One of the mysteries of IC are the many related conditions that patients can suffer from. At first glance, IC, pelvic floor dysfunction, irritable bowel syndrome and vulvodynia share a strong commonality, location. All are disorders that occur in the pelvis. You wouldn’t expect to see a dental condition on the list, right? Yet, surprisingly, [...]
Many Patients With Fibroids Struggle With Bladder Symptoms Have you struggled with urinary symptoms that aren’t responding to traditional bladder treatments? Do you also struggle with painful cramping and/or intense bleeding? Uterine fibroid tumors (aka leiomyomas) might be a hidden source of your symptoms. A new research study has shown that when fibroid tumors [...]
As a health publishing company dedicated to interstitial cystitis, it is our duty to share news which can impact you, the IC patient. Unfortunately, we must share some distressing news. If you have or are currently taking pentosan polysulfate PPS (brand name: Elmiron®) and are experiencing eye issues, researchers at the Emory Eye Center (Emory [...]
Whether you’re newly diagnosed or a grizzled IC veteran, you’ve probably seen more than just a few disagreements in the IC world. What treatment works? What’s the best diet? Do subtypes work? Flash back 20 years and there was one single question that dominated every IC support group meeting. Is IC caused by infection? Though [...]
For interstitial cystitis and overactive bladder patients struggling with intense urinary frequency and urgency, physicians often prescribe anticholinergic medications such as Amitryptiline (Elavil), imipramine (Tofranil) or Nortryptiline (Pamelor), Oxybutynin (Ditropan, Oytrol) or Tolteradine (Detrol). Unfortunately, their use has now been linked to cognitive decline and dementia in some patients who use it daily for long [...]
Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin would like to recruit women who have been diagnosed with IC/BPS and/or MPP to participate in this study looking at the role of the Autonomic Nervous System in Chronic Pelvic Pain. We would like to understand whether the brain circuits that control your body might also be able [...]
It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Allergan has apparently abandoned work with LiRIS, the first treatment in history to heal the worst form of IC, Hunner's lesions, in some patients. Dr. Daniel Radecki, Executive Director of Clinical Development at Allergan, shared the news that "The LiRIS program has been deprioritized" in [...]
While many studies have been done around IC and its often companion condition, IBS, very few studies have been done looking at how childhood bladder symptoms predict or affect patients in adulthood. But, that is slowly changing. In August 2017, researchers from the Department of Urology at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and the [...]
Do you struggle with increased IC flares and bladder symptoms during allergy season? Antihistamines are listed as Step Two treatment options in the AUA guidelines for IC/BPS. Why? Because the bladder wall contains the same kind of mast cells that also generate typical allergy symptoms. Hydroxyzine HCL (Atarax) and hydroxyzine pamoate (Vistaril) have helped many [...]
Earlier this summer, there were some patients on Facebook who suggested that IC subtypes were not real. Here is the history of the four subtyping systems proposed for IC/BPS to date. This is a REAL thing that is now helping patients find their unique presentation of IC/BPS so that they can focus on the correct [...]
