Overactive bladder drug linked with increased risk of depression

A recent study found that women with overactive bladder who received antimuscarinics were 38% more likely to be diagnosed with depressive disorder within the next 3 years than those who did not receive antimuscarinics.

Although antimuscarinics can significantly depress bladder contractions and improve symptoms by blocking muscarinic receptors, studies have found that several unwanted side effects frequently occur when patients with overactive bladder receive the drugs.

"This population-based retrospective cohort study found that use of antimuscarinics was associated with subsequent depressive disorder in women with overactive bladder," said Li-Ting Kao, senior author of The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology study.