Myrbetriq and Constipation: What Users Say

• Dai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2020

For Urinary Incontinence "I had been taking Toviaz for several years to replace the oxybutynin I was taking before. The problem with Toviaz was terrible constipation and dry mouth, but it worked fairly well in controlling my incontinence and frequency of urination. My urologist recommended I try Myrbetriq as she said the side effects were not as troubling as Toviaz. After taking Myrbetriq for a few days and having many, many episodes of incontinence where I couldn't even make it to the bathroom before urination began, I went through several pairs of pants and underwear while taking this. I decided the dry mouth and constipation were much better than the incontinence I suffered with Myrbetriq, so I switched back to Toviaz. Below I give it a rating of 1, but only because there was not a 0 listed. I"

• run...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 14, 2019

For Urinary Incontinence "My doctor put me on Myrbetriq medication to help me with my incontinence. It worked a few days after starting it. I took it for 4 weeks. Then the discomfort of terrible pains in my stomach started. I was suffering from having to pee and move my bowels at the same time. My bowel began to make changes until I was passing bloody mucus from the rectum. I had to tell my doctor about it, and I told her I had to stop the medication. My bowels were badly backed up, and I had not had a good bowel movement, even though the pamphlet mentioned nothing about constipation from this medication. It should never be given to someone who has GI problems like Diverticulitis or even IBS. Therefore, I cannot use this medicine at all."

• Mts...
• October 10, 2015

For Urinary Incontinence "I have mixed incontinence. I saw results within a few days. It was awesome! A great relief! BUT my mouth was so dry. My sinus felt thick and not draining well. And worst of all, I had constant constipation. I used the drug for 5 weeks, hoping side effects would subside. They didn't. I decided to stop taking it due to the discomfort and concerns of the extreme dryness. Since it's an extended-release medication, the effects lasted a few more weeks after I stopped! Too bad the side effects outweighed the benefits for me."

• Ral...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 9, 2015

For Urinary Frequency "I tried 4 different medications for overactive bladder prior to Myrbetriq. All of them included terrible side effects. Myrbetriq is one of the medications for overactive bladder with limited side effects. I was having constipation, inability to urinate, and other symptoms when trying the various older overactive bladder medicines. Myrbetriq was night and day compared to the others, and I highly recommend anyone to give it a try if the other more affordable options are not working. If you can afford the cost until it goes off patent, then I would try Myrbetriq first due to the limited side effects. I currently do not experience any noticeable side effects."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 19, 2017

For Urinary Frequency "Been taking for 10 months. I went from every 15 min. urges to (on average) 1.5-2.0 hours. It's much better, yes. But even though, getting up 4-5 times a night is not ideal. Side effects: 2 nosebleeds so far after the 6-month mark. No big deal. Constipation (can be taken care of with stool softeners when needed), had dry mouth, but has subsided almost completely. During the few weeks of taking this medication, symptoms seemed to get worse. But it got much better after 6-8 weeks. I take it at 6-7 pm. Doesn't make me sleepy or keep me awake. I hope to God there will be another drug in the near future that will be better than what's out there now, and hopefully less expensive."

• Jen...
• January 31, 2016

For Urinary Incontinence "I have dealt with incontinence for years but learned how to 'deal' with it, such as crossing my legs before I sneezed, running to the bathroom if I needed to cough, and wearing a thick, bulky pad all day in case I started laughing too hard. This got worse after my hysterectomy and became unbearable after my ovaries were removed. Since my body tends to reject sutures of any type, doctors will only do procedures if absolutely necessary, I'm not a candidate for the bladder sling. Myrbetriq is a lifesaver. I have been on it for 3 months now, and yes, I have side effects. I now take a stool softener for the constipation and make sure that I have something to drink by my bed at night for dry mouth and hard candy to get rid of the problem during the day."

• Win...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 20, 2019

For Urinary Frequency "I began with 10 mg, 25 mg, and now 50 mg ER. Urologist gave me samples, not sure out of pocket costs yet. My issue that got me taking this is I've had urgency, frequency, spastic bladder, leaking after urinating. So elated for this to work, it was my first time getting any help for this issue, and referral. So it worked! But then it went downhill when I began the 50 mg one week ago. I began having weakness in my arms and left eye twitching after the 2nd dose of 50 mg, irritability, dry throat, unable to empty bladder, severe constipation, bloating. Constipation was the deciding factor to stop taking it today, and not being able to empty my bladder. Maybe my urologist will put me on a lower dose because it was working. I had an occasional headache, I can deal with that. Others may have minimal side effects, and that's great. However, I didn't, I had many with 50 mg. Also, I have seen only a handful of people with muscle weakness and eye twitching. I'm guessing it can affect the nervous system in some of us."

• Meg...
• February 16, 2016

For Urinary Frequency "This medication was a complete nightmare for me. At first, it even increased my frequency in needing to urinate. The side effects of this medication were unbearable for me, though, and it caused me to have to stop taking this medication even when I did start seeing slight improvement in my need to urinate after two weeks. I was being treated for migraines, and this medication brought my migraines back full force, and even my ocular migraines came back despite still being on my migraine treatment. I would experience typical headaches almost daily as well, lasting 1-3 hours and sometimes more than twice a day. I also experienced constipation, bloating, and mild to moderate upper abdominal pain. The constipation caused weight gain. Nausea as well."

• BTB...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 22, 2019

For Urinary Frequency "My bladder was so happy and calm for the first time in years when I started taking Myrbetriq. I was thrilled, then one of the side effects kicked in. I had severe constipation and could not go at all. I ended up at urgent care, I had such a stomach ache. It took several treatments of Miralax after discontinuing the drug to get my body eliminating on its own. I was disappointed. Have an appointment with the urologist again."

• Daw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2023

For Urinary Incontinence "Took it once, constipation was an understatement. Nothing was moving! Had to drink extra fiber drinks for several days after taking it one single time. Was an absolute nightmare, ended up being a few years until I was willing to try another medication."

• Wen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 27, 2022

For Urinary Incontinence "Tried Myrbetriq for a month for OAB and had terrible cramping that felt like menstrual cramps (I had a hysterectomy 29 years ago, so it wasn't that) and diarrhea. I also had really bad headaches, vision issues, and neurological issues. I also suffer from gastroparesis, so when they warned this drug caused constipation, I was concerned but found I had the opposite issue. Not only was I still in the bathroom for OAB, but now in the bathroom all day having bowel movements all day. I couldn't leave the house. I kept taking it, hoping the side effects would go away, but had to quit when it put me in a colitis attack and sent me to the ER with non-stop bleeding. This drug is horrible. On to the next drug, but not until my colon heals."

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 31, 2020

For Urinary Frequency "My urologist gave me a month's supply of Myrbetriq for urinary frequency and incontinence. I was on it for three days, and I experienced diarrhea during the day and lightheadedness and heart palpitations. The third night, I was awakened in the middle of the night with severe constipation, and when I was in the bathroom, unable to have a bowel movement, I had hot and cold sweats, and upon leaving the bathroom, I fainted. I was totally puzzled as to what had happened until I read the side effects and reviews on this medication. Since I already take two medications, one for high blood pressure and one for heart palpitations, this medication was awful to me. Before I read the reviews, I did call my doctor and talk to the nurse, and she never mentioned that I should be careful taking this medication, but I won’t take it ever again. Thank goodness I didn’t have any hair fall out like some people!!!"

• Sma...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 21, 2022

For Neurogenic Detrusor Overactivity "This is in addition to an earlier review. My bladder used to feel as if it had a severe painful cramp or spasm that was continuous and was worsened by car trips, plane trips. Myrbetriq works to relieve the spasms, but I still don't like the side effects. If anything else worked, I would definitely change in a heartbeat. However, the side effects aren’t quite so bad since I was able to stop a medication for a different condition that had similar side effects, so they are somewhat reduced, but I still have a continuous runny nose, very dry skin, and sometimes irregular heartbeats, also bad constipation, difficulty in starting and maintaining urination. I wish there was something else for this condition, but my life was so severely impacted before that I keep taking it. I think it’s been about five years."

• Mad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 13, 2021

For Urinary Frequency "I'm a 43-year-old female. Took Myrbetriq 50 mg for 2 weeks only and had to stop it. My urologist had given me 4 free weeks to try it. He is still trying to figure out why I'm unable to empty my bladder fully, and he thinks my sensation of bladder fullness is a symptom of OAB. So, he prescribed Myrbetriq. Since day one, the med eliminated the sensation of my bladder being full all the time, which reduced the number of times I felt I needed to go to the restroom to pee considerably. However, I started developing terrible side effects that I did not have before: headache, abdominal pain at night that did not allow me to sleep, constipation, back pain, dizziness. This medicine is expensive, and my insurance does not cover it. Due to the terrible side effects and given the uncertainty that this medicine is what I need to help me void better, I decided to discontinue this med and wait for my doctor to prescribe something different for me."

• Ric...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 14, 2022

For Urinary Incontinence "This medicine caused a lot of side effects. Early on I became constipated, had stomach discomfort (needed Pepto Bismol), fatigue, and a spaced-out feeling, very dry lips."