Why oldies don't take OAB's

[CathyKi]

I have noticed that many of you that have been on this board for awhile don't take over active bladder pills. Is it because they really don't help us?

[Briza]

I was rxd ditropan in the dx process and it didn't work for me. It does work for my mom, however, for OAB.

[GriffsMommy]

My dr's have never offered it as an option. I have frequency at times but that is not my most constant symptom. I have pain more often than I have frequency and OAB meds wouldn't help with that. From what I've read it helps some and not others, just like everything else it's trial and error and everyone is so different.

[Babs RN]

I have taken Ditropan, Vesicare, Sanctura, Enablex, and Detrol LA at some point in this IC experience. Most of my frequency is related to my bladder size, bladder condition, and stress urinary incontinence. I wish the OABs had worked.

Hugs,
Barb:)

[LeeAnn]

I do not have OAB but Ditropan (an OAB drug) helps me tremendously. I have bladder spasms that are caused by nerve damage, which is different than OAB induced spasms but the drug helps me regardless. Another thing Ditropan can help with is nerve inflammation.......so it depends on what is causing your bladder pain. My bladder pain is caused my many factors so I have to treat every single factor or no drug will appear effective. I know this b/c I've tried all these drugs by themselves and nothing seemed to help. Most doctors want to try one drug at a time b/c if you try everything at once you don't necessarily know which ones are helping.....and I totally understand this as I'm an OT myself and work mostly in hand therapy and I tell my patients the same thing. But that approach failed me miserably and did nothing to help me.

So I changed urologists back in March and my newest one had a new idea---try everything at once to blast every source of pain. She reasoned that we'd figured out later which ones were helping and which ones were duds. I have never felt better and I never thought I would feel this good again (after 11 years). By the age of 22, I had quietly accepted that I would always live in terrible pain and with 30 trips to the bathroom a day (even with treatment). My life has changed SO MUCH and all for the better in the last 6 months with this new approach. I highly recommend it, especially to people who have tried the "one at a time" approach without success.

[born2swim]

I was put on OAB for 4 months to "rule out OAB". I wish they did the urodynamics study a long time ago. Those OAB meds (tried 3 different ones) and the side effects were terrible: they gave me retention, sores under my eyelisds, and they didn't help my urgency at all.

I think a lot of us have been put on OAB meds at the beginning and when they don't work, they say just quit them. Some do get help though. OAB can happen WITH IC.

[Trishann]

Cathy I did take OAB medicine for a long time. But the thing is that it was causing me to get heat stoke easily. I could not be out in the sun for a short period of time and my face would be so red. I would get dizzy, faint feeling, could not even walk straight and a severe headache. When it took me to the ground last time it horrify me.

My other doctor gave me pain medicine because of other health issues and because of it, I was able to get off of those crazy things. Maybe this reaction just so happen reacted on me, but I am so glad to be off of it.

[LeeAnn]

Well I also had OAB ruled out w/ urodynamics test......but the OAB meds can still help even if you don't have OAB b/c of the nerve inflammation issue I mention. I'm not saying they help everybody, but they can help some people...... I too thought at one point that Ditropan did not help me but I now believe that is because I was trying the "one drug at a time" approach which, looking back on it, doesn't make much sense with a disease like IC. A severe case causes pain for many reasons (not one) so one drug isn't likely to resolve all of the issues......Once I tried this multiple drug approach I could tell a huge difference within about six weeks. I've since tried going off of Ditropan and within three days could tell a tremendous difference so I started taking it again. Some of the drugs I *did* stop taking such as Zantac and Singulair and I saw no difference when stopping them. But the rest I have stayed on....... But like I said, I too, at one point felt Ditropan was worthless.........I tried it for a year initially and quit b/c I felt it did nothing for me. And at the time, I was right---it did nothing for me! Because one little drug can't control moderate-severe IC alone.

[theclownster]

Hi there! I've been here on boards for over 3 years and have probably experienced IC symptoms for at least 5 years. I started taking OAB meds about 4 years ago. I think they first started them to rule out OAB. They helped, yet didn't make me all better. So now, I still take Ditropan XL along with other medication. It helps a lot with the frequency and that constant pressure feeling like I have to go every waking minute. I initially took Detrol, but we discovered that it was causing urinary retention. I've also tried Enablex recently, but asked to be put back on Ditropan XL because it seems to work better. I think I've been on Ditropan for almost 4 yrs (besides the couple times when I tried something else). So I guess in answer to your question, It works for me, but we are all different. While OAB meds work for some of us, for others they don't.

Hope this helps,
Jennifer

[leelee88]

Hi there im not an oldie, but have learned from my experiece that the OAB meds made me have severe rentention this making me actually go more times a day. And it also gave me severe dry mouth and constipation, So it just was not for me, but it seems to have helped other.. See I have nevere had over active bladder just a small bladder, I think the Drs think that just because you go so much that your bladder is over active but the truth is, Is that the bladder just cant hold much due to IC..:angel:

[kadi]

Went through a bunch of them when I first got IC. The Ditropan I now take at night is just to stop the bladder spasms I get when I lie down to sleep. In terms of overall symptom control, it's not one of my most effective medicines....

[mary124]

I was dx back in 1992; and while I do not have OAB my Uro put me on them, but they didn't work so he took me off of them. I think I was on Ditropan; and a couple of others but I can't remember the names as its been awhile. Anyway, they didn't work, so we stopped taking them. Finally my family doctor after seeing that I wasn't sleeping thru the night, (I was getting up at least 6 times a night to go pee put me on Vesicare in February of this year, made a big difference -- I now get up from 0-2 times a night. (I am on 5mg.)

[Katrina]

Me a lot of the strong antispasmodics are too strong for me. I would end up with retention and more pain. As treatment has gone on and I have improved I am getting less and less spasm because as my bladder heals so does my pelvic muscles. I have done well with Physical therapy rather than antispasmodics and less strong ones that work on the GI muscles as well...even an alternative like peppermint can be enough for me at this point.
I think you will find that a lot of "oldies" have tried things like Detrol LA at some point but too many of us got retention because our PFD was a factor. That may not be the case for you so it still may be worth it to give it a try.

[SandyRN]

I took Ditropan and one other that escapes me. So, as an 'oldie' I have used them and had awful side effects. I blew up like a balloon on both of them and had pitting edema in my hands and feet. I had retention so bad that I could NOT pee no matter what I did and had to straight cath myself for relief. I have NO idea why I bothered to try the second OAB pill but I did, like an idiot, and the same thing happened to me. I do have high blood pressure and think it might have something to do with that but I don't know for sure. So, I will never, EVER take any of those type meds again because I think in my case at least, they are dangerous. They, of course, do not do this to everyone.

Sandy