Ditropan

Ditropan is a prescription medication used to treat overactive bladder. Ditropan belongs to a group of drugs called antispasmodics, which help to relax the bladder muscle. 

This medication comes in tablet and syrup form, and is taken up to 4 times daily, with or without food. 

Common side effects of include dry mouth, constipation, and nausea. Ditropan can also cause blurred vision, drowsiness, and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how it affects you.

Ditropan is a prescription medication used to treat overactive bladder.  Symptoms treated are:

• Painful, frequent urination
• Urination leaking accidents

This medication may be prescribed for other uses.  Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

• Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Serious side effects have been reported with Ditropan.  See the "Ditropan Precautions" section. 

Common side effects include:

• Dry mouth
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Blurred vision

This is not a complete list of Ditropan side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medications you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.  Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• ipratropium oral inhalation (Atrovent HFA), tiotropium oral inhalation (Spiriva HandiHaler)
• potassium chloride (Klor-Con)
• chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
• amitriptyline (Elavil), clomipramine (Anafranil), imipramine (Tofranil)
• Opioid medications such as morphine (MS Contin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), oxycodone (Oxycontin), methadone (Dolophine), and combination opioid medications such as hydrocodone-acetaminophen (Lorcet, Lortab, Vicodin, Norco), oxycodone-acetaminophen (Endocet, Percocet), and acetaminophen-codeine (Tylenol #3)
• Medications that use the enzyme CYP3A4, such as ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), miconazole (Lotrimin, Vagistat), erythromycin (E.E.S. granules), clarithromycin (Biaxin)
• Medications that are classified as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Razadyne), and rivastigmine (Exelon)

This is not a complete list of Ditropan drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with Ditropan, including the following:

• Central nervous system effects.  These may include hallucinations, agitation, confusion, and drowsiness.
• Angioedema.  If you experience swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or larynx after taking Ditropan, call 911 for prompt medical attention.
• Heat prostration.  This would include fever and heat stroke due to decreased sweating.  This can occur if Ditropan is taken in the presence of high environmental temperature.

Ditropan can cause drowsiness.  Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Ditropan affects you.

Do not take Ditropan if you:

• Are allergic to Ditropan or to any of its ingredients
• If you have, or are at risk for uncontrolled narrow-angle glaucoma, urinary retention, gastric retention, or conditions with very decreased gastrointestinal movement

Medications can interact with certain foods.  In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods.  In the case of Ditropan, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet while receiving this medication.

Before taking Ditropan, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• Are allergic to oxybutynin or any of its ingredients
• Have or have had hyperthyroidism, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, hiatal hernia, tachycardia (rapid heart beat), hypertension, myasthenia gravis, and prostatic hypertrophy (enlargement of the prostate gland)
• Have problems with your liver or kidney
• Have a blockage preventing urine flowing out from your bladder
• Have a blockage in your stomach or intestines, or have ulcerative colitis or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.  The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy.  Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy. 

Ditropan falls into category B. There are no well-done studies that have been done in humans with Ditropan. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication, and the babies did not show any medical issues related to this medication.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Ditropan crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor will decide if the benefits outweigh the risks of using Ditropan.

Take Ditropan exactly as prescribed.

Ditropan comes in tablet and syrup form, and is taken up to 4 times daily.

This medication can be taken with or without food.  

Alcohol may intensify the effect of this medication.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember.  If it is almost time for the next dose, skipped the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time.  Do not take two doses of Ditropan at the same time.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor.  Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. 

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your weight
• your height
• your age
• your gender

The recommended dose of Ditropan for the treatment of overactive bladder is one 5 mg tablet two to three times a day. The maximum recommended dose is one 5 mg tablet four times a day.

If you take too much Ditropan, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

Store at 20-25 C. 

Protect from light.