About solifenacin

Solifenacin is prescribed to treat urinary symptoms such as urgency, frequency and incontinence. Urinary urgency occurs when you have a sudden and urgent need to pass urine. If you need to take more trips to the toilet than normal, this is called urinary frequency. If you leak urine before you go to the toilet, this is called incontinence urinaire.

There are several different causes of these urinary symptoms, such as weakened pelvic floor muscles, problems causing your bladder muscles to contract too much or too early, or something causing an obstruction. Sometimes the cause of these symptoms is unknown.

Solifenacin works by stopping sudden bladder muscle contractions and increasing the volume of urine that your bladder can hold. This helps to control the release of urine and eases your symptoms.

Solifenacin is also available as a combination brand (Vesomni®) with a medicine called tamsulosine for urinary urgency in men with l'hypertrophie de la prostate.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking solifenacin it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si vous êtes enceinte ou si vous allaitez.

• Si vous avez une maladie cardiaque, telle qu'un rythme cardiaque inhabituel, des problèmes avec les vaisseaux sanguins de votre cœur, ou une insuffisance cardiaque.

• Si vous avez des problèmes avec le fonctionnement de votre foie, ou des problèmes avec le fonctionnement de vos reins.

• If you have problems with your prostate gland.

• If you have any of the following conditions: increased eye pressure (called glaucoma); hiatus hernia; an overactive thyroid gland; high blood pressure; a condition causing muscle weakness, called myasthenia gravis.

• If you have a condition which could cause a blockage in your stomach, bowel or urinary tract.

• Si vous avez déjà eu une réaction allergique à un médicament.

• Si vous prenez d'autres médicaments. Cela inclut tous les médicaments que vous prenez et qui sont disponibles à l'achat sans ordonnance, ainsi que les médicaments à base de plantes et les médecines complémentaires.

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about solifenacin and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take the tablets exactly as your doctor tells you to. The usual dose of solifenacin is one 5 mg tablet every day, although your doctor may increase your dose to one 10 mg tablet every day if it is considered necessary.

• Try to take the tablet at the same time of day each day, as this will help you to remember to take your doses regularly. You can take solifenacin either before or after meals. Swallow the tablet whole with a drink of water - do not chew or crush it before you swallow.

• If you have been prescribed the oral liquid medicine, use the oral syringe to measure your dose accurately and follow the manufacturer's instructions closely. It is important to shake the bottle well, at least twenty times, before measuring each dose.

• If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you do not remember until the following day, leave out the missed dose but make sure you take the dose due on that day. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.

• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your doctor can check on your progress and review your treatment. It may take up to 4-6 weeks before you feel the full benefit from these tablets.

• Drinks containing caffeine (for example, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cola) may make your symptoms worse. This is because caffeine is a natural diuretic and will make you want to pass urine. If you drink a lot of caffeine-containing fluids, consider switching to decaffeinated alternatives.

• Try to maintain a normal life as much as possible with regard to drinking and visiting the toilet. However, drinking late at night may mean your sleep is disturbed by the desire to get up and go to the toilet, so you may want to avoid drinking too much during the evening.

• Votre médecin peut vous suggérer de faire des exercices du plancher pelvien pour renforcer les muscles autour de la partie inférieure de votre vessie. Ceux-ci peuvent aider à améliorer vos symptômes.

• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable to take with solifenacin. This is because some medicines (particularly antihistamines) can increase the chance that you will experience unwanted effects such as a dry mouth, constipation and blurred vision.

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the common ones associated with solifenacin. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Si vous ressentez d'autres symptômes que vous pensez être dus aux comprimés, veuillez consulter votre médecin ou votre pharmacien pour obtenir des conseils supplémentaires.

• Gardez tous les médicaments hors de la vue et de la portée des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la lumière directes.

• The oral liquid medicine keeps for 28 days after first opening. Discard the bottle after this time.