Functional enuresis: is desmopressin the answer?

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The efficacy of desmopressin in the treatment of functional enuresis, known for 15 years, has received very little attention in the psychiatric literature. This review seeks to remedy this and to asses critically its effectiveness, risks and side effects, as well as the implications for the understanding and management of enuresis.

METHOD:

Treatment trials, reports of unwanted effects, and literature on mechanisms of action were reviewed.

RESULTS:

Desmopressin is more effective than placebo in controlled trials, but only one quarter of patients become "dry." Individuals who wet the bed 4 nights per week or more can expect a one-third reduction in their wet nights with a single intranasal dose of desmopressin before bedtime. Relapse rates upon cessation of treatment are very high, while side effects appear to be few. However, there are increasing reports of hyponatremic seizures. There is a group of patients in which bed-wetting appears to be the result of insufficient nocturnal secretion of vasopressin.

CONCLUSIONS:

Desmopressin is a simple-to-use and effective drug for the treatment of nocturnal enuresis; it has opened important new avenues of inquiry, but more information is required about its long-term effectiveness and unwanted side effects.

• Authors: S Thompson, J M Rey
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry) Vol. 34 Issue 3 Pg. 266-71 (Mar 1995) ISSN: 0890-8567 [Print] United States
• PMID: 7896665 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Vasopressins
• Deamino Arginine Vasopressin

Topics

• Child
• Deamino Arginine Vasopressin (adverse effects, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Enuresis (blood, drug therapy, psychology)
• Humans
• Recurrence
• Vasopressins (blood)