gain the answers from the participants. This window of time was too long. It would have been better if they had done it within 24 hours as that way they would have received higher accuracy. 4. They claim that oxybutynin performed better than tolterodine.

Although they also mentioned that it only performed statistically better by a marginal difference, it still provided additional new insight in which differences in efficacy between the two medications. The key difference was in how oxybutynin improved urge incontinence and urgency. "Frequency and Urge incontinence after treatment in both groups were seen but mean improvements in the all were larger in the patients who treated by oxybutinin especially in terms of urgency and Urge incontinence" (Aziminekoo et al.,.