Assessment of the Effect of Oxybutynin for Vasomotor Symptoms in Postmenopausal Women in Ismailia Governorate

Background: the menopausal symptoms affect women’s quality of life greatly. Variable symptoms are reported as hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, and musculoskeletal disorders. Oxybutynin, an antimuscarinic, showed some improvement in these symptoms. Aim: To evaluate the effect of oxybutynin on menopausal symptoms. Materials and methods: this randomized clinical trial was conducted at the outpatient obstetrics and gynecology clinics at Suez Canal University hospitals. The study used the hot flash-related daily interference scale to recruit women with moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms. The participants were divided into two groups, the study group who received oxybutynin 10 mg once daily, and the control group who received a placebo. The treatment continued for 12 weeks and the patients were evaluated weekly. The participants were asked to record their hot flash score on the hot flash-related daily interference scale and the degree to which hot flashes had interfered with their overall quality of life. Also, drug-related side effects were reported. Results: There was no significant difference between both groups in their basic demographic data and the menopausal history. There was no difference between the study and control groups in the intensity of the vasomotor symptoms at baseline till the third week of treatment. Women treated with oxybutynin reported a significant improvement in symptoms from the fourth to the twelfth week of treatment (p-value < 0.001). There was a significant improvement in the HFRDIS score between both groups after intervention (p-value < 0.001). Also, a significant improvement was noted in the oxybutynin group after intervention (p-value < 0.001). Drug-related side effects occurred mainly in the study group. The most frequently reported side effect was headache (15/33, 65.2%) followed by dry mouth (13/33, 56.5%). Conclusion: Oxybutynin provided a significant improvement in vasomotor symptoms with a great safety profile.