Flavoxate
Description
Flavoxate is a medicine used to treat muscle spasms in the urinary tract. It helps to relieve urinary symptoms such as a sudden urge to urinate, frequent and painful urination, inability to control urination, leaking of urine, etc., that may occur due to various conditions. Flavoxate works by relaxing the muscles in the urinary bladder (an organ that stores urine).
Flavoxate may cause side effects like dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, and indigestion. These side effects usually resolve with time. If any of these side effects persist or worsen, consult your doctor at the earliest. Avoid driving vehicles or operating machines if you feel drowsy or experience blurring of vision after taking Flavoxate. Also, avoid taking this medicine if you are allergic to it.
Flavoxate can be taken with or without food. Your doctor will decide the dose and duration of treatment based on your clinical condition. It may take some time for your bladder to adapt and your symptoms to improve. Hence, take this medicine for the recommended duration for better results. If you stop the medicine early, your symptoms may become worse.
Flavoxate is not recommended for use if you have disorders that cause obstruction in the urinary tract or gastrointestinal tract. It should be used with caution if you have kidney problems, glaucoma (an eye condition that occurs due to increased fluid pressure inside the eyes), and if you are under any active medications. It is not recommended for use in children below 12 years of age. Also, inform your doctor if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or are breastfeeding.
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Side effects
Major & minor side effects for Flavoxate
- Confusion
- Skin rash
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Blurred vision
- Constipation
- Headache
- Fast heartbeat
- Stomach pain
Uses of Flavoxate
What is it prescribed for?
- Muscle spasms of the urinary tract
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Concerns
Commonly asked questions
- Onset of actionThe effect of Flavoxate can be observed within an hour.
- Duration of effectThe time duration for which Flavoxate remains effective in your body is not clinically established.
- Safe with alcohol?Avoid consuming alcohol during the treatment with Flavoxate as it may increase the risk of side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty in concentration.
- Is it habit forming?Flavoxate has no habit-forming tendency.
- Usage in pregnancy?Due to the lack of safety information, Flavoxate is not recommended for use in pregnancy unless necessary. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor to understand the potential risks and benefits before taking this medicine.
- Usage while breast-feeding?It is not known whether Flavoxate passes into the breastmilk. Hence, it is not recommended for use unless necessary. If you are breastfeeding, consult your doctor to understand the potential risks and benefits before taking this medicine.
Allergy
Avoid taking Flavoxate if you are allergic to this medicine. Seek medical attention if you experience any symptoms such as skin rash, hives (painful itchy eruptions that sting), swelling (especially of the face, lips, tongue, etc.), breathing difficulty, etc.
Gastric retention
Gastric retention occurs when there is delayed gastric emptying, causing your stomach to take too long to empty its contents. It may occur due to surgery, gastrointestinal obstruction (a blockage that keeps food or liquid from passing through your small intestine or large intestine), severe colitis (swelling in the large intestine), etc. Flavoxate is not recommended for use if you have such stomach and intestinal problems as this medicine may further worsen your condition.
Urinary retention
Urinary retention is a condition in which you are unable to completely empty the bladder. Flavoxate may increase the risk of urinary retention, hence, it is not recommended for use in this condition.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions in which the fluid pressure inside your eyes increases, which may eventually lead to the loss of vision. Flavoxate is not recommended for use if you have glaucoma as it may worsen your condition.
Myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is a condition that causes weakness of muscles and fatigue. Flavoxate is not recommended for use if you have myasthenia gravis as it may further worsen your condition.
Achalasia
Achalasia is a rare but serious condition that occurs when the nerves in the food pipe get damaged. It may cause difficulty in swallowing food and liquid from the food pipe into the stomach. Flavoxate is not recommended for use if you have achalasia as it may further worsen your condition.
Warnings for special population
Pregnancy
Due to the lack of safety information, Flavoxate is not recommended for use in pregnancy unless necessary. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor to understand the potential risks and benefits before taking this medicine.
Breast-feeding
It is not known whether Flavoxate passes into the breastmilk. Hence, it is not recommended for use unless necessary. If you are breastfeeding, consult your doctor to understand the potential risks and benefits before taking this medicine.
General warnings
Use in children
Flavoxate is not recommended for use in children less than 12 years of age as the safety and efficacy data are not clinically established.
Driving vehicles or operating machines
Flavoxate may cause symptoms such as dizziness, drowsiness, and blurred vision. Hence, avoid performing activities such as driving vehicles or operating machines if you experience such symptoms during treatment with Flavoxate.
Kidney disease
Flavoxate should be used with caution if you have kidney problems as it may cause an accumulation of this medicine in the body and increase the risk of side effects.
Missed Dose
If you forget to take Flavoxate, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not double your dose to make up for the missed one.
Overdose
Do not take an excess dose than prescribed by your doctor. Seek emergency medical treatment in case of an overdose of Flavoxate.
All drugs interact differently for person to person. You should check all the possible interactions with your doctor before starting any medicine.
Interaction with Alcohol
Description
N/A
Instructions
Avoid consuming alcohol during the treatment with Flavoxate as it may increase the risk of side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty in concentration.
Interaction with Medicine
Clobazam
Tramadol
Propoxyphene
Disease interactions
Disease
Information not available.
Food interactions
Information not available.
Lab interactions
Information not available.
Flavoxate may be taken with or without food. Do not crush, break, or chew the tablet. Avoid taking a higher dose than advised.
Avoid caffeine-containing drinks such as tea, coffee, etc., as it will make you want to pass urine frequently. Also, avoid drinking too much late at night, as it may make you want to go to the toilet at night and disturb your sleep.
Your doctor may also recommend some exercises to strengthen your bladder muscles.
Miscelleneous
How it works
Flavoxate relaxes the muscles in the urinary bladder and helps the bladder to retain a larger amount of urine.
Legal Status
Classification
Category
Urinary antispasmodics
Schedule
Schedule H
Dailymed.nlm.nih.gov. 2022. DailyMed - FLAVOXATE HYDROCHLORIDE tablet. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 3 January 2022].
Drugs, H., 2022. Flavoxate: MedlinePlus Drug Information. [online] Medlineplus.gov. Available at: < [Accessed 3 January 2022].
Medicines.org.uk. 2022. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 3 January 2022].
Pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2022. Flavoxate. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 3 January 2022].
Information on this page was last updated on 25 Feb 2022
Disclaimer
We’ve made all possible efforts to ensure that the information provided here is accurate, up-to-date and complete, however, it should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Practo only provides reference source for common information on medicines and does not guarantee its accuracy or exhaustiveness. The absence of a warning for any drug or combination thereof, should not be assumed to indicate that the drug or combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Practo does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information provided above. If you have any doubts about your medication then we strongly recommend that you consult with your doctor, nurse or healthcare provider. See detailed T&C here.