title: Urinary tract analgesics for the treatment of patients with acute cystitis: where is the clinical evidence?
abstract: Acute cystitis is one of the most common health-related problems in the female population. Over the last few decades, a number of drugs labeled as 'urinary tract analgesics' were released; these are available over the counter and are gaining widespread resonance among the North American population. The main representatives of this class of drugs are phenazopyridine and methenamine hippurate. Methenamine's efficacy and side effects have been well studied in a recent systematic review. On the other hand, in contrast to its widespread use, the published clinical evidence regarding phenazopyridine's effectiveness and safety is scarce. In addition, consumers (potentially patients) appear to ignore the limitations of this kind of treatment. In this article, concerns regarding the use of over-the-counter uroanalgesics, with a focus on the relevant clinical evidence, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Vassilis
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pergialiotis
authors.forename: Pantelis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arnos
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Mavros
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pitsouni
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Athanasiou
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Falagas
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000628:therapy; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D003556:Cystitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D004348:Drug Labeling; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D006626:Hippurates / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008709:Methenamine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010621:Phenazopyridine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014551:Urinary Tract / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D006626:Hippurates; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs; D008709:Methenamine; D010621:Phenazopyridine; C011481:methenamine hippurate