VESIcare and Dry Mouth: What Users Say

• Kat...
• February 24, 2013

For Urinary Incontinence "Prescribed for urinary incontinence, notably stress incontinence. I started with 5mg (eventually began 10 mg) of VESIcare, and it worked overnight. When I am running low on tablets and payday is off in the future, I have good success with taking 10mg every other night. Side effects: 1. Very dry mouth, but a good excuse to drink more water, keep TicTacs handy, over time, it has greatly diminished. 2. Drowsiness: I started taking it at night. 3. Constipation: drank more water and took a daily stool softener until my body readjusted."

• Chl...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 1, 2019

For Urinary Frequency "Had overactive bladder for some time. VESIcare 5mg really helped with this. Unfortunately, I’ve had to discontinue it as it caused the most awful dry mouth and throat. After around 2 months on VESIcare, I got a bad sore throat and initially thought it was an unrelated infection. My throat, mouth, and tongue then developed red sore patches and ulcers. I can only think VESIcare is to blame because it completely dried out my mouth and throat. I stopped the medication 3 days ago on the advice of my doctor. I have a relative on this medication and she is absolutely fine on it. So, it's different for everyone."

• Bus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 14, 2013

For Urinary Frequency "Over the past few years, I have tried all the medication for an overactive bladder that is available through my doctors. This medication, for me, is the best one. It works really well, and I have no symptoms of an overactive bladder, and it helps with my bladder leaking. The only reason I did not give it a 10/10 is the side effects dry mouth, thirst, and I do feel very tired when taking this tablet."

• Noh...
• October 17, 2013

For Urinary Incontinence "Wow! My urinary incontinence started several years ago, and I've been wearing pads. I decided it was time to let my doctor order me a pill. He gave me samples of VESIcare, and I have taken them for one month. They really worked for me. Now when I get the urge, I head for the bathroom immediately, but I have not wet my pants. I have not had the side effects that some of you have had. I have had a 'raspy' voice a few times but chalked it up to postnasal drip, which I've always had, but even that has cleared up some, so maybe that's the 'dry mouth' part of it, but it's certainly not a problem. I still have lots of saliva. It's expensive even with my insurance covering 80%, but after reading other medicine reviews, I guess I'll stay with it."

• Bro...
• October 20, 2015

For Urinary Frequency "I've taken VESIcare for 3 weeks now and my overactive bladder has improved significantly. Before, I was back and forth to the bathroom all day at work, and nights were the worst. 5 to 6 times throughout the night had my life completely messed up. So far, I think I've only experienced dry mouth, and I'm hoping that's all I experience because this medicine has changed my life."

• fre...
• March 24, 2014

For Urinary Incontinence "I started using VESIcare about 7 months ago and it worked fantastic. Side effects are going to make me stop it today: dry mouth, raspy voice, blurred vision, sore throat, constipation, and leg cramps (we used to call them charlie horses). I am 81 years old and can't stand the pain in my leg all day and night, it's worse. But for the incontinence, it was a blessing not to have to run to the bathroom every few hours and not make it home from shopping without being wet. I have tried Detrol but get terrific headaches from that. I will see my doctor and hopefully we can work something out. I am on the 5 mg."

• gez...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2014

For Urinary Frequency "Taking VESIcare for overactive bladder and bladder irritation. I have been on this for over one year. It helped somewhat for the overactive bladder and irritation. Makes my mouth very dry and blurred my vision pretty bad. I don't know if I will continue this medication as I do not think the side effects are worth it. Also made me bloated."

• gee...
• April 23, 2012

For Urinary Incontinence "I was wearing continence pads and feeling so self-conscious and miserable. My incontinence is down to nerve failure from neuropathy. I am 43 and felt like my life was over. After 1 tablet, my life changed. I have been on it for 6 months now and never have to wear a pad. Yes, I have horrible dry mouth, but I consider that a small price to pay to have my freedom back."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 31, 2014

For Urinary Incontinence "I took VESIcare for interstitial cystitis, and it was life-changing! I'd go to the bathroom about every 7 to 10 minutes for a period of about 5 hours during the day and 3 to 4 times at night and pretty much incontinent. I was miserable. The only side effects I had were dry mouth and constipation. But me only going to the bathroom every few hours, less pain, and not waking up at night was worth it to me. I lost my insurance that paid for it and had to be off of it for a year and just now got assistance for it through my doctor's office pharmacy, and I couldn't be happier to get back on it and start feeling better!"

• bee...
• March 15, 2013

For Urinary Incontinence "I've been using VESIcare for approximately one month. It really does work; however, the side effects are too bothersome for me to continue using. My mouth is constantly dry, and I have a seriously terrible sore throat and hoarse voice. I could deal with the dry mouth, but not the sore throat."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 5, 2012

For Urinary Incontinence "I am a young and very active woman. I've had numerous bladder and kidney infections which have weakened my urethra. I started off with the patches, but I ended up getting a severe reaction to the sticky stuff, so I've now been taking 5mg tablets for a year and the difference is amazing. I am back to my full fitness without wetting myself. The only side effect I get is a really dry mouth, but that's better than nothing."

• LYN...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2019

For Urinary Frequency "Took VESIcare 5 mg for 6 days. Side effects were terrible. Dizziness, dry mouth, blurred vision, coughing, burning on urinating, and worst of all, crippling chest pains. Felt like I was going to peg out! Stopped taking the tablet immediately, and it took 3 days to get back to normal. Off to see the GP again to see if there is anything else I can try."

• lad...
• August 9, 2015

For Urinary Frequency "I love this. I don't go all the time and the flow is strong. I had dry mouth in the beginning but that is subsiding. I don't have any other side effects. It feels great to sleep through the night without going. I feel normal again."

• Me ...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 6, 2020

For Overactive Bladder "Been using 10 mg VESIcare for just over a year now. (Upped from 5 mg after 5 months.) Brilliant drug for me and my overactive bladder. Only noted side effect was a slightly dry mouth. But hey, no more pads or wee dances on the school run. Been asked to take a 'drug holiday' by my GP and well... it's been 10 days now, 7 of them with the worst headache ever. About a million pairs of clean knickers have been needed and an unhappy 'hello again' to the old friend Tena. Sat here writing a review just after midnight as needed to get up for a wee yet again. Suppose I best get back into the habits of dehydrating before I go anywhere, never passing up the opportunity of a free toilet and say goodbye to those pretty knickers for a while. Soooooo hoping I can go back on them soon."

• Gle...
• August 12, 2014

For Urinary Frequency "My doctor wanted me to switch from Detrol LA to VESIcare to see if it controlled overactive bladder better. For a couple of days, it seemed to. I was going less often, and the flow was strong. Then the VESIcare started irritating my prostate, and I felt discomfort and/or burning much of the time. I took an OTC painkiller to ease that, and it helped somewhat. Then, after about 2 weeks' use, I started getting mild headaches and severe neck pain. It felt as though I had been bitten by a wasp, but the pain didn't subside like an insect bite. The pain was in the nerves, not deep in the muscle. I also developed dry mouth early on. I am stopping taking the VESIcare and will return to the Detrol LA, which never caused a problem."

• ako...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 9, 2016

For Urinary Frequency "This medication changed my life! I started taking it at age 72. Before then, I thought I was going to have to be housebound, never traveling, never shopping, etc. I started taking the smaller dose, and it is working just fine. My only side effect is dry mouth at night, but I discovered that if I wake up with it, I suck on an ACT lozenge, which immediately alleviates the problem. I did discover through reading the info on this page that it is probably the cause of mild indigestion I've had, probably starting about the time I started taking VESIcare, but I take a Zantac a day and am fine. Oh, the medication started working almost immediately. I would hate to be without my VESIcare, even though it is quite expensive. But it's worth every penny."

• Fre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 19, 2018

For Urinary Frequency "Had severe urge incontinence for 6 years before seeking help. Was put on Ditropan, then Mirabegron, both of which helped for about 4 months, then stopped working. Dr. then put me on VESIcare 10 mg, which caused severe dry throat and mouth, hoarseness, and sores on tongue due to dryness. With a reduction to 5 mg, I've been almost totally continent with no side effects for about 6 months. I hope it keeps on working."

• Fre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 19, 2018

For Urinary Frequency "Had severe urge incontinence for 6 years before seeking help. Was put on Ditropan, then Mirabegron, both of which helped for about 4 months, then stopped working. Dr. then put me on VESIcare 10 mg, which caused severe dry throat and mouth, hoarseness, and sores on tongue due to dryness. With a reduction to 5 mg, I've been almost totally continent with no side effects for about 6 months. I hope it keeps on working."

• DGM...
• October 14, 2015

For Urinary Frequency "This is my third time on VESIcare. After seeing several doctors with symptoms of UTIs and having pathology determine there was no infection, I was diagnosed with urethral syndrome. I usually take 5 mg per day, and the condition clears up within a week, and I can stop the medication. No more tenderness, spasms, or urgency. Some dry mouth, but that's easily solved."

• She...
• July 15, 2016

For Urinary Frequency "Amazing results, bladder-wise. No more rushing to the toilet for fear of wetting. Dry throat for the first two months, but better now. Worst problem is uncontrollable weight gain. This is frustrating, as I have a healthy diet. My doctor doesn't seem to offer any help."

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

For Urinary Frequency "My bladder was out of control! Having to urinate almost every 45 minutes to an hour. Seriously, I was going 25-30 times a day. It was awful. The doctor put me on VESIcare 5 mg. It worked great from the 2-3 days, however, after a week or so, my symptoms came back. He decided to put me on the 10 mg. At first, my mouth and eyes were very dry, I almost stopped taking it. I decided to give it some time and see what happened. The drug was a lifesaver for me, the dry mouth and eyes went away after the 2nd week. Constipation was kind of an issue, but I started using Miralax and had no problems at all. Well, that is until about 3-4 weeks of taking the 10 mg... It seems as though my symptoms are coming back."

• Cri...
• November 15, 2019

For Urinary Frequency "My side effects from VESIcare are constipation, dry mouth, dizziness, sore throat, itching, and burning. I have some reduction in urinary frequency but not enough to justify the side effects. Took for 35 days."

• Sil...
• April 30, 2015

For Urinary Frequency "Have been on VESIcare for 3 or 4 years now and am on 10 mg a day. I remember the doctor saying that dry mouth can be a side effect, but now after reading all these comments about constipation and pain, etc., I'm a little concerned that she never warned me about these. Although I have never experienced these, if I had, I would have not connected it to being a side effect from the medication. I notice that if I stop taking it for a week or so, things get bad, and I have no control whatsoever. I feel like I will be on this medication for a very, very long time, but I guess it's worth it. Even though I am taking 10 mg a day, I still go to the toilet a lot, but I have some control back, which is great. People still comment on the amount of times I go to the toilet."

• Wea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 13, 2016

For Urinary Incontinence "I started out with 5 mg, and it helped 90%. After three months, I asked for 10 mg, and I've been taking it for about 2 months, but I don't think it's helping as much as the 5 mg was. Odd. I plan on asking to go back down to the 5 mg. My side effects are a stuffed-up nose and dry mouth. The side effects were not bothersome until about 2 weeks ago. The stuffy nose is driving me nuts. I have a humidifier running, an air purifier running, and took some sinus congestion medicine... not working. The weather is getting colder here and just starting to use the heat... I think that is what did my nose in with the combination of VESIcare. Don't get me wrong... this medication is awesome. It's such a relief. The only time I leak now is when I cough."

• DFM...
• May 9, 2018

For Urinary Incontinence "I want to give this a 0. VESIcare worked amazing for the first few days - my bladder felt 'strong,' and pelvic floor exercises were actually fun and easy to do (my bladder seemed to want me to do them). However, after only a week, the drug stopped working at all. I gave it a 6- to 7-month trial period, put on 5- to 6 kgs of excess weight without explanation. The product also gave me severe headaches, dry mouth, and was useless. After going off of it, I lost the weight without any change to diet in about 3 months (thank Gaawwwwdddd). Too scared to get a bladder sling, still thinking about that one. No other options now other than to go wee-wee all the way home in my Icon undies and use a pad when peeing myself really cannot be tolerated any longer. I am in a safe/normal weight range, healthy and fit; humiliating."