When does an OAB med work?

[musiclover]

Hi everyone. I am wondering when an OAB might work? I have major frequency, but never incontinence and I don't have urgency as in all of a sudden I have to go. It usually creeps up until I realize I really feel an urge, but I can hold it if I want to. Most of all, I have PFD and I think some neuralgia that causes the frequency. My doctor put me on Oxytrol again, although I tried Ditropan before and it didn't do anything for me. How long does it usually take to work? I gave the ditropan a week and now with the Oxytrol, I have only been on it a day, but I have a feeling it won't work for me, either. I never feel bladder spasms. Is that what you usually take an OAB med for, bladder spasms? I mostly feel pressure constantly on my urethra and as the bladder fills, the pressure on the urethra becomes greater even if it is not much urine.

I started Elavil last night as well, so I'll probably get confused as to what is working. I've taken Nortryptiline before and that did help, so I think Elavil will, also, after a few more days. This Oxytrol patch is supposed to have less side effects than the pill, but I still have major dry mouth. I need to go get some sugar free candy to suck on.

Thanks everyone. :smile tee

[daisyj3]

Your symptoms sound exactly like mine. I tried Vesicare and it seems to have made me worse after 5 days. I stopped immediately. I would give it a shot though my doctor gave me 2 sample packs which had 7 days each in them.

[Tuckersmom]

I've never had urgency or incontinence. My main symptoms when diagnosed with IC were frequency and urethral burning. I've been on OABs since my diagnosis, about 7 years. They helped give me back my life.

[Goldfinch]

OAB meds are usually simple anti-spasmodics. For most of us with IC that isn't enough, but that doesn't mean that they can't be helpful. Antispasmodics combined with other meds are often part of a treatment plan. If it works for you, that's a good thing.

Detrol LA can take up to two months before it is fully effective. I suggest talking to your doc or checking the website for any given antispasmodic and see how long they recommend taking it before assuming it isn't going to work for you.

[musiclover]

Another question... I am having terrible dry mouth after just one day, and I wear contact lenses and I keep putting drops in my eyes but my lenses keep getting caught on the dry eyes. I got the Oxytrol patch because it's supposed to cause less dry mouth than the Ditropan, which I couldn't tolerate at all. I must be sensitive to it in regards to these side effects. Do these side effects get better as your body adjusts? I'm hoping it will go away once my body figures it out. I keep losing my voice because my throat is so dry even though I'm sucking on tic tacs and am making sure to drink enough water.

[Goldfinch]

Anticholinergics (antispasmodics) can cause dry mouth or, I suppose, other drying as well. But so can Elavil. You might try taking one or other for a few days instead of both and determine which med is causing these side-effects.

You might try taking Flax seed oil capsules. My mother's doctor put her on flax seed oil for dry eye and 1000mg a day helped her. I take it for omega-3's and it helps keep me regular as well.

[Tuckersmom]

I don't think the dry mouth symptom ever subsides while taking OABs At least in my case it hasn't. I also take Tofranil and Atarax, but initially I only took Ditropan XL, and right away the dry mouth symptom started, and hasn't gotten any better. I keep a bottle of water handy at all times and also chew sugarless gum to help with the dry mouth.

The OABs have helped my bladder so much, there's no way I would get off of them just because of the dry mouth. I can certainly see that if I wore contacts, and the meds I was on were making that an issue, I would have to rethink my position. Still, I think I'd go to eyeglasses rather than return to the awful symptoms I had before I started taking OABs.

[LithEruiel]

Ditropan isn't working for me on the frequency issue and my doctor just increased it to 3x a day instead of 2x a day. As far as I know all the other OAB meds are expensive. I don't know what to do I can't take all this going, especially with school.

[musiclover]

I'm still on Oxytrol although I don't think it helps one bit. It's been two months. The one thing that seems to help my fequency a little is Benadryl at night and Claritin during the day. I just started a couple weeks ago and it's been a lifesaver.

[LithEruiel]

Yeah, I'm thinking I need to try an antihistamine.

[DenySue]

musiclover,
When I first started having IC symptoms...freguency, urethral spasms, pain...just like I had a bladder infection...my Uro (then) dx OAB since I didn't have a UTI. He put me on Vesicare, and I later switched to Oxybutnin due to the cost, which I took for two years. I was never convinced I really had OAB, but I was afraid to stop taking it, although it didn't seem to help that much. When I began to believe that I had IC, I changed Uros and she eventually put me on Elavil. It made a huge difference for me, so I decided to stop the Oxybutnin on my own. I feel so much better on the Elavil, and I can't tell any difference being off the Oxybutnin. I honestly do not think I ever had OAB, my problem seems to be completely urethral, but my first uro just never considered IC seriously. Elavil does dry you out, so you can expect that to intensify some. This was just my experience, but definetly talk to your doctor about your concerns.