How long before vesicare starts working

Talk to a doctor or pharmacist if you're not sure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking solifenacin. There are some lifestyle changes that may help your symptoms. Page last reviewed: 11 June Next review due: 11 June Solifenacin - Brand name: Vesicare On this page About solifenacin Key facts Who can and cannot take solifenacin How and when to take solifenacin Side effects How to cope with side effects of solifenacin Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about solifenacin.

About solifenacin Solifenacin is a medicine used to treat symptoms of an overactive bladder. These can include: a sudden and urgent need to pee urinary urgency needing to pee more often than usual urinary frequency wetting yourself if you cannot make it to the loo in time urinary incontinence Solifenacin works by relaxing the muscles around your bladder.

Common side effects include dry mouth and blurred vision. You will usually take this medicine long term to help keep your symptoms under control. Solifenacin starts to work within 3 to 8 hours, but it can take up to 4 weeks to reach its full effect. Solifenacin can be taken by adults aged 18 years and over. To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting solifenacin if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to solifenacin or any other medicine have liver or kidney problems have myasthenia gravis , a rare long-term condition that causes muscle weakness have glaucoma , as solifenacin can increase pressure in your eye have a severe stomach or bowel condition, including a rare complication of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease called toxic megacolon are not able to pee or empty your bladder completely urinary retention are pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding.

Always read the information that comes with your medicine. Dosage The usual dose of solifenacin is 5mg, taken once a day. What if I forget to take it? Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed dose. What if I take too much? Taking 1 extra dose of solifenacin is unlikely to harm you. However, you may get more side effects, such as a dry mouth or headache.

You've taken more than your usual dose of solifenacin and you have: a fast heartbeat breathing problems. Urgent advice: Contact for advice now if:. You've taken 2 or more extra doses of solifenacin and you: have hallucinations feel very restless or excited have dilated pupils in your eyes are not able to pee Call or go to Common side effects Common side effects happen in more than 1 in people.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if these side effects bother you or do not go away: dry mouth headache feeling dizzy, sleepy, or a spinning sensation vertigo diarrhoea or being sick vomiting constipation farting and burping wind stomach pain dry eyes blurred vision problems or pain when peeing, and not being able to empty your bladder Serious side effects Serious side effects are rare. Tell your doctor straight away if you have: stomach pain especially after meals , feeling sick or being sick, a persistent urge to poo, not being able to poo or you have runny poos — these are all signs of faecal impaction, where large, hardened poo gets stuck and you cannot push it out difficulty fully emptying your bladder, or difficulty in starting to pee — these are signs of urinary retention, where pee builds up in your bladder because you're unable to pee high temperature or chills, burning sensation when peeing, pain in your back or side, or bloody or cloudy pee — these can be signs of a severe urinary tract infection UTI swollen ankles or legs oedema — where fluid builds up in your legs Serious allergic reaction In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to solifenacin.

Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Visit Yellow Card for further information. What to do about: dry mouth — try chewing sugar-free gum or having sugar-free sweets. Having a dry mouth can cause tooth decay or a fungal infection. It also might stop medicine that you put under your tongue from dissolving properly, such as medicine for angina. Avoid alcohol. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a painkiller.

Talk to your doctor if your headache is severe or lasts longer than 1 or 2 days. Avoid drinking alcohol, as this may make your symptoms worse. Talk to your doctor if the dizziness or sleepiness bothers you. Signs of dehydration include peeing less than usual or having strong-smelling pee.

Do not take any other medicines without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor, if the effects last more than 1 or 2 days.

Try to exercise more regularly, for example, by going for a daily walk or run. If this does not help, talk to a pharmacist or doctor. Watch this short video about how to treat constipation.

It might also help to eat smaller and more frequent meals, eat and drink slowly, and exercise regularly. Ask your pharmacist about remedies you can buy to help with trapped wind. There have been several large, randomized clinical trials evaluating the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and persistence with solifenacin Table 1.

Each of these trials will be discussed. Clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of solifenacin in the treatment of overactive bladder. Change from baseline in mean number of urgency, all incontinence, urge incontinence episodes. Chapple et al a conducted a phase 2 study to evaluate the effective dose of solifenacin for the treatment of OAB.

This was a multicenter, double blind, placebo and tolterodine controlled trial. Following a single blind 2-week placebo run in, patients were randomized to 4 weeks of either placebo, solifenacin 2. The primary outcome measure of the study was the change from baseline, in the mean number of voids per 24 hours.

Secondary outcome measures included the change in volume of urine voided per void, and the mean number of urgency and incontinence episodes per 24 hours. Quality of life changes were assessed using the 27 item Contilife questionnaire.

Results of the study showed a significant reduction in the mean number of voids per 24 hours, and an increase in the mean volume voided per void in the study group taking 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 g of solifenacin, when compared with the placebo group. There was no statistically significant reduction in voiding frequency, and volume voided per void in the tolterodine and 2. The efficacy and tolerability of solifenacin was found to be dose dependant, with the greatest reduction in frequency occurring with the 20 mg dose.

Neither solifenacin nor tolterodine treated patients experienced a significant reduction in the number of urgency or incontinence episodes. Quality of life assessment using the Contilife questionnaire showed an improvement in 4 domains daily life activities, emotional consequences, sexuality, and self-image in the solifenacin treated patients, compared with improvement in the daily life activities domain in the tolterodine treated group, when compared with placebo.

Dry mouth and constipation were the most commonly reported adverse events. Patients taking 20 mg of solifenacin reported the highest incidence of adverse events, followed by those patients taking tolterodine. The lowest incidence of adverse events was reported by patients taking 2. There have been 4 phase 3 trials, a 1-year open label extension study and a solifenacin and tolterodine head-to-head study assessing the safety and tolerability of solifenacin in patients with OAB.

Two initial phase 3 clinical trials were designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 10 mg solifenacin in double blind, placebo-controlled trials studies and The primary endpoint for both studies was the change from baseline to 12 weeks in the number of micturitions in 24 hours.

The mean change in the number of incontinence episodes per 24 hours and mean volume voided per micturition, were used as secondary endpoints. Both studies showed solifenacin 10 mg to be superior to placebo in reducing micturition frequency, incontinence and urgency episodes, and the volume voided per micturition episode.

There was no statistically significant reduction in nocturia episodes in both studies. Pharmacokinetic studies were performed before drug dosing, at steady state and post-dosing. Both studies reported mild to moderate adverse events, the most commonly reported being dry mouth and constipation.

In study there was one discontinuation due to dry mouth. Cardozo et al conducted a week, multicenter, randomized, double blind placebo controlled trial assessing the efficacy of 5 and 10 mg doses of solifenacin.

Safety and tolerability of solifenacin were secondary study objectives. Patients were randomized to once daily doses of placebo, 5 mg or 10 mg of solifenacin. The primary endpoint for this week trial was the mean change in micturition episodes in 24 hours. Changes from baseline in the mean umber of urgency, nocturia and incontinence episodes, and the mean volume voided per void, were used as secondary endpoints. The mean reductions in the number of micturition, urgency, and nocturia episodes in 24 hours are shown in Figure 2.

The reductions in urinary frequency and urgency episodes with solifenacin treatment were statistically significant for both doses of solifenacin. One of the major findings of this study was the significant reduction in nocturia episodes in patients taking a 10 mg dose of solifenacin. Reduction from baseline in the number of micturition and urgency episodes in 24 hours, and episodes of nocturia in patients receiving placebo, 5 mg, or 10 mg of solifenacin in a phase 3 trial drawn from data of Cardozo et al Half of the patients who were incontinent at baseline and received treatment with solifenacin 5 mg and 10 mg were dry at the end of the study period.

Rates of dry mouth were 7. Seven patients 2. A week phase 3a study assessing the efficacy of 5 mg and 10 mg solifenacin was conducted in a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, using 2 mg of immediate release tolterodine as an active comparator Chapple et al b.

The primary aim was to assess the efficacy of solifenacin 5 and 10 mg whilst the secondary aims were to compare the safety and efficacy with that of 2 mg immediate release IR tolterodine. After a 2-week placebo run-in period, subjects were randomized to either 2 mg IR tolterodine twice daily, placebo, solifenacin 5 mg or 10 mg. Baseline to end of study changes in the mean number of urgency, mixed incontinence and urgency incontinence episodes were used as study outcome measures.

In addition, the mean number of voids per 24 hours and mean volume voided per void were also assessed. Results of the study showed a statistically significant reduction in the number of urgency and urgency incontinence episodes in the patients receiving solifenacin, when compared with placebo. These changes were not statistically significant in the tolterodine-treated group when compared with placebo. There was a significant reduction in urinary frequency with all active treatments, this effect being greatest in the solifenacin 10 mg, and then the 5 mg group.

There was a statistically significant improvement in volume of urine per void in the solifenacin- and tolterodine-treated groups, when compared with placebo. The changes in study outcome measures are shown in Figure 3.

The percentage change from baseline in the mean number of urgency, incontinence, and urge incontinence episodes and mean voids in a hour period Drawn from data of Chapple et al b.

Five 1. Constipation was reported in a greater number of patients receiving solifenacin than tolterodine. The study found the 5 and 10 mg doses of solifenacin to be more effective than placebo, in the treatment of OAB. These preliminary studies lead to the STAR study; a head to head clinical trial comparing the efficacy of the existing market leader tolterodine extended release with dose flexible solifenacin. This was a prospective, double blind, 2 arm, parallel group, week study Chapple et al The study design is described in Figure 4.

In this type of study the initial analysis is one of non-inferiority of the test drug, and once established assessment of superiority may follow. The results of the study showed that solifenacin was not inferior to tolterodine in reducing the number of voids per 24 hours; 2. Solifenacin treatment resulted in a significant improvement in urgency, nocturia, urge incontinence, and overall incontinence when compared with tolterodine. Reduction in pad usage was significantly greater in the solifenacin-treated group than the tolterodine-treated group 1.

The perception of bladder condition questionnaire PBC is a validated single-item questionnaire, which asks people to choose 1 of 6 responses describing the severity of their bladder condition. Assessment of the PBC questionnaire scores showed a greater improvement in the solifenacin-treated group than the tolterodine-treated group 1. Adverse events were those associated with antimuscarinic therapy and were mild to moderate in severity.

The study concluded that the flexible dosing of solifenacin is more effective in treating OAB compared with the highest licensed dose of extended release tolterodine. The duration of most clinical trials is 12 weeks, owing, among other factors, to cost constraints, intensity of surveillance, and the ethical considerations of long-term placebo treatment.

Patients receive detailed follow up and incentives such as free study medication in order to complete the trial. How to tell this drug is working: Your symptoms of OAB should improve. You may no longer have a strong need to urinate or a need to urinate often. A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription. Many insurance companies require a prior authorization for this drug.

This means your doctor will need to get approval from your insurance company before your insurance company will pay for the prescription. Not every pharmacy stocks this drug. When filling your prescription, be sure to call ahead to make sure your pharmacy carries it. There are other drugs available to treat your condition. Some may be better suited for you than others.

Talk to your doctor about other drug options that may work for you. Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up-to-date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before taking any medication.

The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.

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An overactive bladder causes a sudden urge to urinate. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. But medication is only one part of the treatment equation for overactive bladder. Others have trouble tolerating side effects, which include dry mouth, dry eyes, constipation, and confusion.

Slopnick says. They range from injections to implants, and each approach has pros and cons. Here are three of the most common alternatives:. The big advantages are that injections are done in the office and are usually only required two or three times a year. However, there are other possible side effects, Dr.