Bethanechol Chloride

Indications

Bethanechol Chloride is used to treat acute urinary retention after surgery or after childbirth, when nothing is physically blocking the flow of urine (this is called nonobstructive, or functional, retention). It is also used for neurogenic atony of the urinary bladder with retention.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Bethanechol works mainly by producing the effects of parasympathetic nervous system stimulation. It raises the tone of the detrusor urinae muscle, and the contraction is usually strong enough to start micturition and empty the bladder. It also stimulates gastric motility, increases gastric tone, and often brings back rhythmic peristalsis.

When the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated, acetylcholine is released at the nerve endings. If spontaneous stimulation falls and treatment is needed, acetylcholine can be given, but cholinesterase hydrolyzes it rapidly, so its effects are short-lived. Bethanechol isn't broken down by cholinesterase, which makes its effects longer-lasting and more predictable than those of acetylcholine.

Its action is mainly muscarinic, with only a feeble nicotinic action. The doses that stimulate micturition and defecation and increase peristalsis don't ordinarily stimulate ganglia or voluntary muscles. In normal human subjects, therapeutic test doses have little effect on heart rate, blood pressure or peripheral circulation.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy

Animal reproduction studies haven't been done with bethanechol chloride. It's also not known whether bethanechol chloride can harm the baby when given to a pregnant woman, or whether it can affect the ability to reproduce. A pregnant woman should be given it only if it is clearly needed.

Nursing mothers

Nobody knows whether this medicine passes into human milk. Many drugs do pass into milk, and bethanechol chloride could cause serious adverse reactions in a nursing infant. So a decision has to be made whether to stop nursing or to stop the medicine, taking into account how important the medicine is to the mother.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: Bethanechol Chloride doses have to be set for each patient, depending on the type and severity of the condition being treated. It is best to give the medicine on an empty stomach, because nausea and vomiting may occur if it is taken soon after eating. The usual adult oral dose is 10 to 50 mg, taken three or four times a day. To find the minimum effective dose, start with 5 to 10 mg and repeat the same amount at hourly intervals until the response is satisfactory, or until a total of 50 mg has been given. The effects sometimes begin within 30 minutes and are usually at their strongest within 60 to 90 minutes. They last for about one hour. Pediatric Use: Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.