Urispas or Flavoxate 200 mg

Question: I was taking Urispas 200 mg during the first month of pregnancy

I do not know if there is a danger to pregnant or not.

Answer: Urispas is the trade name of flavoxate (chemical name) which is in the form of hydrochloride salt. Used for symptomatic relief of pain and urinary frequency due to smooth muscle spasm associated with inflammatory disorders of the urinary tract, dysuria and relief of vesico-urethral spasm.

Safety in the use of drugs during pregnancy, according to the US-FDA, flavoxate is provided in pregnancy category B.

Pregnancy category B means:

Either animal-reproduction studies have not demonstrated a foetal risk but there are no controlled studies in pregnant women or animal-reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect (other than a decrease in fertility) that was not confirmed in controlled studies in women in the first trimester (and there is no evidence of a risk in later trimesters).

Therefore, the use of urispas (flavoxate) during pregnancy is rather safety especially if it is used in the short time.

References:

1. MIMS Thailand. Bangkok: TIMs; 2014, issue 1, p.273.

2. Briggs GG, Freeman RK, Yaffe SJ. Drug in pregnancy and lactation, 8th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Willkins 2005, p.567-8.

3. Urispas (flavoxate hydrochloride). http://www.rxlist.com/urispas-drug/warnings-precautions.htm.