Current evidence also suggests the efficacy of  dimethyl sulfoxide and amitryptyline therapy .
Hydroxyzine , intravesical bacille Calmette-Guérin  , and  resiniferatoxin therapy  failed to demonstrate efficacy , but evidence was inconclusive owing to method ological limitations .
Pentosan polysulfate may be modestly beneficial for symptoms of PBS/IC .
There is insufficient evidence for other pharmacologic treatments .
BACKGROUND More than 180 different types of therapy have been used in the treatment and management of  painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis ( PBS/IC ) , yet evidence from clinical trials remains inconclusive .
This study aim ed to evaluate the efficacy of pharmacologic approaches to PBS/IC , to quantify the effect size from r and omized controlled trials , and to begin to inform a clinical consensus of treatment efficacy for PBS/IC .
A controlled study of dimethyl sulfoxide in interstitial cystitis.
To evaluate the effectiveness of dimethyl sulfoxide in the treatment of patients with biopsies suggestive of interstitial cystitis , 33 patients underwent a controlled crossover trial . Patients were allocated r and omly to receive 50 per cent dimethyl sulfoxide or placebo ( saline ) . The medication was administered intravesically every 2 weeks for 2 sessions of 4 treatments each . Response was assessed urodynamically and symptomatically . Thirty women and 3 men ( mean age 48 years and mean duration of symptoms 5.5 years ) were entered into the study . No significant side effects to dimethyl sulfoxide were noted . When assessed subjectively , 53 per cent of dimethyl sulfoxide treated patients were markedly improved compared to 18 per cent of the placebo treated patients . Of the dimethyl sulfoxide group 93 per cent had objective improvement versus 35 per cent of the placebo group . Thus , dimethyl sulfoxide proved to be superior to placebo in the objective and subjective improvement of patients with interstitial cystitis
Current evidence also suggests the efficacy of  dimethyl sulfoxide and amitryptyline therapy .
Hydroxyzine , intravesical bacille Calmette-Guérin  , and  resiniferatoxin therapy  failed to demonstrate efficacy , but evidence was inconclusive owing to method ological limitations .
Pentosan polysulfate may be modestly beneficial for symptoms of PBS/IC .
There is insufficient evidence for other pharmacologic treatments .
BACKGROUND More than 180 different types of therapy have been used in the treatment and management of  painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis ( PBS/IC ) , yet evidence from clinical trials remains inconclusive .
This study aim ed to evaluate the efficacy of pharmacologic approaches to PBS/IC , to quantify the effect size from r and omized controlled trials , and to begin to inform a clinical consensus of treatment efficacy for PBS/IC .