How common is Nocturia with PCa?

[Simonapo]

Hi, are any other men out there experiencing Nocturia with PCa? My Dad has to urinate 4-5 times every night. Is this caused by PCa, Abiraterone, Lupron or it is a post Radiation side effect? Also does it get better, any treatment advice that might help is greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much.

[NotAlwaysSunshine]

My husband gets very little sleep. He is up 4 or 5 times a night as well. This has been going on for a couple years and we were told it does not get better.

[Simonapo in reply to NotAlwaysSunshine]

Thank you for your reply

[Hidden in reply to NotAlwaysSunshine]

I Am the same. ✌️

[SeosamhM in reply to Hidden]

Yep… It’s a “win” when I only get up 3 times…3 times plus I don’t disturb one of the dogs so they want to go, too, is a rare miracle!

[Kaliber]

I also wake 4-5 times a night to “ go “. I wear apap apnea head gear that is tricky to remove and put on at night ….plus my mobility is so impaired by adt that it’s quite difficult for me to get up and out of my very comfy heated waterbed. I’m on Lupron Xtandi Zometa ADT and my oncologist says frequent urinating is common and way preferable to the “non going “ issues many men with stage 4 APCa have.I’ve done this for three years , ….so far.

I keep a wide mouth orange juice jug beside the bed and simply just need to roll over to the side of my bed to use. I never have to fully wake to use it and I generally wake , mornings, to find it half full without remembering that I ever used it at all.

🌸🌻🌈🦋❤️

[tango65]

It may be an effect of radiation, or he could be retaining fluid because of the abiraterone. If he had a rapid weight gain, or he has pitting edema in his legs, or his blood pressure is becoming elevated, you need to discus to increase the dose of prednisone.

[Simonapo in reply to tango65]

Thank you so much for your reply

[londoncyclist48]

Firstly, his doctor should be advising him about this. Nocturia is a classic symptom of prostate cancer. The prostate swells, pushes into the bladder and affects how much urine can be held in the bladder. In my own case, the walls of my bladder went stiff due to the cancer.

I'm not a doctor but I can only pass on the advice i was given.

1) try to limit the amount of liquid you drink after 6pm. The kidneys will process it overnight causing you to get up to pee. Avoid caffeine based drinks. They irritate the bladder. I now only drink decaf coffee and tea.

2) Tamsulosin. Take it before bed rather than in the morning. I presume he must be on this drug? Most of us are. Take medical advice on this not mine though.

3) I had radiotherapy on my prostate. It caused havoc on my night time bathroom habits at the time but now everything is much better. I sometimes get 8 hours straight without getting up. I used to be up 5 times a night myself.

4) You can try something called bladder voiding. It didn't really work for me but the principle is interesting. Go to pee then fifteen minutes later, go to pee again. Bladders that don't function properly retain urine but in the second pee, you get rid of more.

5) no alcohol, fizzy drinks or smoking of course. To state the obvious.

[londoncyclist48 in reply to londoncyclist48]

PS how long is it since his radiotherapy? It does improve but I was given a figure of 2 to 5 weeks to return to normal. It's been 3 months for me now and things have got A LOT better.

[Simonapo in reply to londoncyclist48]

Thank you so much London for your detailed response and great advice. It has been only 3 weeks since he ended the radiation treatments, so glad you’re doing so well, we will follow all your recommendations and discuss with the doctor as well. Thank you again and best health wishes

[Hidden in reply to Simonapo]

3 weeks is very recent. The Hope is that he can improve in time. However, I did imrt over five years ago and I still night trip 5-7 times per night like broken clockwork. This can give a fragmented sleep at best. I’m sure that many a man has the exact same . It is very nice to see you advocating for him. Thank you .

[Simonapo in reply to Hidden]

So honored to see your reply, I have been reading all your replies to other people, thank you for all your help and hope you give to all of us, best health wishes to you

[Vangogh1961 in reply to Simonapo]

I had chemo and was down to once a night, then had radiation and was back up to 3, 4 or 5 a night. Almost 4 weeks after radiation it's back to 1-2 times a night. It does seem to slowly improve.

[Simonapo in reply to Vangogh1961]

Thank you so much, we’re hoping it will improve, best wishes to you

[Hidden in reply to Simonapo]

I welcome you here . It’s noble to love someone in need! My father had this also . He was diminished greatly and died of a heart issue at 71 two years after an RP .. cherish and love him . 🙏

[Simonapo in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, so sorry to hear about your Dad, it’s unbelievable how many men are affected by this, so sad.

[Hidden in reply to Simonapo]

My Dad didn’t suffer long . Thank you! APC is raging on us men ,like bc rages on women . Not a day goes by that I don’t think about and still love my father . These bonds of love are eternal! Just propping your dad up emotionally and cheering him in any way possible is great . Keep negative thinkers away . Live healthier yourself please also . 🙏❤️ Scott

[Simonapo in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much Scott, God bless you with health and happiness 🙏

[Deadstick in reply to Hidden]

Yes, three weeks out is very recent and the radiation effect can take several weeks, sometimes months, and as others have said (I'm one of them), it's a chronic condition. He could ask the doc about getting a urodynamic study if the doc thinks it might be indicated. It's a complete workup of the urinary system, Here is a link for some info on a urodynamic study:

urologyhealth.org/urology-a...

There is lots more info on this subject available on the web.

I use Tamsulosin before bed every night and get some relief but results vary between people.

He could also ask about "CIC" or Clean Intermittent Catheterization. Not fun, but definitely provides relief. Not everyone is a candidate. Again, talk to the urologist.

Good luck to both of you!

[Simonapo in reply to Deadstick]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, the urodynamic study sounds interesting, we will mention it to the urologist, thank you again, best wishes and much health to you too

[treedown]

I was up during radiation 4 times a night but shortly after it ended I was down to 1 or 2 and now I often sleep through the night. Hopefully he sees some improvement in the coming weeks.

[Simonapo in reply to treedown]

Thank you so much got your reply

[Psychmed]

I am now 1 year off Eligard after 3 years on. I regularly go through a 90 minute sleep cycle and then wake up and have to pee. I also am generally dehydrated so can't tolerate going a long time without drinking something. Sometimes I sleep 3 hours and then wake up. I've been thinking about researching it so maybe now I will. I also still need about 10 hours of sleep to feel ok. Not 6 or 7 of yesteryear.Mike

[Simonapo in reply to Psychmed]

Thank you so much for your reply, best wishes of health to you

[Hidden in reply to Psychmed]

I too am

On the 90 minute cycle at night.

[davebliz]

I’m stage 4, had radiation in 2018. Still need to get up and pee approximately every 90 minutes. But I do consume liquids throughout the evening. Enjoy drinking (non alcoholic) beverages and like to keep quite hydrated.

[Simonapo in reply to davebliz]

Thank you so much for your reply, best wishes of health to you

[Hidden in reply to davebliz]

I also drink sips at night rather than dehydrate . 👏👏👍

[Concerned-wife]

It does get better for most men after awhile following radiation but you can see it seems to remain an issue. We did research on “nocturia”and one recommendation we read is for him to put his legs up during the day at some point. Helps the fluid drain into the kidneys. Not sure if it helps but medical sites recommend it. I was hoping one of the men come up with a great solution. But at least you can see he is not alone

[Simonapo in reply to Concerned-wife]

Thank you so much for your reply, I had no idea so many men are going through this, I am so sad for all of them to not be able to get a full night sleep, thank you again.

[Hidden in reply to Concerned-wife]

For each of us admitting to this I think there are many more that don’t volunteer it . ❤️🙏

[HerbieP]

I too was getting up nearly every hour. I started taking CBD oil before bedtime and now I get about 4 hours of sleep in between bathroom trips. When I'm in a state where THC oil is legal, I take that before bedtime as it works even better than CBD oil for me.

[Simonapo in reply to HerbieP]

Thank you so much for your reply and suggestion, best wishes of health to you

[Hidden in reply to HerbieP]

High THC is healing IMO ! 👏🏋🏽‍♂️

[Hidden]

Super -common 😩

[cancerking]

4-5 times per night is normal for me. Post prostatectomy and radiation. The only thing that helped was stopping caffeine.

[Simonapo in reply to cancerking]

Thank you so much

[NotDFL]

I am eight years past radiation therapy and need to get up about every 2-4 hours. Part of this, I think, is due to getting older.

[Simonapo in reply to NotDFL]

Wow, thank you so much for your reply, so glad you are doing well after 8 years. When I first heard my dad’s diagnosis my heart dropped, I couldn’t eat anything, I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t get on with my life, and then I found this forum that brought so much hope. Reading everyone’s posts, questions and replies became a daily routine that keeps me going and helps me hope for the best. I feel like I know already so many of you, my heart goes out to all of you, you all have my prayers for good health and happiness.

[j-o-h-n]

I used to tie it in a knot........... now I use a cork.......

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 11/12/2021 11:41 PM EST

[Simonapo in reply to j-o-h-n]

Thank you John, I always enjoy your replies

[meowlicious99]

if its started after radiation then thats likely whats causing it. Its a well known se of radiation.

If this was happening before radiation then maybe they might have done uroflow and retention investigations . anything came out of that?

I am not so sure if lupron or abi cause incontinence issues.

[Simonapo in reply to meowlicious99]

Thank you so much, we’ll look into it

[Maxx2006]

I was getting up a lot nightly and would sometimes not make it to the bathroom. After a conversation with my Urologist she gave me a prescription for Nocdurna. I now last at least 5 hrs before I get up. I hope this helps.

[Simonapo in reply to Maxx2006]

Thank you so much for the recommendation