mom_in_ma
06-06-2007, 05:03 PM
So as not to jinx this, I'm not really saying this out loud. ok? You are not hearing this from me. I'm also knocking on wood and throwing salt over my shoulder and no black cats have crossed my path today.
BUT....this past month my pain was so miserable and I just couldn't get a grip. Atarax, elavil, and percoset all increased my retention and didn't work at all. Then, last week, I read about three small studies that used cimetidine (tagamet) with good success and I thought, "what the heck, you can buy it over the counter." So, I started with 200 mgs three times a day (which was used in the largest study) after making sure to check out any drug interactions. Cimetidine is an H2 histamine blocker, while atarax or allegra are H1 blockers.
Within a day my pain was significantly less and I've been going on five days without pain. I still have some frequency and urethral discomfort after I void, but it's so much more tolerable. My husband even commented that my jaws are no longer clenched and I don't have that 'look of pain' around my eyes.
If you try this, I recommend that you talk with your doctor first. There are some significant drug interactions (in fact, I use xanax for pelvic floor relaxation and I have to adjust the timing on my doses so as not to combine them). I'm also still taking elmiron and allegra.
The studies on this drug were small (the largest had 60 some folks and the smallest had 9) and I'm pretty sure they were not double blind (the gold standard), but they each showed a high rate of success.
BUT....this past month my pain was so miserable and I just couldn't get a grip. Atarax, elavil, and percoset all increased my retention and didn't work at all. Then, last week, I read about three small studies that used cimetidine (tagamet) with good success and I thought, "what the heck, you can buy it over the counter." So, I started with 200 mgs three times a day (which was used in the largest study) after making sure to check out any drug interactions. Cimetidine is an H2 histamine blocker, while atarax or allegra are H1 blockers.
Within a day my pain was significantly less and I've been going on five days without pain. I still have some frequency and urethral discomfort after I void, but it's so much more tolerable. My husband even commented that my jaws are no longer clenched and I don't have that 'look of pain' around my eyes.
If you try this, I recommend that you talk with your doctor first. There are some significant drug interactions (in fact, I use xanax for pelvic floor relaxation and I have to adjust the timing on my doses so as not to combine them). I'm also still taking elmiron and allegra.
The studies on this drug were small (the largest had 60 some folks and the smallest had 9) and I'm pretty sure they were not double blind (the gold standard), but they each showed a high rate of success.