Discontinuation of Treatment Using Anticholinergic Medications in Patients With Urinary Incontinence

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the discontinuation rates of anticholinergics prescribed in patients with urinary incontinence (UI). METHODS:Data from a Disease Analyzer database including 988 general, 95 urologist, and 203 gynecologic practices were examined. Twenty six thousand eight hundred thirty-four patients were identified as having received a first-time anticholinergic prescription for UI, namely darifenacin, fesoterodine, oxybutynin, propiverine, solifenacin, tolterodine, or trospium, between 2005 and 2012. Covariates studied included demographic data, concomitant diagnoses, and potential drug-induced side effects. The cumulative discontinuation rate of initial treatment was estimated using a Kaplan–Meier analysis. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to estimate the relationship between discontinuation and the demographic and clinical variables for up to 36 months. RESULTS:An increasing discontinuation rate was observed in years 1, 2, and 3 (74.8%, 77.6%, 87%). Within 3 years, discontinuation rates were higher for men than for women (87.9%, 86.5%; P=.056; hazard ratio [HR] 1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11–1.18; P