Tamsulosin for Urinary Retention in Older Women: Maximizing the Flow

Urinary retention (UR) is a lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) that can present in men and women aged ≥65 years. However, unlike the medications available for men to treat this condition, the current approach to management of chronic UR in women is limited to conservative methods and urinary catheterization, which have various risks. The current article reviews the use of tamsulosin as a potential pharmacological alternative for the management of chronic UR in older women. A review of primary literature evaluating tamsulosin use for the treatment of chronic non-neurogenic UR in women was performed. Tamsulosin showed significant improvements in LUTS-based outcome measures, with limited reports of orthostatic hypotension and dizziness. Tamsulosin may be considered a safe alternative option for the management of UR in older women over urinary catheterization and potentially reduces the incidence of catheter-associated complications.