Pyridium as a temporary relief

[lenabena]

Hi all :) I'm brand new here but I'm going to jump right in with all my questions!

I started Elmiron a few days ago but am having a really hard time remembering it 3x on an empty stomach. I'm trying really hard because the pain is unbearable.

Over the last 6 weeks I've been to the ER 3x to check for UTI, etc, all while waiting to get a diagnosis. Every time they've sent me away with a clean bill of health and 6 pyridium pills, enough for 2 days.

The last 5 days I've been in a full, terrible flare (stress and poor diet, I've finally FULLY understood how important the diet is and have changed it). I've been in tears in agony and finally went to see my uro this morning and ask him what to do during this 4 week period I'm waiting for the Elmiron to kick in. He prescribed me 90 pyridium--a full month's supply of them! I can't tell you how happy I am because this drug does wonders for me, makes me feel human again!...but I'm a bit worried b/c they've always been so stingy with it in the ER, I'm concerned about taking it for a whole month! He said it was safe and I know he's the expert, but just am looking for some validation! Thanks in advance!

[123456]

I don't think you're supposed to take it more than 12 days. Maybe call another doctor for a 2nd opinion? You should consider asking your doctor for an tricyclic antidepressant. A low dose is used to help control IC pain. OR other people have had success with an antihistimine. Elmiron can take 6 or more months to kick in. I wouldn't expect too much of a change in 4 weeks. I've been on it for almost two months and couldn't have made it without the imipramine and other drugs I'm prescribed.

[Snowden1]

I was on Pyridium (the same dosage as yours) for 2 months. My uro did not say anything about it being a problem. Now I have heard you should not be on it that long. Yes, the other poster is correct, the elmiron can take 3 to 6 months to start working. But, another lady on here saw a little change in 2 months.

Hoping you get relief soon. I had a hysterectomy. Have you throughly researched that? Just a suggestion.
Teresa

[Cassaundra]

My uro told me not to take them longer than ten days out of the month, prescribed or OTC because it has an adverse affect on your liver. You could take them and get a liver function test done.

If you do run out of prescribed pyridium, go to your pharmacist and get AZO urinary tract relief tablets. They are just as helpful.

[Kirs10]

I was given pyridium by my Doctor and I take it everyday. I ws told by the doctor and the pharmacist that it is fine to do as long as I have blood periodically to check the liver. I have been taking it twice a day for about 6 months so far, and no problems so far.. I think that every doctor has their own feeling about pyridium and how they will prescribe it...if he told you to do it I would go with it...check with your phamacist they should be able to help...

[Snowden1]

Does pyridium make anybody sick their stomach. It helps me with the pain, but then I feel sick.
Teresa

[jvr]

Hi Teresa,:hi:

I will get really sick to my stomach with Pyridium (sometimes vomit) if I don't have a full stomach before I take it...

Jill:)

[lenabena]

thanks for all the advice ladies! Even with the IC pain and the residual pain from my cystoscopy a few days ago, I was able to only take two pyridiums yesterday, and I'm going to try and go as easy on them as possible. I think two a day should do me...and I will ask them to check my liver function in 2 weeks when I go in for my pre-op blood work for my hysterectomy.

[Goldfinch]

Talk to your uro right away about alternatives, such as Urelle and the other Urinary Tract Antiseptics. They work pretty well and are safe to take long-term. While waiting for Elmiron to kick in Urelle was a life-saver. Pyridium is not recommended for long-term use, although it can certainly come in handy during emergencies. The UTAs may take a little longer to become effective, but within a day or two they can provide noticeable relief.

Most scripts for pyridium are for 200mg pills, and that's one dose. OTC form (AZO) is approx half-strength; each tablet (and they are wrapped in twos for one dose) is 95mg. I found that one 95mg tablet worked pretty well, and that often I didn't need the full-strength script. Worth a try, then you can take a few more doses if you are doing half-strength. I suggest you also check on line to verify recommended dose of pyridium.

[Snowden1]

What is UTAs?
Teresa

[Braedley]

the 3 uros I've been to, as well as my family doctor, have all said not to use it more than 2 days at a time as it is very very hard on your kidneys...my uros actually will not prescribe it; my family doctor has for the odd one day I can't function when my period hits or something...
tylenol arthritis 3x/day is best for long term pain management - or you could talk to your doctor(s) about a small dose of Elavil - it REALLY helps with my pain in conjunction with the tylenol arthritis

[jdsong1]

My mother had terrible buring for a week now and finally asked her Dr for Pyridium since over the counter was not helping. He said for her to only take it up to 7 days that is it. He only gave her that amount in the bottle of 200mgs per pill. Thing is last night she took it without eating and today she is so sick!! Does not seem to be helping her burning much either!!!

[ICNDonna]

To go back to your question about ER docs only prescribing a two day supply --- it's because they are there to address an emergency situation --- and it is expected that the patient will be contacting a personal physician as soon as that office is open.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[Chellethinques]

I've had better pain relief with no stomach upset with Prosed DS. (It's the one that makes you pee blue instead of orange - a nice change of scenery.) For me, it lasts longer so I can take fewer doses to be functional.
My pharmacist is more comfortable with that one long term than pyridium, but says that a lot of the reason that we shouldn't take either one long term is because they could be masking a UTI. If a UTI went untreated for a long time, one could become septic, which is an emergency.

[Snowden1]

Oh, duh, I just re-read the post on UTA's and finally got it:). My uro had me on Pyridium for over 2 months. I did not know it was for short term use until I read that here. I have Prosed too, but have been afraid to try it. I am afraid to try anything new and the pills are blue so I think - these look like more pain. Someday I will get the nerve up.
Teresa

[Chellethinques]

I get worried about new meds, too. I would give a day over to drinking lots of water, get the pyridium out of your system, and try the Prosed. I had the samples for a good three months before trying one, and I was so pleasantly surprised at how well it worked!
I'm sure I will be writing a post similar to yours after my next Dr. appointment. I know she wants to try an anti-depressant, and I'm really scared to try any drugs of that kind!

[Elaine64]

Prydium only works for me for about 3 hours. That's it. Very discouraging, as all the narcotic meds cause me urinary retention.

[Snowden1]

Elaine,
I'm not sure if I have asked you before, but can you take Prosed?
Teresa

[Elaine64]

Elaine,
I'm not sure if I have asked you before, but can you take Prosed?
Teresa

The Dr. prescribed it, but I was afraid to take it because one of the side effects is shortness of breath and I have asthma......

[Snowden1]

Oh, Elaine, I did not know this. I have asthma too. I have Prosed, but have been afraid to try it. I didn't know about that side effect. I wonder if you can cut this pill in half or quarters just to try it, but not get a horrible side effect. I notice I react to everything.

Teresa

[Chellethinques]

For what it's worth, I have (mild) asthma, and I haven't had any issues with Prosed. Can you call your pulmonologist or pharmacist for advice? Also, it's a med that designed to be taken 4x a day, so it should clear your system pretty quickly. Maybe try one dose on a day when your asthma is well-controlled with rescue meds available?

[Snowden1]

Good idea. Thanks for sharing that:).
Teresa

[Elaine64]

For what it's worth, I have (mild) asthma, and I haven't had any issues with Prosed. Can you call your pulmonologist or pharmacist for advice? Also, it's a med that designed to be taken 4x a day, so it should clear your system pretty quickly. Maybe try one dose on a day when your asthma is well-controlled with rescue meds available?

This is a good idea. However.....I checked the side effects on line, and one of them is Urinary Retention......:help: Why my Uro would prescribe this for me is BEYOND me, as MOST EVERYTHING gives me retention since the onset of this horrible disease......:mad:

[jdsong1]

My mothers Family Dr never heard of Urelle or Proced DS. At least that is what he said. He did prosribe Pyridium for a few days but that has run out. He know said she needs to see her Uro for it. Her Uro feels she does not need it and will not proscrible Pyridium so really do not think he will let her try Urelle or Proced either.. Saddly..

[Elaine64]

My mothers Family Dr never heard of Urelle or Proced DS. At least that is what he said. He did prosribe Pyridium for a few days but that has run out. He know said she needs to see her Uro for it. Her Uro feels she does not need it and will not proscrible Pyridium so really do not think he will let her try Urelle or Proced either.. Saddly..

WHY are Uro's so difficult? OTHER Dr's need to get on board with this disease. I'm sick of being "dismissed"....I don't know how the rest of you feel.

[CherylSLP]

So glad to see this posted here. I recently rediscovered the wonders of a numbish bladder on pyridium during a flare and was wondering about the 2 day thing because I remember way back when I got diagnosed I was okayed for longer periods.

As to side effects, it doesn't bother my stomache too much but it tends to give me a headache. I would rather my head hurt than my bladder.

You can get it over the counter at a lower dose if the Dr. won't prescribe it, at least in the United States.

Is it cheaper to get a prescription though?

[Snowden1]

I took it 3 times a day for months when I fist got IC. My uro did not tell me any different and kept giving it to me.

[shawnster]

A prescription for Pyridium is cheaper than AZO over the counter - plus it's double the strength of AZO.

Pyridium is an absolute life saver and works very quickly where some of the others have to be in your system a while before you get the full effects. Always take pyridium with food, otherwise, it can make you seriously nauseous.

Meanwhile, I had no luck with Diposed and it actually made my symptoms worse. That would be because one of the side effects is urinary retention. It was bloody awful.

Having said that, I have had mild success with Urelle. It took longer to kick in and it seemed milder than pyridium, but I still feel if you want the job done right, pyridium is the master.

Don't know what I'm going to do about long term though. Possibly Flomax?

[Mothergoose]

I am just going to jump in here I am glad Pyridium works for you, anything that helps is great.

A couple of things to note Pyridium is not to be taken for more than a few days at a time, it caused me retention and nausea at rx strength. But I can use AZO at the lower doseage, My rx ones were not to be broken in 1/2.

In Canada I hear it has been taken off the market.

I am not saying don't use it if it works for you, just it can cause some people problems, each person needs to try it and see how it works for them.

MG

[astone0611]

I swear by Prosed. I don't have any urinary retention and I get asthma seasonally with allergy seasons. Never experienced the shortness of breath, maybe because I didn't know it was a side effect so I never actually noticed anything of that nature.

I use to take Pyridium but it always made me nauseous, even with food. It eventually started to give me horrible, bed-ridden kidney pains so my Uro told me to stop taking it.

She prescribed me Prosed and it is a little expensive. $50 for a months worth but I don't take it every day, mostly during my period since thats when my IC is the worst so it really does last me for months at a time.

[Mothergoose]

astone0611

It eventually started to give me horrible, bed-ridden kidney pains so my Uro told me to stop taking it.

I find this very interesting I use AZO maybe oe pill a day but from time to time I get horriable kidney pain, something to look at.

Thanks MG

[nanawaggs]

I've recently begun my IC/PFD treatment and my doctor gave me 3 months prescription for pyridium to take 3xday and told me not to worry about anyone saying things. That it's ok. Maybe this is another one of those totally individual things. Of course when I got my symptoms under control I stopped taking them. Last night I began that burning sensation again, and I thought of taking one, but did my faithful baking soda again....it worked!

Ginger

[TKC]

I get mixed feelings about pyridium (Azo) from doctors. One doctor says only a couple of days and my cousin who is an older Uro says it can be taken for life. Who knows?

I know that it really helps me especially when I get that irritated feeling in the urethra.

Has anyone been told to use Estrace cream (estrogen) to build up the lining on the urethra? I'm menopausal, so I guess lack of estrogen could be a problem.

And with Urelle or Prosed, does anyone feel a rapid heartbeat. This is my big fear when I take a new drug.

Thanks,
Tania

[Nal]

Yes, what are UTAs?

Nancy

[nanawaggs]

Hi, Nancy ~

I think you mean UTI's.....Urinary Tract Infections

By the way, to those interested....I was put on Urelle because I had extreme urethra pressure when I had to urinate. The Urelle caused me retention so my PA put me back on the Pyridium 3xday and I'm doing soooo much better. We'll have to see how this works.

Yes, I do get sick to my stomach when I take Pyridium but I think it's when I take it on an empty stomach. Now I try to make sure I eat something before I take it. I'm sure my PA will be happy when I return on 6/22!!!!

Making progress, but slowly and with many trials and errors!!! Such a different person since I began with my new Uro/Gyn in Jan 10.

Hope you have a good day,
Ginger

[KathiB]

Pyridium makes me sick to my stomach as well....I was told the medication that makes your urine blue has the same basic ingredients, so I can't take that either.

[Snowden1]

KathiB,
I saw that you tried Lyrica. May I ask why you couldn't take it or it didn't help?

[vanilla]

My urogynecologist will only give me Pyridium and Elmiron. After speaking with my pharmacist who strongly discouraged taking Pyridium everyday for pain, I called the doctor's office and spoke with the nurse about other options for immediate pain relief and she said, "I've never heard of Urelle, and we have lots of patients who take Pyridium everyday and they're fine." Then she said if I didn't want to take Pyridium I could take 600 mg of Ibuprofen every 6 hours and try a heating pad. So, I called my Gyno who recommended this stingy Urogynecologist and she said I should not take Pyridium everyday. So, now I'm thoroughly confused and strongly dislike my urogynecologist.

[shawnster]

There are doctors on both sides of the fence regarding pyridium. I did read in some literature somewhere that if you take it for too long it causes problems for red blood cell formation and possible issues for liver.

Having said that, you can also get Pyridium OTC as AZO so I think it's just a matter of being sensible. Pyridium isn't a cure, it just minimizes symptoms. If used in that way, then it's probably safe.

I use AZO during bad flares. It and baking soda are the only things that give me good relief.

[vanilla]

Someone posted offline to my message and advised me to see a pain management specialist. Thank you! I will. I'm new to this and didn't know such doctors existed.

[Weskie]

I was on Pyridium for a while. It didn't help my pain and it made me sick unless I had food in my stomach. Then...I began feeling very tired, and winded when I climbed the stairs. I went to the doctor and he found that my hematocrit had dropped to half of what it should be! This was not good! What could be wrong? He told me to stop the Pyridium, and my blood count bounced back within a short time.
Don't worry, folks--apparently this side effect happens to only one in 50,000 people!!! Of course it would be me....

[StacyO2]

my fanily dr rx'd phenazopyridine 200 mg 3x per day, 90 tablets at a time , for me to use when I am in a flare up. I just saw my PA at my uro last week and meant to ask him about it, but we got talking about instillations and pelvic floor rehab, and I forgot, so I just called and talked to the nurse. he said it is just fine to take it as I need it, it is a urinary analgesic. I said can I take it as long as I need it, and he said oh yes, he's had patients take it for 2 weeks or so with no issues. He said the only thing is to drink plenty of fluids with it. I believe they have changed it from the "old" pyridium that used to cause the damage to your liver if you took it longer than a few days. The documentation from the pharmacy is even much, much different with this RX than it used to be (no interaction issues, minimal side effects if you are not allergic to it, etc). I am SO relieved.

I am in the worst flare since my diagnosis and subsequent trial and error months and months of treatment immnediately thereafter in Jan 2004....can't pinpoint why except major stress in 6n my life (lost my mom 6 mths ago and my then my mother in law has had serious illnesses, but is going home after 6 weeks rehab in nursing home). It is amazing what stress and lack of rest can do to your body I guess. Back on the strictest of strict with the diet---I gave up all the biggees---coffee, soda, citrus, almost all tomato products, but I do eat chocolate--it never bothered me before and a little salsa or a tiny bit of ketchup here and there, but not anymore!!! I can't stand the pain and don't want to live on the additional pills...I take 10 rx a day as it is for this and a variety of illnesses (I am disabled due to the IC, fibromyalgia, bi-polar.....). Since my "rescue" instillation last week the pain in mostly in my urethra, which this medicine seems to help the most thank GOD!!! I hate the yellow/orange staining, but I'll put up with that and some relief anyday.

For those newly diagnosed, do not give up and insist to your doctors that you must have help with pain control--some drs are very good about thism but others aren't...they think just some anti depressents will help the pain, but that usually won't help all the IC pain all the time.

[mickeymouse]

Is anyone taking Fosamax for osteoporosis? Any flairs with taking this medicine?