Wife Thinks I'm Nuts...

[kingofpain]

Living with this hell of burning in my urethra for 6 years isn't bad enough, but now my wife is doubting me too.
Any time I take Advil, Motrin, Aspirin, Aleve or Feldene (ANY antiinflammatory), the burning gets much worse after taking it for a few days.
I actually feel better AFTER I stop taking those medications.
I try to start taking them again and again, thinking that I must be imagining that the urethral burning gets worse, but it happens every time, so I stop.
I once took Aleve for 17 days straight until the pain got so bad I was ready to jump off a roof.
My wife thinks I'm insane, that it can't be possible that an antiinflammatory is making the pain worse, when it is supposed to be a pain killer.
Is she right?
Am I going crazy?
Why is this happening?

[ICNDonna]

It's been pretty well established that many interstitial cystitis patients have a problem with anti-inflammatory drugs. I know I'm among them.

Donna

[SharonA]

No...I don't think you are crazy. You must be extra sensitive to these medications. My doctor does not want me taking anything other than Aspirin, but that is for other reasons, not IC. I do know that Ibuprofen products ( Advil, Motrin, etc.) can cause some people problems. This is just another example of how we are different and react differently to different things. It is very frustrating, but does not make us insane. :)

[vm]

A lot of us find that anti-inflammatories make matters much worse... You are not crazy at all - you're finding the link that many others have noticed, too....

[kadi]

Yup, me too. Can't take any NSAIDS. And of course, when I got IC, that's what my doctor gave me lots of (of course, that same doctor also told me I had UTI's even though my cultures were coming back completely without infection).

And what's even weirder for me is that I'm ok with Darvocet, but not Tylenol. Every time I meet a new doctor, they make a point of raising their eyebrows at me & telling me that Darvocet has Tylenol in it.

My primary care doctor backed off when I finally looked at him annoyed and asked, "Now why would I want the hassle I have to go through to get the Darvocet - prescription plus having to find a dye free version, if I could just go to Walgreens & buy a bottle of Tylenol? And why would I take something that gives me constipation bad enough to need Colace & sometimes an enema if I could just take a Tylenol?"

He asked what I thought the problem with the plain Tylenol is. I told him I have no idea, maybe a filler, dye, or maybe the other medicine in the Darvocet overrides the problem, but that I've tried Tylenol three times when I've had headaches and every single time my bladder burned & spasmed.

IC is just plain crazy-making.

[Mothergoose]

I am a little confused by your post, but I gather you are saying that NSAIDS bother you, they bother alot of people with IC as I am sure you know.

Tylenol is not an NSAID but you have problems with it too. I believe you, I can take real tylenol, but I can not take generic tylenol in any form, also not in a combo med, I have to have McNeil brand, I don't know what it is in generic brands but they give me really bad headaches. I know they say generics are the same but I think it is just the active ingredence that are the same the filler etc are not neccesarily the same.

[yvette]

is your uro giving you any type of pain medication (narcotic, antideprassants or other)? Has this doc tried treating you for pain and/or urethritis symptoms.
I'm wondering if you've felt better after taking a round of Antibiotics? :confused:

[VickiB]

it can't be possible that an antiinflammatory is making the pain worse, when it is supposed to be a pain killer.

Yep, it is possible! A number of people find ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) to be problematic with IC.

So No, you're not crazy!

Vicki

[Sally939]

I am a little confused by your post, but I gather you are saying that NSAIDS bother you, they bother alot of people with IC as I am sure you know.

Tylenol is not an NSAID but you have problems with it too. I believe you, I can take real tylenol, but I can not take generic tylenol in any form, also not in a combo med, I have to have McNeil brand, I don't know what it is in generic brands but they give me really bad headaches. I know they say generics are the same but I think it is just the active ingredence that are the same the filler etc are not neccesarily the same.

Generics meds have the same active ingredient but the fillers can be different. The FDA also states that generic drugs only can be between 80% to 120% as potent as the name brand. This is a fact.

[Briza]

Generics meds have the same active ingredient but the fillers can be different. The FDA also states that generic drugs only can be between 80% to 120% as potent as the name brand. This is a fact.

I am one who CAN tolerate the NSAIDS like Alleve and Ibuprofen, but I do not use them for my IC pain...they don't help me for IC symptoms at all, even if they don't seem to hurt me. I use them occasionally at times when I do need an anti-inflammatory but for other reasons, not IC pain. They just do not work for my IC pain.

And yes, I can attest to the fact that brand name Advil works MUCH better for me when I need ibuprofen, faster, better, and longer, than the generic ibuprofens I have tried. I have not experienced that with other OTC generic meds of any kind, but for Ibuprofen I must have brand name, usually I buy Advil, to get the best, fastest, and longest lasting relief.

But the others who have posted are correct, many IC patients DO seem to be bladder/urethra sensitive to NSAIDs such as Alleve and Advil so hopefully your dr will work with you on finding another form of pain relief. Please speak to your dr about this, kingofpain!

I can also tolerate Tylenol, and when I do not have my Rx pain meds on hand I have gotten minor relief with OTC Tylenol for IC pain...not complete or great relief, but better than none. Tho some IC patients may not be able to tolerate OTC Tylenol, it seems that many more can tolerate Tylenol than they can Advil or Alleve, for whatever purpsoe they are using Tylenol...pain, fever...