Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
08:08
The Use of Cystometry in Small Rodents: A Study of Bladder Chemosensation
Published on: August 21, 2012
[Overactive bladder--treatment with antimuscarinic agents]
1Klinik für Urologie und Kinderurologie, Ev. Krankenhaus Oberhausen. klaus.hoefner@freenet.de
Der Urologe. Ausg. A
|July 10, 2003
Summary
Antimuscarinics are the primary treatment for overactive bladder (OAB), blocking muscarinic receptors to reduce detrusor muscle contractions. This review examines approved OAB medications in Germany, including those with mixed effects.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Urology
Background:
- Overactive bladder (OAB) encompasses urgency and urge incontinence, often accompanied by urinary frequency and nocturia.
- Antimuscarinic agents are the mainstay pharmacological treatment for OAB.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of drugs approved in Germany for OAB treatment.
- To review the clinical efficacy of these medications based on randomized studies and clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing data on approved OAB drugs in Germany.
- Focus on medications with proven clinical effects from randomized controlled trials or established clinical use.
Main Results:
- Antimuscarinics function by blocking M2 or M3 muscarinic receptors, inhibiting acetylcholine binding and reducing detrusor muscle contraction.
- Some drugs possess a mixed effect by also blocking calcium channels.
- The paper discusses drugs with established efficacy in clinical practice or randomized studies.
Conclusions:
- Antimuscarinics remain a key therapeutic option for overactive bladder.
- The review covers a range of approved treatments, including those with mixed pharmacological actions, highlighting their proven clinical utility.
Related Concept Videos
00:59Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacological Actions
Direct-acting cholinergic agonists exert their pharmacological actions by mimicking the effects of acetylcholine on postsynaptic muscarinic receptors to generate parasympathetic responses. These agents elicit a range of physiological responses, including cardiovascular effects. For example, activation of muscarinic receptors induces bradycardia, decreased cardiac output, reduced peripheral resistance, and consequent hypotension. In the eye, stimulation of M3 receptors leads to smooth muscle...
01:24Cholinergic Antagonists: Pharmacokinetics
Cholinergic antagonists—such as antimuscarinics—are available in oral, topical, ocular, parenteral, and inhalational formulations. Most antimuscarinics are oral formulations, while scopolamine is available as a topical patch, and ipratropium and tiotropium are available as inhalation aerosols or powders. Atropine, tropicamide, and cyclopentolate are topically instilled in the eye. Most antimuscarinics are lipid-soluble and readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and the conjunctiva.
01:28Cholinergic Antagonists: Pharmacological Actions
Antimuscarinic drugs block muscarinic receptors in multiple systems, including the gut, eye, smooth muscles, respiratory tract, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems. They produce similar effects with varying selectivity depending on the specific agent and tissue. Here are the key pharmacological actions of antimuscarinics:
Gastrointestinal Effects: Antimuscarinics reduce gut contractions, increase gastric emptying, and slow intestinal transit. They partly inhibit gastric acid secretion...
Gastrointestinal Effects: Antimuscarinics reduce gut contractions, increase gastric emptying, and slow intestinal transit. They partly inhibit gastric acid secretion...
01:26Cholinergic Antagonists: Therapeutic Uses
Antimuscarinic drugs have various therapeutic applications by inhibiting parasympathetic stimulation in different systems. Here are the key therapeutic uses of antimuscarinics:
Respiratory Tract: Ipratropium, aclidinium, and tiotropium treat asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They protect against bronchoconstriction caused by irritants like cigarette smoke, sulfur dioxide, and ozone. They also help reduce nasopharyngeal secretions in common...
Respiratory Tract: Ipratropium, aclidinium, and tiotropium treat asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They protect against bronchoconstriction caused by irritants like cigarette smoke, sulfur dioxide, and ozone. They also help reduce nasopharyngeal secretions in common...
01:24Parkinson's Disease: Treatment
Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's Disease (PD), involve the gradual and irreversible destruction of neurons in particular brain areas. These disorders exhibit standard features like proteinopathies, selective vulnerability of some neurons, and an interaction of intrinsic properties, genetics, and environmental influences in neural injury.
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...
01:20Antiasthma Drugs: Muscarinic Receptor Antagonists
Muscarinic receptor antagonists, also known as antimuscarinic agents, are a class of bronchodilators used to treat asthma, although they are more commonly used to treat COPD. They work by inhibiting the action of acetylcholine (ACh), a neurotransmitter, on muscarinic receptors found in the airways.
Antimuscarinic agents compete with ACh for the same binding site on the muscarinic receptors. By binding to these receptors, they inhibit the downstream effects of ACh and block the parasympathetic...
Antimuscarinic agents compete with ACh for the same binding site on the muscarinic receptors. By binding to these receptors, they inhibit the downstream effects of ACh and block the parasympathetic...