Your physician may prescribe the generically named drug tolterodine, marketed in the United States with the brand name Detrol if you have an overactive bladder. This antimuscarinic medication is used to help you control your bladder function when you suffer from incontinence or the inability to retain your urine by normal muscle control. Your doctor also may prescribe Detrol if you suffer from an urgent, frequent need to urinate. The medicine may be administered as a pill or as an extended-release capsule.
Urination Problems
Along with the desired effects of helping you control the function of your bladder, Detrol also may cause some serious common side effects that affect your urination. For example, you may notice that your urine has become cloudy or that it contains blood. You may experience pain when you urinate or a burning sensation. It also may be difficult to urinate when taking Detrol. Despite the use of Detrol to control frequent urination, it also may cause you to feel this increased and urgent need to urinate. All these are common side effects, but they are all serious. The Mayo Clinic recommends consulting your physician immediately if you experience any such urination problems.
Visual Problems
Detrol also may induce the common serious side effect of causing you to experience abnormal vision. This can include blurriness, the Drugs website states, or problems trying to see objects and people at various distances. Tell your doctor immediately about any vision problems you get when you are taking Detrol.
Pain
As with many medicines, Detrol can produce side effects resulting in pain. While this pain may be bad, it also should be temporary, the Drugs website reports, meaning it should go away after several days or a week following the beginning of your treatment with Detrol. The types of pain considered the most common with the drug include headaches and pain in your stomach. Along with this type of pain, you also may have trouble defecating while taking Detrol at first, because it can cause constipation. This can cause cramps and pain in your abdomen. Indigestion also is commonly associated with beginning Detrol treatment. None of these side effects is categorized as serious, but you may want medical advice if these side effects persist beyond a week.
Dryness and Drowsiness
Detrol may causes two areas of your body to feel much dryer than normal when you first take the medicine. Your eyes, for example, may feel dry, which can result in them becoming bloodshot. This usually can be helped by using eye drops, such as oxymetazoline. You also may experience a condition known as dry mouth or, medically, this is known as xerostomia. This is caused by a reduction of the normal levels of saliva in your mouth and can make it more difficult to eat and drink. Detrol also may induce drowsiness, meaning you may feel tired, even when well rested. These are common, temporary side effects of the medicine that the Mayo Clinic states should not persist more than a few days.
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