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.

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.

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

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.

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.