What meds are helping you?

dreamy · 01-09-2008, 06:58 PM

I would like to know what medications or nutritional supplements are you taking for IC that you can say are definatly helping? What do you take that helps that you couldnt function as good without? I want to know what seems to be working the most for people with IC for the frequency and urge and bladder spasms and pain.

When I ovulate it seems I have an increase of frequency and pain. Do you? Does anything help that? I am having a hard time with the constant need to pee feeling and would like to know what I can do to make it calm down. Has that symptom gone completely away for anyone with IC? Its so miserable. Its affecting me. I cant do anything and I feel really weak. I would appreciate any suggestions and advice.

***Julie B*** · 01-09-2008, 07:03 PM

I take 75 mg of Atarax each evening and one vicodin about 4 to 5 days a week. I also take Celebrex for my knees and Nexium for GERD which I think help my IC also.

Other than that......

Glucosamine/Chondroiton/MSM
Omega 3 (4000 mg)
Just started Vit D along with my calcuim.

This is a great question....

dreamy · 01-09-2008, 07:12 PM

Hey Julie thanks so much for chiming in. Im sitting here in a flare trying not to cry about it. I have some atarax it seems to knock me out so much I feel like I get more fatigue symptoms. I wish I wasnt so weak as I have been lately.

What brand omega 3 do you take? I have been taking those too. My vitamin D levels are low I need to start taking Vit D everyday to get my levels up.

***Julie B*** · 01-09-2008, 07:18 PM

I take Super Omega-3 from Vitamin World. I used to worry about the heavey metals some say are in the fish oils, but Consumer's Reports did a study not too long ago that found that we really don't need to worry about that.

:-)

**karen10** · 01-09-2008, 07:25 PM

I am taking CystoProtek and Desert Harvest aloe and I'm going very well. I also take a probiotic and enzymes -- I have a lot of food sensitivities. There are also some natural teas that people have used for the feeling like you always have to pee, like marshmallow root tea and others. Just do some research on it! Also, watching my diet, can't stress it enough! I do hope you find some relief soon.

**Smokey** · 01-09-2008, 07:29 PM

I take desert harvest aloe vera, probiotic, and I have just added in msm/glucosamine more for my arithitis that i have in my lower back but they say it helps with ic also. I drink heaps of water and try to stick to the diet.

I too have more frequency when i am about to get my monthly, that is normal even in people that do not have ic.

dreamy · 01-09-2008, 08:43 PM

Hey Karen all I do is research lol. I have some marshmallow root tea but I noticed some frequency with it? Maybe because of all the extra water and it was cold? I am glad that you are doing well with the Cystoprotek and Desert Harvest. I have the Cystoprotek and had a sample of Desert Harvest and I liked it.

I seem to have severe burning and more frequency closer to my period. I am hoping that gets better as the bladder heals.

**bjcov** · 01-09-2008, 09:09 PM

I'm feeling you dreamy. Today,and every day for that matter, I have the urge to pee too, but I can actually hold my pee for a long time. Cuz when I go, I seem to feel worse. They took me off of OAB meds and I think that was kinda helping me.(Might have been contributing to some minor retention tho') I am scared right now, cuz I took a small dose pain pill (hydrocodone) cuz I was having all sorts of urge/pressure and I was sick of it, so I wanted to sleep. Have been woken up 2 times, with a numbness, nerve feeling, it feels on the right side of urethra, or maybe vag area. NERVE STUFF! This scares me more than anything. I am so tired typing this, so I am going back to bed. But this leads me to believe I have more going on down there then I thought previous. Haven't been diagnosed w/ anything yet, which makes the anxiety worse. Feel like I will always feel this way. And I 'm not sure I can feel like this forever.

dreamy · 01-09-2008, 09:48 PM

Hey bjcov I know what you mean its been very hard to cope with. I cope but by the hardest. I know I have to though. I am sitting up tired but cant settle down and I need to go to sleep. I am just so upset. I cant help it. I dont like that pee sensation. Its hard to sleep when your bladder feels full and you have that urge. I hope that whatever you are feeling will subside and you will feel better.

I can hold mine too! It hurts a little but I can hold it. If it gets too strong I do go but it takes a while for it to get to that point. I wonder if a lot of women with IC have this too. I actually feel better on OAB meds so I am definatly going to take them. I need all the relief I can get from that pee feeling!

I hope that you get some help with what your going through and feel better. I need to go to sleep too. Thanks for posting.

**Smokey** · 01-09-2008, 10:11 PM

Hi Dreamy,

Just to let you know marshmallow root is a diuretic it can cause you to have more frequency.

also i experience more frequency when leading up to my cycle because apparently we produce more fluid in our bodies and also we can get a bit inflammed down there during our cycles.

**elamar** · 01-10-2008, 07:31 AM

A combination of Ditropan xl and urimar-t (generic for urelle) helped break the frequency cycle for me. I used to have to take 3 ditropan a day and after a few weeks was able to evenutally scale it back to once a day. It will dry you out but I felt a dry mouth was easier to deal with than the over the top urgency. When I got down to once a day, the dryness went away.There is also a drug called prosed which can help stop spasms. Just wanted to warn you that these anti-spasmodic drugs usually cause constipation, which is another problem to deal with. You may want to consider a laxative at bedtime (like miralax) to avoid that problem! I have been in your shoes and know how awful it it. I hope you can try one of the above meds. I just needed to break that awful cycle of frequency. Once it calmed down, things are getting better.

**Claredale** · 01-10-2008, 07:45 AM

I know I harp on this all the time, but I swear that Prosed DS has made such a huge difference in my life. Just last summer I was begging my doctor to please remove my bladder because I was so sick of waking up in pain every night and having pain during the day. Even though my pain level was much lower than before my interstim, the burning pain and spasms were just too much to handle. I felt as if i was peeing shards of glass and my bladder was on fire several hours at night. I tried several nerve meds with no success, but when he put me on Prosed DS, after a couple of weeks, I was no longer having any of those symptoms, plus I am taking half of the meds I did before and only 2 pain pills a day. This med combo may not keep working, I still have a day here and there that I have a twinge of pain or the burning and I get paranoid, but it never gets to the point I have to take meds for it to go away.

I solved my pain issues during my ovulation time as well by going on continuous birth control. I am in my 40s and my periods were never a problem until I hit my 30s or so. The CBC made a huge difference. I have had only 2 flares in over 2 years now. One with when I went over a month before having my depo shot (needed every 3 months) and one time when my doctor wanted to start me on instills (my uretha was not happy!). Prior to going on CBC, I was in a flare for 3 to 5 days every month. I could tell by the day when I would start ovulating, plus my attitude was horrible. That went away too...even my hubby agrees!

Tracey

**my3boysmcr** · 01-10-2008, 12:37 PM

I take hydroxizine and it helps me with the constant feeling of needing to go. I was very tired at first but it went away in the first 2 weeks. I was started at 10mg and then increased to 20mg after a week or so. I sleep a little bit better but the real benefit was relief of that urge to go all the time. I still go often but I don't have the feeling constantly anymore. Good luck to you!

**jjt001** · 01-10-2008, 12:43 PM

I take Elavil -- 25 mg/day (though I take it at night, of course). It has been my lifesaver. Most days I don't even think about my bladder anymore, and before I started it I had terrible frequency, urgency and pain. I was going 35+ times/day and in constant pain. I originally got up to 75 mg/day of Elavil, but have reduced down to 25 now and seem to be doing fine, though I can't get away with diet cheats the way I could at 50 or 75mg.

**bjcov** · 01-10-2008, 01:13 PM

jjt001

I am starting Elavil tonight. Am trying to stay positive that it will work for me. You know some love it and some don't. I am glad that you posted this tonight, since I am worried about getting on it. I am going to start taking 1/2 of a 25mg pill and go up to 50. Do you remember how you felt on it at first? I'm worried I'm gonna be hungover.