Gelnique

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

This medication comes in gel form and is applied once daily.

Common side effects of Gelnique include dry mouth and application site reactions. Gelnique can also cause blurred vision and drowsiness.  Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Gelnique affects you.

Gelnique 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.

• Actavis Pharma, Inc.

Serious side effects have been reported with Gelnique. See the "Gelnique precautions" section.  Common side effects of Gelnique include the following:

• Reaction at application site (redness, itching, irritation, pain, rash)
• Dry mouth

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 Gelnique drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with Gelnique, 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 applying Gelnique, call 911 for prompt medical attention.
• Heat prostration. This would include fever and heat stroke due to decreased sweating. This can occur if Gelnique is taken in the presence of high environmental temperature.

Topical gel: To decrease chances of transferring this medication to others, cover treatment area with clothing after gel has dried.  Stop using this medication if it causes irritation to the skin. Do not expose this medication to an open flame or smoking until the gel has dried.

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

Do not take Gelnique if you:

• Are allergic to Gelnique 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 Gelnique, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet while receiving this medication.

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

• Are allergic to Gelnique 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. 

Gelnique falls into category B. There are no well-done studies that have been done in humans with Gelnique. 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 Gelnique 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 Gelnique.

Use Gelnique exactly as prescribed.

Gelnique comes in a gel form and is applied once daily. 

For the topical gel formulation, apply to clean, dry, intact skin on abdomen, thighs, or upper arms/shoulders.  Wash hands after use.  Cover treated area with clothing after gel has dried to prevent transfer of medication to others.  Do not bathe, shower, or swim until 1 hour after gel applied.  Do not apply to recently shaved skin.

• Gelnique Gel 3%: Prior to initial use, press pump 4 times to prime pump; discard any gel dispensed from pump during priming.  Rotate application sites to avoid skin irritation.
• Gelnique Gel 10%: Rotate site; do not apply to same site on consecutive days.

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 apply doses of Gelnique 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 Gelnique 3% (oxybutynin) for the treatment of overactive bladder is 3 pumps (84 mg) once daily.  The recommended dose of Gelnique 10% (oxybutynin) for the treatment of overactive bladder is 1 sachet (100 mg/g) once daily.

If you apply too much Gelnique, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away. If Gelnique is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur.  However, if an overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.