Question:

A patient with diabetes and COPD developed postoperative urinary retention. Which of the following drugs can be used for short-term treatment to relieve the symptoms of this person?

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You need to make a weak bladder squeeze, not relax an obstructed outlet.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
  • Bethanechol
  • Methacholine
  • Terazosin
  • Tamsulosin
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Postoperative non-obstructive urinary retention is due to an underactive (atonic) detrusor. The aim is to stimulate bladder contraction.
Step 2: Bethanechol is a direct muscarinic agonist that is resistant to cholinesterase and acts selectively on the bladder and gut. It contracts the detrusor and promotes voiding, making it the preferred drug for postoperative and postpartum non-obstructive retention. Option A is correct.
Step 3: Why the others are wrong: methacholine is mainly used as a bronchoprovocation agent and would be hazardous in COPD; terazosin and tamsulosin are alpha-1 blockers that relax the bladder neck and are meant for obstructive retention from BPH, not for an atonic detrusor.
Ref: K. D. Tripathi, Essentials of Medical Pharmacology, 7th edition, page 104.
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