Desmopressin improves nighttime urination in men

By Will Boggs, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Desmopressin safely relieves frequent nighttime urination or "nocturia" in elderly men who've tried other medications to control their problem, which is related to obstruction by the prostate gland, researchers in Taiwan report.

"We need to recognize this drug's safety and correct application," Dr. Chih-Shou Chen from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chia-Yi, told Reuters Health.

Chen and colleagues investigated the response of nighttime voiding to desmopressin and other drugs called alpha-blockers in 28 men with nocturia due to prostate gland obstruction.

Twenty-four men experienced improvements in nocturia while taking desmopressin, the authors report. The average number of voids at night declined from 6.1 to 3.5. Desmopressin seemed to be more effective in men with more severe nocturia.

Improvements in nocturia did not appear related to the dose of desmopressin used, the researchers note, as similar effects were seen with doses of 0.1 milligram and with higher doses. Treatment with desmopressin was also well tolerated, according to the report in BJU International.

Desmopressin is effective "in patients with nocturia and decreased nocturnal functional bladder capacity but who do not have nocturnal polyuria," a condition in which large urine voids occur, the authors conclude.

"Vasopressin may result in water retention in certain cases, especially for those patients who receive long-term treatment," Chen added. "Therefore, desmopressin at bedtime combined with certain diuretics in the morning may be helpful for them. Our study of this approach will be completed in the near future."

SOURCE: BJU International, December 2005.