Burning!

[wowandflutter]

Aside from frequency/urgency (which happens with me a lot) - I've been having quite a bit of burning lately. Mainly in my bladder - but when I void, I feel it in my urethra also.

I've been taking Alieve and an OTC of Phenozopyridine Hydrochloride (known as Pyridium to some of you) - but I take the over the counter version, which is called Azo. I take Alieve also, but if I take the Alieve, I have to usually take 4 tablet since they're only 220mg. I try the Alieve first, then if discomfort/burning/urg+freq persist, then I take an Azo.

The problem with the Azo sometimes is that it can upset my stomach, causing an Acid-y feeling ... which in turn irritates my bladder more giving it a burning sensation. This isn't ALL the time, just sometimes. Right now, for example ... I took an Azo earlier this morning and it actually made my Bladder burning worse. I then took an Alieve (about an hour-ish or so later) and I haven't noticed any change.

Does anyone else have any non-prescription ideas for relief, even if it's temporary? The burning has been really bad lately.

[ICNDonna]

Aleve is a problem for many who have IC. I know I can't take it. Are you following an IC diet? I know there are some things that are a problem for most people with IC --- coffee, citrus, and sodas are some examples.

Are you drinking enough water? If you're following the diet and drinking water, then I suggest you get medical attention to be sure you don't have an infection working.

Warm healing thoughts,
Donna

[wowandflutter]

Well not exactly. I do have the IC diet list saved on my computer but I haven't exactly been following it as well as I probably should. Some things on the list that are aren't suggested for consumption, I eat and have no problems, so.

Things around the house have also been quite stressful lately. Last week for about 4 nights or so, I only got like 3 hours of sleep (and that's not lying in bed with my eyes open, I mean I physically only went to bed for 3 hours). Though during that time, I was so tired, my bladder wasn't giving me problems.

I'm curious why some would have problems with Alieve. Isn't it an anti-inflammitory? It seems to work for me okay, as it does dull the pain/burning somewhat. Naproxin is helpful once in awhile too. At least with the Alieve, I can void without feeling a tremendous about of burning or discomfort, something that Azo is usually good for.

[TexasHoney]

:grouphug:I hope your flare passes quickly.

Hang In There

[elamar]

Some things that are helpful for burning bladder are baking soda in water, or a club soda. I use utira-c which is a sister med to urelle and prosed. They are better for me than pyridium and are safer for long term usage. They sanitize the urine and turn it blue. They are also antispasmodics and help control urge and frequency. Another good natural supplement you can try is cantharis. It is tiny tablets you dissolve under the tongue. You can find it at whole foods markets or some natural food stores. This past month I started using the supplement called slippery elm. It has helped alot with the urethral pain and burning. It is supposed to leave a sort of film over mucous membranes along the digestive tract through the urethra. Again, something you can find at a health food store or on-line. Hope this helps. Good luck to you.

[wowandflutter]

You mean drink water with baking soda in it? I've never heard of that before. Interesting. Does that seem to work okay for you?

The utira-c you described .... does it cause any serious adverse reactions/side effects? The worst I've gotten from Azo, aside from an acid-y stomach feeling has been slight pain in my back (where my kidneys are) and also a real "dried out" feeling. Sort of how your kidneys feel if you haven't had any liquids at all for several hours? Like they're dehydrated.

[nottoc4]

1 teaspoon of baking soda in 8 ounses of water really does help me. CHug it all down at once because it isn't a pleasant taste and have something ready to pop into your mouth right after to take away the taste. I am on Urelle and use them both at the same time. Hope you feel better soon.

[elamar]

Thank you to the above person for posting the amount of baking soda to use! I actually drink a bottle of club soda instead. I get tired of just milk and water, I drink a club soda everyday with lunch. I buy a six pack of shasta brand so it's pretty cheap! I've been using utira-c over two years now. I honestly can't tell you how you will react to it. Many of us have had success, it doesn't always work for others. One of the worst aspects of IC is there is alot of trial and error! You'll honestly just have to try things for yourself to see if they bother you, and it helps if you keep track of things for a while. Keep a log of your diet and meds, and if your symptoms get bad, you can look at what you ate and see if there is a correlation. As for pain relievers, I only use tramadol, which is a prescription med. It is non narcotic and stronger than over the counter meds. It now comes as tramadol ER (extended release) but frankly, I liked the regular version better. Ask your doctor is he/she has any free samples of urelle or prosed for you to try. It helps to try things before shelling out big bucks to fill a prescription, then to find out it doesn't work for you. Overactive bladder meds don't tend to work well for those with IC so becareful about your doctor giving you stuff like vesicare, enablex, sanctura, etc. They just don't seem strong enough to get rid of the urgency/frequency sensation. Ditropan xl worked great for me, but it did make me feel very dried out and gave me a pasty mouth. Then again it stopped the overwhemling urge to pee so for me it was worth the trade off! I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

[Goldfinch]

If you have high blood pressure don't use the baking soda technique without talking to your doctor first; it puts a LOT of salt in your system.

I second the suggestion above to look into the urinary tract antiseptics as an alternative to pyridium. They are the "pee-blue" meds and contain anti-spasmodics, analgesics for pain, and antiseptics to prevent infections. You can read all about them in the forum "Treatments for mild IC." They are considered safe for long-term use, which pyridium is not, and can be take up to 4 x day. Urelle is one of them, and it works very well for me for all the symptoms that mimic a UTI--the bladder burning/pain, and the frequency. It is by script only, but check it out and talk to your doc about it.

[nottoc4]

I go to a GYN for treatment and he had never heard of Urelle until I asked to try it. I find that it doesn't act as fast as Piridium but it lasts longer and doesn't give me any belly burning. I was there on Wednesday for a bladder instillation and he told me he has been giving his patients Urelle now. I gave him the whole read out about Urelle that I got from the pharmacy and showed him what they look like.
I forgot to mention the high blood pressure and baking soda.I have low blood pressure and don't worry about it. I can take it up to 4 times a day if needed.

[wowandflutter]

Thanks. I'll look into Utira-C then.

I have extremely low blood pressure, so the baking soda suggestion I might try as well, but it's probably not something I'd do all of the time.

So, is Utira-C available at places like Target or Drugstore.com? And is it a reasonable price? I know Azo can be about 5 dollars at a place like Target and up to 8 dollars at Sav-On or CVS.

Also, this may have been mentioned (I know it was with the prescription only Urelle) so sorry if I'm having to have this repeated - but is Utira-C safe for long term use as well?

Oh, and I just wanted to add another question, even though Utira-C is OTC, does anyone know if it is an FDA approved drug, or where I can find information regarding whether or not it is an FDA approved drug? Thanks.

[Goldfinch]

Check the topic Antispasmodics and Anaesthetics in the forum on "Treatments for mild IC." There are many detailed descriptions of these meds, which are called UTA's, or urinary tract antiseptics. They include Urelle, Utira-C, Prosed and Uta; they are almost identical, and all are by script only. They are made by different manufacturers and different uros seem to be more familiar with some of them than others. They are all safe for long-term use and can be very helpful. They are not quite as fast-acting as pyridium (Azo, uristat etc--over the counter drugs) but usually proved relief within 12 to 24 hours, and often increase in effectiveness over time. These UTA's, are not generally cheap, although some people have found Uta and Utira-c to be slightly less costly than the others.

These UTAs all contain a dye which stains your pee blue. They act differently that Azo/pyridium. The main ingredient in Pyridium is called Phenazopyridine and it is primarily an anaesthetic for your bladder. If you've taken it you know it stains your pee orange.

All prescription drugs sold in the US are FDA approved. What's not approved are herbal or other supplements, since they are not subject to testing.

I know how overwhelming all this stuff seems at first!