Urispas contains flavoxate 200 mg, a urinary antispasmodic. It relaxes the muscle of the bladder wall to relieve urinary urgency, frequency, painful urination and bladder spasm. It relieves symptoms and does not treat infection — a urinary tract infection still needs antibiotics.
What is Urispas?
Urispas is registered in South Africa as a Schedule 2 tablet containing flavoxate hydrochloride 200 mg, available from a pharmacist.
Flavoxate is a urinary antispasmodic with anticholinergic and direct smooth-muscle relaxant effects. It acts on the detrusor muscle — the muscle in the bladder wall that contracts to empty it.
Understanding the detrusor explains what this medicine does. Normally the detrusor stays relaxed while the bladder fills, then contracts when you choose to urinate. In an irritated or overactive bladder, it contracts too early and too forcefully, producing the sensation of urgent, frequent need — often with very little urine actually present. Flavoxate relaxes it, so the bladder tolerates filling and the urgency eases.
It is a symptom treatment, and that distinction matters here more than usual. Urinary urgency, frequency and burning are the classic symptoms of a urinary tract infection — and flavoxate does nothing to the bacteria. Taking it for a UTI without an antibiotic means the symptoms improve while the infection continues, which can allow it to travel up to the kidneys.
This is the single most important point on this page: if you have burning on urination with urgency and frequency, get the infection assessed. Flavoxate can be given alongside an antibiotic to ease symptoms while it works — that is a legitimate and common use — but it is not a substitute for one.
What is Urispas commonly used for?
- Urinary urgency and frequency, including in overactive bladder.
- Painful urination (dysuria) and bladder discomfort.
- Bladder spasm, including after urological surgery or catheterisation.
- Symptom relief alongside antibiotics in a urinary tract infection.
- Urge incontinence, where the urge arrives before you can reach a toilet.
- Bladder irritation from radiotherapy or bladder instrumentation.
- Nocturia, needing to urinate at night, in some cases.
It does not treat prostate enlargement, which is a common assumption in men with urinary symptoms. In fact, in men with significant prostate obstruction, an anticholinergic can make it harder to empty the bladder — see the cautions below.
Non-medicine measures genuinely help overactive bladder, often more than tablets do: bladder training to gradually increase the interval between visits, pelvic floor exercises, moderating caffeine and alcohol, and not restricting fluid so severely that urine becomes concentrated and irritating. Concentrated urine irritates the bladder, so cutting down on fluids commonly makes urgency worse rather than better.
How Urispas fits into this medicine category
| Group | Examples | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Urinary antispasmodics | Flavoxate (Urispas) | Relax the bladder muscle; ease urgency |
| Anticholinergics for bladder | Oxybutynin, solifenacin, tolterodine | Overactive bladder, longer-term treatment |
| Beta-3 agonists | Mirabegron | Overactive bladder, fewer anticholinergic effects |
| Urinary alkalinisers | Citro-Soda | Ease discomfort; do not treat infection |
| Antibiotics | Ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, co-trimoxazole | Treat the infection itself |
| Alpha-blockers | Tamsulosin | Prostate-related urinary symptoms in men |
| Analgesics | Paracetamol | Pain relief |
See the general medicines hub and the HP553 guide.
What to check before using Urispas
Do not use it as a substitute for treating an infection. If you have burning, urgency, cloudy or smelly urine, or lower abdominal discomfort, get assessed.
Speak to a pharmacist or doctor first if you:
- Have prostate enlargement or difficulty passing urine. Flavoxate’s anticholinergic effect can worsen this and cause urinary retention — an inability to pass urine at all, which is a medical emergency.
- Have glaucoma, particularly narrow-angle, where anticholinergics can raise eye pressure.
- Have a bowel obstruction, severe constipation, or reduced gut motility.
- Have myasthenia gravis.
- Have a stomach or duodenal ulcer, or a bleeding disorder.
- Have heart disease, or a fast or irregular heartbeat.
- Have kidney or liver disease.
- Are elderly. Anticholinergics are associated with confusion, falls, constipation and urinary retention in older people, and are generally used cautiously.
- Are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Are giving it to a child.
- Take other anticholinergic medicines, including some antidepressants, antihistamines such as promethazine, and bladder medicines — the effects add up.
Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how it affects you, as it can cause drowsiness and blurred vision.
Possible cautions and when to ask a pharmacist or doctor
Common effects are dry mouth, blurred vision, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, constipation and headache — the typical anticholinergic pattern.
Stop and seek medical attention if you develop:
- Inability to pass urine, or a painful, distended lower abdomen — urinary retention is an emergency.
- Eye pain with blurred vision or halos around lights — possible acute glaucoma, also an emergency.
- Marked confusion, agitation or hallucinations, particularly in an older person.
- A fast or irregular heartbeat, or palpitations.
- Severe constipation, or a swollen, tender abdomen.
- Fever, sore throat or mouth ulcers, which may indicate a blood problem.
- Swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or a rash.
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin.
See a doctor rather than continuing self-treatment if you have:
- Blood in the urine, at any time. This always needs investigation.
- Fever, chills, back or flank pain, or feeling generally unwell — possible kidney infection, which needs prompt antibiotics.
- Symptoms not improving within a couple of days.
- Recurrent urinary infections, which need investigation.
- Urinary symptoms in a man, which are more often prostate-related and need assessment.
- Symptoms in pregnancy, where urinary infections need prompt treatment.
- Unintended weight loss, or persistent pelvic pain.
- New incontinence, or a sudden change in bladder habits.
- Difficulty starting to urinate, or a weak stream — this suggests obstruction rather than overactivity, and an antispasmodic may be the wrong medicine.
Related medicine guides
Frequently asked questions
What is Urispas used for? Relieving urinary urgency, frequency, painful urination and bladder spasm by relaxing the bladder muscle. It contains flavoxate.
What is Urispas 200 used for? 200 mg is the standard tablet strength, used for the same urinary symptoms.
Does Urispas treat a urinary tract infection? No. It relieves symptoms but has no effect on bacteria. A UTI needs antibiotics — Urispas may be given alongside them to ease discomfort.
Is it an antibiotic? No. It is an antispasmodic that relaxes the bladder muscle.
Does it help prostate problems? No, and in men with significant prostate obstruction it can make emptying the bladder harder. Prostate symptoms need a different assessment.
Does it make you drowsy? It can, along with dry mouth and blurred vision. See how it affects you before driving.
Should I drink less to reduce urgency? No — concentrated urine irritates the bladder and often makes urgency worse. Moderating caffeine and alcohol is more useful.
When should I see a doctor? For blood in the urine, fever with back pain, symptoms not improving in a couple of days, recurrent infections, or urinary symptoms in a man or in pregnancy.