How do you manage the frequency when having a flare-up?

[Smokey]

Hi My name is Lorena,

This is the first time I am posting a thread. I have just been diagnosed with IC, after three years. In last month I have had numerous flare ups. I was wondering if anybody can help me with controlling the urination frequency side of the flare ups?

[ICNDonna]

You might talk with your doctor about trying a smooth muscle antispasmodic. There are several on the market.

And be sure you are drinking enough water and strictly following your IC diet.

Donna

[sweetangel2080]

What medication are you on? Hopefully now that you have a diagnosis, you can start treatment to help flares and frequency.
Have you tried urinary analgesics for short flareups? This can be helpful to some.
I use a heating pad when my flares are bad, like at the moment - it helps calm the muscles and help that pressure feeling of needing to go when I've only just been!
I also use bicarb of soda in water (1/2 tsp) but I think this is not advised for those with blood pressure etc.
You should try the medicines like ICNDonna suggested too - they can help but sometimes take up to 4 weeks to take effect.

Are you on the IC diet - this can be a major cause of flareups and some people find they do fine with just staying on the diet and this helps their symptoms a lot.

[Sarojini]

The others are right; muscle relaxants can help. Donna is talking about ones like hyoscyamine (Levsin) that relax smooth muscles like the bladder and help reduce the spasms that cause frequency. Hyoscyamine is very inexpensive and it can help a lot -- it does, however, have the side effect of dry mouth in some people.

I personally take Valium (5mg pills) prescribed specifically for this by my urologist, and he is right, it works well. Not only does it relax the bladder, it relaxes my pelvic floor muscles, which get tight and make things worse -- and it relaxes me so I don't get so upset over the flare, which ALSO makes things worse.

Best thing to do is to discuss how bad your frequency is with your doctor (perhaps make a voiding diary) and he/she will probably have an idea or two to help out. You can also bring these suggestions with you when you go and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of each with your doc. :)

:grouphug:

[Smokey]

Thanks everyone for responding to my post. It is great to have support out there. :)