OAB drug improves LUTS after alpha-blocker therapy

Extended-release tolterodine tartate (Detrol LA) significantly improves lower urinary tract storage symptoms from baseline in men after unsuccessful treatment with alpha-blocker therapy, according to a study published in the current Journal of Urology (2005; 174:2273-5).

“Men with lower urinary tract symptoms are often diagnosed as having BPH and are initially treated with alpha-blockers,” said lead author Steven Kaplan, MD, of Cornell University, New York. “However, many patients treated with alpha-blockers report persistent frequency and urgency of urination. This study is the latest evidence to suggest that tolterodine may be a reasonable therapeutic option in these men with LUTS.”

In the open-label, prospective study, Dr. Kaplan and colleagues treated 43 men age 50 years or older with extended-release tolterodine, 4 mg, for 6 months. Mean lower urinary tract symptoms, as measured by AUA symptom score, improved over the 6-month period. Mean daytime urination frequency decreased from 9.8 episodes to 6.3 episodes per day, while mean nighttime urination frequency decreased from 4.1 episodes to 2.9 episodes per night. There were no reports of urinary retention.