Methenamine was discovered in 1859[7] and was first introduced for medical use as a urinary antiseptic in 1895.[21][22] It was formally approved for medical use in the United States in 1967.[23] Though it became a "forgotten drug" following the discovery of antibiotics in 1928, there has been a resurgence in interest in methenamine since 2010 owing to increasing rates of bacterial resistance with antibiotics.[2][8][7][14][24] Larger and higher-quality clinical trials of methenamine for UTI prevention have started to be published in the 2020s and it may soon be recommended by more medical guidelines.[2][14][19][25][15] Methenamine has been found to be more cost-effective than low-dose prophylactic antibiotics for preventing UTIs.[26]
Medical uses
Urinary tract infections
Methenamine is used in the treatment and prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) requiring long-term therapy.[3][1][2] It is approved and used in both adults and children at least 6years of age.[1][9] The drug can also be used in special populations including older adults, people undergoing genitourinary surgical procedures, people with long-term catheterization, and kidney transplant recipients.[2][9] It has not been studied in neonates or infants.[8] Methenamine is employed as an alternative to antibiotics.[12][2] The drug is not used in the curative treatment of UTIs and should be started only after bacterial eradication by appropriate antimicrobial agents.[4] As it is an antiseptic and not an antibiotic, methenamine has no risk of promoting bacterial resistance.[9][8] Studies have administered continuous methenamine therapy usually for 12months or less,[2] but in some studies for as long as 2 to 10years.[9][7]
A 2012 Cochrane review found that methenamine was effective in the prevention of UTIs.[12] The relative risk of symptomatic UTI was 0.24 and of bacteriuria was 0.56.[12] In the case of short-term treatment (≤1week), the relative risk of symptomatic UTI was 0.14.[12] On the other hand, methenamine was not effective in reducing the risk of symptomatic UTI or bacteriuria in people with known renal tract abnormalities or neurogenic bladder.[12] The quality of evidence was mixed and often poor.[12][13]
A subsequent large randomized controlled trial (RCT), the "ALternatives To prophylactic Antibiotics for the treatment of Recurrent urinary tract infection in women" (ALTAR) trial, was conducted by the United KingdomNational Health Service (NHS).[13][27] This study, published in 2022, reported that methenamine (hippurate) was non-inferior to daily low-dose antibiotics for prevention of UTIs.[14][15] The antibiotics used in the study included nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim, and cephalexin.[14][15] There was a small and non-significant numerical advantage of antibiotics over methenamine in this trial (~0.5 fewer UTIs per year), but this difference was deemed of limited clinical consequence and was considered to be outweighed by the advantages of methenamine.[2][15] UTI-free rates over 12months were 43% with methenamine and 54% with antibiotics.[15] Besides effectiveness in terms of UTI prevention, methenamine demonstrated lower rates of bacterial resistance relative to antibiotic therapy in this trial and in other studies.[2][14][15]
A 2024 systematic review found that methenamine was non-inferior to antibiotic prophylaxis in the prevention of UTIs in two comparative prospectiveclinical studies, including the ALTAR trial.[19] Other, older studies found that methenamine was inferior to antibiotics including trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, and nitrofurantoin in preventing or suppressing current UTIs, but these studies were of lower quality.[8] Additional large and high-quality clinical trials of methenamine for UTI prevention are needed as of 2024.[19] More studies are also needed in special populations like older adults.[9] Another large RCT of methenamine for UTI prevention, the international European ImpresU trial in older women, which is comparing methenamine to placebo instead of against antibiotics, is underway as of 2022.[2][28]
Methenamine is not widely recommended by medical guidelines for UTI prevention as of 2022.[25] However, this is expected to change in the near future due to the publication of the ALTAR trial and other new high-quality clinical trials.[25]
Methenamine is provided mainly as methenamine hippurate (the hippuric acidsalt) or methenamine mandelate (the mandelic acid salt).[3][29][9][30][8] The drug is taken twice daily in the case of methenamine hippurate and four times daily in the case of methenamine mandelate.[8][9][4] Methenamine hippurate is more popular and commonly used owing to its more convenient dosing schedule.[2][14] Methenamine is taken three times daily in the case of formulations in which low-dose methenamine free base is combined with sodium salicylate.[9][17] The dosing schedule of methenamine is less convenient than once-daily low-dose prophylactic antibiotics.[15]
Other genitourinary infections
Methenamine is converted into formaldehyde only in acidic environments like the urinary bladder and hence is not expected to be effective in the eradicative treatment of pyelonephritis (kidney infection) or chronic bacterial prostatitis.[8][31] As a result, it is not recommended for such indications.[8] However, methenamine may help to prevent pyelonephritis and hospitalization by preventing UTIs that can lead to these complications.[2][12][32][33] In addition, in men with persistent or recurring chronic bacterial prostatitis, prophylactic methenamine may be useful as an alternative to low-dose prophylactic antibiotics in preventing prostatitis-derived UTIs and managing associated symptoms.[34] Prophylactic low-dose methenamine combined with an ascorbic acid (vitamin C) supplement has been reported to be effective for this purpose based on clinical experience.[34] In any case, supporting data for this use are lacking as of 2020.[34]
Excessive sweating
Methenamine, in a topicalcream or gel stick formulation sold under brand names like Antihydral and Dehydral, is used in the treatment of hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) and has been reported to be clinically effective for this indication.[5][6][18][35][36] The skin is slightly acidic and formaldehyde can be released from methenamine in this environment.[5][6][11][18][35]
Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen, for instance being associated with nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia.[14][20][37] This compound also occurs in small amounts as a contaminant in alcoholic beverages, and is chemically similar to the carcinogenic ethanol (alcohol) metaboliteacetaldehyde.[37][38] Because of the formaldehyde exposure with methenamine, there have been concerns about methenamine's potential carcinogenicity and the possibility that it might increase the risk of cancer, for instance bladder or stomach cancer.[14][20] No clinical studies have looked directly at the long-term effects of methenamine in this regard.[14] However, there are no published case reports documenting incidence of cancer with methenamine as of 2023.[14] Moreover, animal studies have found no evidence of long-term carcinogenicity with oral methenamine.[14][11][20] On the other hand, the findings of animal studies of methenamine and carcinogenicity have also been questioned by some authors,[20] though this topic is controversial.[11]
Antibiotics are known to disrupt the gut, urinary tract, and vaginalmicrobiota.[14] This has been associated with increased risk of recurrent UTIs.[14] Methenamine has been limitedly studied in this regard, but was found in one small study to preserve urinary microbial diversity.[14] However, more studies are needed to assess the influence of methenamine on the host microbiome, both in the urinary tract and elsewhere in the body.[14]
Doses of methenamine much higher than usual have been clinically studied and found to produce significant toxicity.[7][8][4] More specifically, doses of 8g per day (4–8-fold usual doses) for 3 to 4weeks resulted in bladder irritation, painful and frequent urination, albuminuria (albumin in urine), crystalluria (crystals in urine), and hematuria (blood in urine).[7][8][4] Some of these side effects are thought to be due to high levels of formaldehyde in the bladder and consequent irritation.[7][8] Doses of methenamine of up to 10 to 20g/day have also been studied and found to be tolerable without major toxicity.[7] When methenamine was first introduced in the late 1800s and early 1900s, doses of 15 to 30g per day were commonly employed and doses of up to 60 to 180g per day were tried in some cases.[40] Toxic effects of such high doses included urinary tract and bladder irritation, frequent urination, strangury, and hematuria.[40]Animal studies employing double the modern human dosage of methenamine for 6 to 12months found no adverse effects.[7]
The drug's spectrum of antibacterial activity includes all urinary tract pathogens.[30][2] It is specifically effective against common UTI-causing bacteria including Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, and Enterococcus faecium.[2][3][4] However, Klebsiella aerogenes (Enterobacter aerogenes) has been said to generally be resistant to methenamine, although the mechanism and rationale supporting this resistance have not been described.[2][4] In addition, certain urea-splitting bacteria, such as Proteus and Pseudomonas species, can make the urine more alkaline, thereby potentially inhibiting the antibacterial effects of methenamine.[2][3][8][4]Providencia and Morganella species are also urea-splitting and might likewise be resistant to methenamine, although this topic requires more research.[2]
Methenamine is provided medically as the hippuric acid or mandelic acidsalt, and the acid salt component plays a key role in helping to make the urine more acidic such that the activity of methenamine is optimized.[2][3][9][30]Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), sodium acid phosphate, or ammonium chloride can also be supplemented to further acidify the urine.[9][13][8] However, it is unclear whether this actually improves treatment effectiveness or not.[30][9]
In terms of metabolism, methenamine is hydrolyzed to form formaldehyde and ammonium in acidicurine (pH < 6).[2][3][9] More specifically, a single molecule of methenamine decomposes into six equivalents of formaldehyde and four ammonia molecules.[43][11] The drug may be degraded 10 to 30% in the acidic environment of the stomach prior to absorption.[8][20] This can be avoided with enteric coatedtablets.[2][8] In terms of pH, there is minimal hydrolysis at a pH of 7.4, 6% at a pH of 6, and 20% at a pH of 5.[2] The hydrolysis of methenamine occurs slowly and gradually, with approximately 3hours required for 90% decomposition into formaldehyde.[2] As breakdown of methenamine only occurs in acidic environments like the bladder and stomach, the activation of methenamine into formaldehyde in the body is tissue-selective.[2][8][20] Following its formation, formaldehyde is rapidly metabolized into formic acid (formate) in the body.[10][11]
Elimination
The drug is eliminated mainly by the kidneys.[3] A single oral dose of methenamine is excreted 70 to 90% in urine unchanged within 24hours.[3] The onset of action of the urinary antibacterial effects of methenamine is within 30minutes.[3][4] A urinary formaldehyde concentration of 18 to 60μg/mL can be achieved with a typical therapeutic dosage of methenamine and these concentrations of formaldehyde can inhibit almost all urinary pathogens.[8][2] The elimination half-life of methenamine is 2 to 6hours.[2][3][7]
Methenamine was first discovered as a chemical compound in 1859.[7][45] It was introduced for medical use as a urinaryantiseptic under the name Urotropin in 1895.[21][22] The drug was described as rapidly sterilizing and thereby restoring putrid and pus-filled urine to a normal appearance and constitution.[22] A combination of methenamine with salicylic acid was also developed and introduced the same year.[22] Methenamine was only used as a urinary antiseptic in cases of acidic urine, whereas boric acid was used to treat UTIs with alkaline urine.[46] The drug name methenamine, a contraction of the chemical or scientific name hexamethylenetetramine, was formally introduced and designated by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) by 1925 and replaced the prior name of the drug that was being used of hexamethylenamine.[47][48] The alternative drug name hexamine was introduced in the British Pharmacopoeia (BP) by 1914 to be used instead of the commercial name Urotropin.[49]
Interest in methenamine declined after the discovery of the antibioticpenicillin in 1928 and it has been described as a "forgotten drug".[7][8] However, there was a surge of interest in methenamine from the 1950s to the 1980s.[2] The drug was formally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for medical use in the United States in 1967.[23] The topical form of methenamine for treatment of hyperhidrosis was introduced around 1965.[18]
Subsequently, there was another decline in interest in methenamine from 1980 until 2010.[2]
However, there has been another resurgence in interest in methenamine for recurrent UTI prevention since 2010 owing to increasing rates of bacterial resistance with antibiotics.[2][8][7][14][24] Larger and higher-quality clinical trials of methenamine for UTI prevention, such as the United Kingdom ALTAR trial, have started to be published in the 2020s, and additional trials, such as the international European ImpresU trial, are also underway as of 2024.[2][14][19][25][15][28]
Society and culture
Names
Methenamine is the generic name of the drug and its INNTooltip International Nonproprietary Name, USANTooltip United States Adopted Name, and USPTooltip United States Pharmacopeia, while hexamine is its BANTooltip British Approved Name and JANTooltip Japanese Accepted Name.[45][50][29] Brand names of methenamine include Aminoform, Antihydral, Dehydral, Formamine, Formin, Hexamine, Hiprex, Hyophen, Mandelamine, Metenamine, Phosphasal, Urelle, Urex, Uribel, Urimar, Urin DS, Urogesic Blue, Urotropin, and Ustell, among numerous others.[3][1][45][29][36]
Availability
Methenamine is approved and available in the United States.[8] Only methenamine hippurate, the twice-daily formulation, is available as a prescription drug in the United States.[51] Of 38countries that were surveyed in one study, methenamine was available in seven of them.[8] In any case, methenamine was marketed as a prescription drug widely throughout the world in 2004.[29] The topical form of methenamine for hyperhidrosis has been marketed only in certain countries, including Austria, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, and Switzerland.[5][36][52]
Cost effectiveness
The costs of methenamine for long-term UTI prophylaxis can be significant.[2] However, a 2024 study found that methenamine was more cost-effective than low-dose prophylactic antibiotics for prevention of UTIs.[26]
Research
Methenamine might be useful in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections as it is activated in the acidic environment of the stomach.[7]
^ abcdefSchultheis K, Messerschmidt A, Ochsendorf F (March 2014). "Topische Therapie von entzündlichen Dermatosen, Juckreiz und Schmerz sowie Hyperhidrose" [Topical therapy of inflammatory dermatoses, pruritus and pain, as well as hyperhidrosis]. Hautarzt (in German). 65 (3): 197–206. doi:10.1007/s00105-013-2658-2. PMID24500042. [Translated: Methenamine Due to the acidic pH of sweat, methenamine can produce formaldehyde, which also leads to denaturation. The finished product Antihydral® contains methenamine. Methenamine can be very drying, so the frequency of application must be reduced or moisturizing external agents must be used. Contact allergies to formaldehyde are possible.]
^ abcdConnolly M, de Berker D (2003). "Management of primary hyperhidrosis: a summary of the different treatment modalities". Am J Clin Dermatol. 4 (10): 681–697. doi:10.2165/00128071-200304100-00003. PMID14507230. Other chemical agents used in the past for hyperhidrosis are the aldehydes. Glutaraldehyde 10% in a buffered solution was found to be effective for plantar hyperhidrosis in a study of 25 patients by Juhlin and Hansson.[52] Unfortunately, it stains the skin and can cause allergic sensitization and as a result is only suitable for feet. Formaldehyde also effectively reduced axillary sweating but its use today is not recommended due to its high risk of inducing an allergic contact sensitivity.[53] Although methenamine[54] converts into formaldehyde on the skin, it can be effective and is reported to be less sensitizing.
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwAltinoz MA, Ozpinar A, Ozpinar A, Perez JL, Elmaci İ (May 2019). "Methenamine's journey of 160 years: Repurposal of an old urinary antiseptic for treatment and hypoxic radiosensitization of cancers and glioblastoma". Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 46 (5): 407–412. doi:10.1111/1440-1681.13070. PMID30721527.
^ abcdefghSihra N, Goodman A, Zakri R, Sahai A, Malde S (December 2018). "Nonantibiotic prevention and management of recurrent urinary tract infection". Nat Rev Urol. 15 (12): 750–776. doi:10.1038/s41585-018-0106-x. PMID30361493.
^ abcdefgDavidson SM, Brown JN, Nance CB, Townsend ML (March 2024). "Use of Methenamine for Urinary Tract Infection Prophylaxis: Systematic Review of Recent Evidence". Int Urogynecol J. 35 (3): 483–489. doi:10.1007/s00192-024-05726-2. PMID38329493.
^ abcdefghAriëns EJ, Hanselaar AG, Henderson PT, Simonis AM (October 1982). "Beware of formaldehyde in disguise". Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 23 (4): 373–375. doi:10.1007/BF00613624. PMID6756937.
^ abHinman F (1913). "An Experimental Study of the Antiseptic Value in the Urine of the Internal Use of Hexamethylenamin". JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 61 (18): 1601. doi:10.1001/jama.1913.04350190019006.
^ abcdMedical Review. St. Louis Medical Review Association. 1896. pp. 176–177. Retrieved 15 October 2024. Urotropin.—The favorable reports that have come to my notice regarding urotropin lead me to think that some additional facts concerning it may not be amiss, says J. A. Flexner, M.D., in the American Practitioner and News, of December 28, 1895. Urotropin is a derivative of formic aldehyde, [...] Formic aldehyde being too irritating to be taken internally, Ficolaier then determined to try its amine combination as a substitute. This substance, hexamethylenetetranin or urotropin, is non-poisonous even in considerable quantities, is unirritating, very soluble in water, and is as good a uric acid solvent as formic aldehyde itself. The name urotropin was given to it on account of the changes which its administration brought about in the urine. Alkaline and putrid urines, containing mucous in excess, pus and pus organisms, uric acid or amorphous urates, were rapidly restored to a normal appearance and an acid reaction. The urine was sterilized, and increased in quantity, and calculi and deposits were dissolved. [...]
^ abSauberan JB, Bradley JS (January 2018). "292 - Antimicrobial Agents". In Long SS, Prober CG, Fischer M (eds.). Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (Fifth ed.). Elsevier. pp. 1499–1531.e3. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-40181-4.00292-9. ISBN978-0-323-40181-4.
^ abKale S, Somani BK (November 2023). "The resurgence of methenamine hippurate in the prevention of recurrent UTIs in women- a systematic review". Curr Opin Urol. 33 (6): 488–496. doi:10.1097/MOU.0000000000001108. PMID37337660.
^Charalabopoulos K, Karachalios G, Baltogiannis D, Charalabopoulos A, Giannakopoulos X, Sofikitis N (December 2003). "Penetration of antimicrobial agents into the prostate". Chemotherapy. 49 (6): 269–279. doi:10.1159/000074526. PMID14671426. The normal pH of human prostatic fluid is 6.5–6.7, and it increases in chronic prostatitis, ranging from 7.0 to 8.3.
^Krechnáková A, Dzúrik R (March 1979). "Prevencia recidív chronickej pyelonefritídy metenamín hipuranom" [Prevention of chronic pyelonephritis relapses using metenamine hipuran (author's transl)]. Cas Lek Cesk (in Slovak). 118 (13): 402–404. PMID455351.
^ abcSu ZT, Zenilman JM, Sfanos KS, Herati AS (June 2020). "Management of Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis". Curr Urol Rep. 21 (7): 29. doi:10.1007/s11934-020-00978-z. PMID32488742. Chronic oral antibiotic suppression for men with persistent or recurrent prostatic infections despite antibiotic treatment is frequently used in clinical practice, even though supporting data are presently lacking [2, 18]. This approach appears to be generally effective, so long as suppression can be maintained [17]. Suitable choices include nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, methenamine, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, or any agent previously effective for the isolated pathogen. [...] In our experience, many patients who previously struggled with symptomatic recurrences have been well controlled with chronic low-dose prophylaxis with methenamine combined with a vitamin C supplement. However, the long-term utility of prophylaxis with methenamine therapy is not well documented in the existing literature [60].
^ abMonakhova YB, Jendral JA, Lachenmeier DW (June 2012). "The margin of exposure to formaldehyde in alcoholic beverages". Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 63 (2): 227–237. doi:10.2478/10004-1254-63-2012-2201. PMID22728807.
^Obe G, Ristow H (December 1979). "Mutagenic, cancerogenic and teratogenic effects of alcohol". Mutation Research/Reviews in Genetic Toxicology. 65 (4): 229–259. doi:10.1016/0165-1110(79)90004-6. PMID117354.
^Semkova K, Gergovska M, Kazandjieva J, Tsankov N (2015). "Hyperhidrosis, bromhidrosis, and chromhidrosis: Fold (intertriginous) dermatoses". Clin Dermatol. 33 (4): 483–491. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2015.04.013. PMID26051066. Topical treatments include boric acid, topical anticholinergics, 2% to 5% tannic acid solutions, resorcinol, potassium permanganate, formaldehyde,23 glutaraldehyde, and methenamine. All of these agents have limited effectiveness or are restricted due to side effects such as staining, contact sensitization, and irritation.
^Chen J, Chen W, Zhang J, Zhao H, Cui J, Wu J, et al. (June 2024). "Dual effects of endogenous formaldehyde on the organism and drugs for its removal". J Appl Toxicol. 44 (6): 798–817. doi:10.1002/jat.4546. PMID37766419.
^ abHeathcote RS (1935). "Hexamine as an Urinary Antiseptic: I. Its Rate of Hydrolysis at Different Hydrogen Ion Concentrations. II. Its Antiseptic Power Against Various Bacteria in Urine". British Journal of Urology. 7 (1): 9–32. doi:10.1111/j.1464-410X.1935.tb11265.x. ISSN0007-1331.
^Elliot (1913). "On Urinary Antiseptics". British Medical Journal. 98: 685–686.
^"Queries and Minor Notes". JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 87 (1). American Medical Association (AMA): 50. 3 July 1926. doi:10.1001/jama.1926.02680010050027. ISSN0098-7484. "METHENAMINE" To the Editor:—Can you tell me anything about a drug "Methenamine" and where I might get it. It was mentioned in an abstract in THE JOURNAL, June 5, p. 631. E. W. W., M.D., Pittsburgh. ANSWER.—Methenamine is the name now used in the new U. S. P. X, which became official, January 1, for the substance described in the old pharmacopeia as hexamethylenamine; it is a more convenient contraction of the scientific name hexamethylenetetramine. All manuscripts sent to THE JOURNAL are, of course, edited in accordance with the nomenclature of the latest edition of the Pharmacopeia.
^Davis OC (December 1914). "Some Impressions of the 1914 British Pharmacopœia". Bristol Med Chir J (1883). 32 (126): 292–297. PMC5064466. PMID28897888. Several synthetic preparations are included for the first time, and as mentioned elsewhere their names have been modified. Thus:— [New name: Hexamina. Name of Patent Product of same composition: Urotropin.] [The constitutional name of Hexamine is Hexamethylene-tetramine.]