Ditropan XL different question

[nykrazychick]

my doc told me to take this be4 bed but made me sick so i take it 6pm after dinner does it matter? is that why its not working???????? i'm on 10Mg
thanx

[Sarojini]

It doesn't matter whether you take Ditropan after dinner or before bed. You can even take it in the morning. The reason your doc suggested taking it before bed is because (a) it makes some people a little sleepy and (b) if you're having trouble with nighttime frequency then you'll have the highest amounts of the drug in your system during the night, hopefully slowing down your nocturia.

How long have you been on Ditropan? If it's been several weeks and you've seen no improvement, it may be time to talk to your doctor. There are a couple things that can be done. The first is to try a higher dose, the second is to switch you to another anticholinergic med that is similar, like Detrol LA or the Oxytrol patch (since some people respond better to different meds), and the third is to take you off this type of med entirely and try something else.

However, you need to discuss it with your doctor to see which option is the best for you.

Good luck!

[nykrazychick]

hi.. well tomorrow will be two weeks i am on this drug. I don't know if it counts the only thing so far is that sometimes it takes me 5mins sitting in the bathroom to finally make it come on the urine. and once in awhile i have to kinda push it out give it alil help which never happend be4.. does this mean anything at all?????????

[Sarojini]

Sounds like the Ditropan may be beginning to make you retain urine... anticholinergics like it stop the contractions of the bladder that can contribute to frequency and urgency, but one side effect of that is that it can become more difficult for some people to pee. I had this problem -- in fact Ditropan made me retain urine so badly I had to learn how to self-cath to be able to fully empty my bladder. Needless to say, I had to stop taking it as it did not do much for me.

Again, the best thing to do is discuss what's going on with your doctor.

[nykrazychick]

so i guess the pill ain't working huh??????????

[desolationangel]

you may want to try oxytrol. or detrol. ditropan wasn't helping much but the oxytrol helps me.

also in addition to curbing pain, elavil can slow down bladder contractions. so that's something to try if you're not already on it.

[ShelbySW]

I have to agree w/ the Oxytrol suggestion. I use the patch. I never thought I would find something to help me and I finally did! It's AMAZING! Over the last year I've tried Detrol LA, Ditropan, DItropan XL, Oxybutin... all of which I had the dry mouth and there wasn't any improvement w/ the # of voids per day. I had such a problem w/ the side-effects I had to stop wearing contacts because in addition to drying out my mouth, my eyes were drying out too!
Ive been on Oxytrol for 4 months and haven't had a problem! I'm back to wearing my contacts and I'm even going to get permanent eyeliner done in a couple weeks!
Keep in mind that when your mouth is dry, your teeth are 4x more likely to develop caveties and gum problems. My gums started receiding and I couldn't eat/drink anything that wasn't room temperature because my teeth were so sensitive!
I didn't realize "dry mouth" could be such a huge problem... my dentist is now planning a vacation w/ the money I will be paying him to fix the last 12 months of trial-and-error :(
That just makes me so much more enthusiastic about the Oxytrol patches! My concern was that I have VERY sensitive skin... I haven't gotten a single rash or other irritation. I've never had a problem w/ them comming off (until I pulled it off). It's my little miracle! I was on every pill you could think of to keep me asleep but all I needed was to control the urges. It helped in retraining my bladder SOOOOO much! Within 4 weeks I could tell a MAJOR difference!!!

[gloriabono68]

shelby,
Glad to hear you found something that works........AMEN!!!! I have taken ditrapan for about 14 years and then the last three years the XL version and i can tell you i have spent alot of money at the dentist but it helped when nothing else did.......so for me it didnt matter......My Uro doesn't think the patch will work for me cause its not strong enough but it makes my heart feel good to hear about people finding things that help them.......i am so very glad for you.......
gloriabono