Can Medications cause IC?

[Alex11]

When I was at my general practictioner and told him I had IC he said "wow, you're awful young for IC!" He then asked how long I had taken macrobid at the beginning of my symptoms because long term use of medications can cause IC.

I constantly refer back to the IC Patient Handbook and it says there is no known cause for IC... So I'm confused... (as usual)

It seems like there are many women my age (32) and younger so it doesn't seem to me like it's only older women that get IC and I'd like to know if medications can cause IC because due to bad genetics I have been on blood pressure and cholesterol medications since my early 20's and it has me thinking.

[Katrina]

there is no known cause ....but right now IC is seen an injury...possibly there is an underline illness involved as well....so some meds can make you more vulerable....but there is likely a lot of different things that contribute to it in everyone.

Since even the possibility of medications you have taken possibly making you more vulnerable is not a possitve thing that is known it isn't like you did anything wrong by taking the medication.

It seems that a lot of people have IC young these days....my first symptoms were when I was 13....don't let your doctor believe it is just meds or that you are that unusual. :grouphug:

[ICNDonna]

It's tough to know what causes IC. There are many different theories out there, but none have been proved to date. I hope that one day soon, a cause is found because once the cause is known, a cure should follow close behind.

It's my opinion that there can be many different causes for IC, which is what makes it so complicated to treat.

Donna

[kdfurgi]

I agree with Donna and Katrina. they also say that it maybe genetics, but nobody in my family has had bladder problems that any of us can think of and there are 6 generations still alive on my moms side (dont know much about dads side; he died when i was 6 and havent seen his family since i was about 7) i have always had back pain and went to the bathroom "more than normal" but it got worse when i was 6 and had an "undetectable infection" after having my tonsils out and was in the hospital for a week with them running all kinds of tests. ever since then i have went to the bathroom atleast 20 times in 24 hours. it got worse when i was older and had my second c-section and was in a wreck less than 2 weeks later (also when they found out i have spina bifida). when i was finally diagnosed with IC in 2004 my family told me that they had always thought i was a whiny child and had a small bladder. this is just my experience and opinion but i really think that there are too many diffrent causes of IC and that is why the reasearchers and drs are having such a hard time finding the cause, treating it and also a cure. which could be why we all have so many diffrent signs and symptoms...just my 2 cents worth. hope all are feeling ok, if not good/great, today.

[Alex11]

Thanks for the info. When the doctor told me that I was thinking that I might have caused this myself due to medications (not that I really have a choice in taking them but you never want to think you did this to yourself).

I go to the urologist Thursday so hopefully I'll get some more information on treatments,etc.

[rosesitty]

Lisa - I believe certain medications can injury the bladder causing IC. Three years ago I took two doses of Accutane, an acne medication, and I started bleeding severely from my bladder. I have had IC symptoms ever since. It's frustrating, because there were other meds the dermatologist could have prescribed, but she went for the most toxic first. I think docs are too eager to prescribe meds sometimes. Even as a sufferer of IC, I feel like I'm on way too much med for my own good.

[Alex11]

That has to be so frustrating for you. To know there were meds you could have taken for the acne that might have avoided this...

I think most of us would have to agree that dr's give lots of pills for symptoms but don't necessarily tell us how we could help ourselves and come off some of the medications. I think it's sad that as a 32 year old I have a pill organizer because I take too many meds to keep track of and now because of IC I'm sure there are more to come. EEE GADS!

I feel like the song "I WILL SURVIVE" should be the theme song for all of us.

[ddemos]

I read in Larrian Gillespie's book that she believes one cause might be if you use specific antibiotics that kill the bacteria by squeezing them, and if there is no more good or bad bacteria, they start to then squeeze what ever is around,ie. the bladder cells.( this is a very simplified version of her theory.) She mentioned this to be true of only tetracycline type antibiotics. I took those quite a bit in high school...so that made sense to me, as I started with frequency and slight burning in my 20's. I lived in Manhattan at the time and knew every hotel bathroom in the city...

[Sheltie Lover]

This post deeply concerns me as I took about 6 months of macrobid. It was a low dosage to treat my sensative bladder after a hard to treat bladder infection that left me with frequency. This treatment was prescribed to me by a knowledgable Uro and said the Macrobid works in the urine to heal the wall of the bladder. However, I am off all meds now and have this urethral irritation off and on constanly. Please keep me posted on what yur doctor says. Maybe he could clarify a bit more of what exactly he meant by that. hmmmmm.

[ddemos]

Do you know if macrobid is in the same family of antibiotics as tetracycline? Macrobid may not cause bacteria to leak to death. The book is called "You Don't Have to Live with Cystitis" by Larrian Gillespie pg. 68-9.

It's a very informative book,and she was the foremost women urologist in this field and started a pelvic pain clinic in LA.

[Alex11]

When I ran the macrobid theory by my uro he looked at me like I was a sadly misinformed patient... He said there is no known cause - period. He said there are a lot of ideas out there but nothing is proven. I know that doesn't help much but thought I'd pass it on.

[ICNDonna]

For ddemos:

Dr. Gillespie did have a urology practice, but had her license suspended some years ago. You can read about her at http://www.ic-network.com/newsroom/296.html

While I do agree that she did a lot for the IC community in her books, I look for confirmation from another source before following any of her advice.

Donna

[Imustpee]

I started having IC symptoms as a very young child.....and it continued through my childhood and adulthood...just over 40 years....I wasn't on any antis for it until 2 years ago,,,,no one knows what caused mine..

[kdfurgi]

i had never heard of Dr. Gillespie untill just now and frankly im glad i didnt. i have had back problems for years (think because of spina bifida, but unsure as all my docs have said that my case is so slight i should have no pain or problems from it.) i also have had bladder problems at 6 and i am afraid i might have fallen for her promises and had the surgery to help with the pain.....well i guess at this point i am happy i was diagnosed in 2004 instead of when it all started in 1989. maybe im just a wimp or completely nuts but i am still glad to have my problems and not worse ones....thanks for the link donna....