what medications cause a flare ?

[HoneyGirl]

Forgive me if I've missed a list on the site. I am wondering if some of the medications I take every day are known to cause problems.

Every day I take :

Flovent inhaler
Ventolin inhaler
Seravent inhaler
Nasonex
Macrobid (which I thought should help, not hurt)
Nexium

Occassionally I take:

Tylenol
Motrin
Oxybutinin (which helps the flares - sometimes.....)
Hyoscamine
Maalox
Alka Seltzer
Vicodin

And - I just went over the diet info some more and I was amazed at all the foods I eat and the spices I cook with that make IC worse. No wonder my pain rarely goes away !

[emilyrose197377]

I know that motrin cause me to flare big time. But am unsure about the other meds.

[Katrina]

Motrin would be my guess too. Most of the meds I would think would help.
Not sure what Maalox or Nasonex would do.

None the less even if it helps most of us there will always be an exceptions that reacts badly. Chart them on the date what you have taken.

[csocain]

Tylenol works okay for me. Nexium and hyoscyamine did not. Don't know about the others. Praying for clear understanding about what you can safely take. Blessings!

[HoneyGirl]

Thanks. I looked Nexium up on the net and it is a disaster ! It affects IBS, fibro, arthritis and IC. It also can lower thyroxine, and my thyroid levels are low right now. I am researching diet more to see if I could stop taking Nexium. Maybe with the right diet, I would feel better. I can stop taking Motrin, no problem. Anyway, thanks for the input.

[massagedoula]

Some ICers (and normal people too) get bladder irritation from Macrobid. I read a lot about this in Dr. Gillespie's book back before I got IC and just had UTIs.

Motrin makes me flare too, by the way!

[peaceplease]

I developed acid reflux after having gone through 2 pregnancies and one very long and traumatic labor 7 years ago. I think all the pushing and straining weakend my lower esophageal sphincter muscle. Anyway, I take Prilosec OTC daily. It is now available nonperscription and I get it at Target etc. I was taking it before I came down with IC and there was a brief time I went off it coldturkey to see if it would help. All it did was cause my acid to rebound big time and I was very nauseated. As soon as I went back on the Prilosec I felt all better. I am wondering though if it could be irritating my bladder? I read here that some think Nexium can and Nexium and Prilosec are both made from the same ingredient.
I thought that supressing bodily acid would be good for the bladder.
Any thought on this topic?
Thanks

[Cheries]

I bet that a lot of us have stomach acid problems! I take prevacid which works a lot better for me than prilosec did. As far as nexium, can't take it as it gives me a headache. In actuality I know I need to take a stronger med or different one to control it better. Some days I just have to take two I was told. I would watch out for the motrin as that is a real problem for stomach issues. I noticed you take asthma meds. Are you sure you ahve asthma and not the acid reflux? I was treated for years for asthma with flovent etc. when it was acid reflux the whole time. Of course, no body can tell me WHY the acid reflux...hm....sounds like IC....I would also watch for the inhalers that can cause spasms as it speeds up your metabolism. I wish they were doing some research, or if they are let me know where someone, that is putting all of our data together to help get the full and true picture of how we all have the same health complaints besides IC!!

[ICNDonna]

Actually many people take Prilosec to help with IC symptoms. Nexium is very similar, but much more expensive. I have to wonder about the alka seltzer. Motrin is also a possibility.

Donna

[HoneyGirl]

Interesting thoughts.

Cheries - yes, I definately have asthma. I have had it since I was about 4 years old. It is well controlled with the inhalers. I don't use the Ventolin everyday - just as a rescue. And as I look into this more and more I am amazed at how many of us have the same chronic diseases - IC, IBS, GERD and fibro. There has to be a connection. Hormones ? Auto immune ? Maybe now that these are being recognized as real pathologies instead of "women's complaints", more research will be done and the connection will be made.

Peaceplease - I will research the ingredients in Prilosec later today and post again.

Massagedoula - Macrobid can irritate the bladder ! :headbang: I have been taking it every night for 20 years ! It is a major contributor to my GERD. The urologist I go to now said I probably don't need to take Macrobid anymore. He said it is rarely prescribed. I will call him and see if I can just quit taking it and see what happens.

Thanks everybody.

[HoneyGirl]

I looked up Prilosec and Nexium and these are the ingredients:

NEXIUM® (esomeprazole magnesium)
Prilosec OTC (omeprazole)

Maybe someone can explain the difference to me. Obviously, it is the magnesium, but I don't know what magnesium does.

I called my uro and he said to just stop taking the Macrobid. OK. I won't take it tonight and I'll start keeping a diary.

[HoneyGirl]

I just ran across something else while researching IBS. Magnesium (which is found in antacids and Nexium !) can cause cramping and diarrhea ! :headbang: Why don't the doctors put this all together !

[massagedoula]

I think that many MDs still prescribe Macrobid. I have been prescribed it a few times back when I first got IC (by doctors that thought it was a UTI---luckily I did not take it and found urologists that knew about IC instead). I just read in that book by DR. Gillespie that it can cause pinpoint bleeding of the bladder wall. That was the only place that I read about it, but it seemed like it was well-researched. Many people with IC do take it. We all react very different to things, which I am sure you know. 20 years is a long time to be taking anything. That sounds scary to me. It is only 5 years less than I have been alive.

[HoneyGirl]

Massagedoula - Thanks for the info. I would think that pinpoint bleeding of the bladder lining would be enough to keep IC pain going. I stopped taking Macrobid last night. So far, so good.....

[ladyhawk]

I have had been taking Prilosec OTC for about 2 years everyday...my IC symtoms were horrible during the last 6 months of this time...I stopped the Prilosec 2 months ago and my IC symtoms decreased dramatically! I have wondered if there is some truth to the matter...some research on my part which suggested there may be problems with Prilosec made me stop taking it, now I am wondering if there isn't something to the IC/Prilosec thing (for some of us)?

gail

[HoneyGirl]

Ladyhawk -How is the GERD since you stopped taking Prilosec ?

Also, does your username have any connection to the movie ? "Ladyhawk" is one of my favorites.

[ladyhawk]

Hi, honey girl! I have terrible acid reflux and miss prilosec very much. I also noticed that a bland diet helps and I don't have to use many "rolaids" to control it. I am afraid to go back on prilosec as since I've been off of it my IC is better, not gone but better. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I'm afraid to try it.

I love the movie too and that is why I used the username! It's a classic!

Gail

[HoneyGirl]

Ladyhawk - After the comments and research I have just done, I would like to stop taking Nexium, but the GERD can become quite serious, so at this point I am hesitant to try it. I am trying to combine what I learn about diet to make a list of foods that don't aggrivate IBS, GERD, and IC. Same with meds, but the meds are trickier because the consequences are more serious. One step at a time, I guess.

I love the movie. And Ladyhawk's character really reflects how we feel, doesn't it ? Part of the time, a beautiful, sweet woman.... Part of the time a growling, cranky wolf ready to bite almost everyone !

[ladyhawk]

I'm glad I found someone else that has experienced the same thing with a GERD med....when I asked my doctor (reg practitioner not a uro) he said there was 'no way' it could be related, I beg to differ on that but didn't tell him that. I tried 1 prilosec about 2 weeks after quitting and symtoms of IC getting better and from that 1 Prilosec I had a really bad flare! I wish there were some way to control the stomach thing and not flare with IC at the same time.

It is a good movie, and totally like us, LOL!

Gail

[Cheries]

I had IC way before I ever took any medications. As far as possibly irritating the bladder it is probably due to the colors or additives maybe? I have an idea that I would like to try and that is buying some clear capsules to put any meds into. I seem to do better without all the colors in meds. I have tried to stop prevacid but I just get VERY sick. In fact I had reflux so bad that my neck was constantly hurting. I went to my doctor who said it was acid reflux (ENT). I had never heard of it making your neck hurt, (around my thyroid area). Weird.

[basia]

Thanks. I looked Nexium up on the net and it is a disaster ! It affects IBS, fibro, arthritis and IC. It also can lower thyroxine, and my thyroid levels are low right now. I am researching diet more to see if I could stop taking Nexium. Maybe with the right diet, I would feel better. I can stop taking Motrin, no problem. Anyway, thanks for the input.
Prior to the onset of my IC I was on Nexium for 2 months. You have mentioned that Nexium is very bad for IC. Is it possible that that drug had something to do with it? Hmh? Interesting.

[HoneyGirl]

Cheries - I would consider colors in capsules. I know from experience with one of my kids that some dyes cause adverse reactions. I think your trial is worth the effort.

When I was diagnosed with GERD, I was having trouble swallowing and my throat had a dull ache all the time. I knew I had some heartburn every night from the Macrobid. I didn't know anything about GERD at the time. Never heard of it.

Basia - Could be. The research surprised me too. Problem is, the other GERD meds aren't any better.

My hope is that I can eliminate as many problem meds and foods as possible. Maybe if I am not irritating my bladder with everything everyday, I will be able to tolerate the Nexium.

By the way - it has only been one week on the new diet and I have been pain free.... I would have never thought of all these things if it wasn't for this IC Network and all you wonderful people. Thank you so much for being here.

[kadi]

I flare from both Tylenol & Motrin/Advil, though Darvocet (which includes Tylenol) is okay for me. Several doctors have told me this is weird, but I think there's something in the Darvocet which offsets the irritation caused by the Tylenol.

[HoneyGirl]

Kadi - Thanks for your thoughts on Tylenol. I wonder why it doesn't bother you when you take Darvocet. Thank goodness the Darvocet works for you.