Medications that reduce an overactive bladder

[Pr0jection]

Since I've been on prednisolone my trips to the loo during the night have increased tremendously. I'm not sure if this is due to waking frequently and my body thinking that it's time for the morning loo trip but it seems that whenever I lie down for any period of time it starts up, even if I lie on a sun lounger during the afternoon. I have no pain, even with the UTI's that crop up now and then and during the day when walking around I don't have the same urge. I haven't seen a urologist yet because I've been told that this is a side effect of the prednisolone. But really, 6 times a night seems a bit excessive to me. A friend, who is not on steroids, has just been diagnosed with an overactive bladder and has been prescribed solifenacin (Vesicare) and says she no longer gets up at night. I just wondered if anyone else suffers and has been prescribed the same or similar medication and finds it works. Even better would be a natural remedy. Thanks for reading and enjoy your day......

[123-go]

Hi. I would be wary of adding another prescription drug although there seems to be no adverse interaction between Solifenacin and Pred. Some info about the drug here:

nhs.uk/medicines/solifenaci....

natural remedies here:

alwaysdiscreet.co.uk/en-gb/...

If the nighttime problem is unmanageable it would be best to ask your doctor.

[Pr0jection in reply to 123-go]

Thanks for responding 123-go and I do agree with you about adding another prescription drug. Prednisolone is the only medication I take currently. From today I'm going to watch my fluid intake and stop around 3pm. I have been having a small cup of camomile tea before bedtime so perhaps I'll give that a miss for a while. My GP said I have nocturia which is a common problem in older people apparently.....

[123-go in reply to Pr0jection]

I hope you find a natural solution for your nocturnal ‘adventures’ but try not to limit your fluid intake too much during the afternoons 😏.

[Pr0jection in reply to 123-go]

Thanks!

[SnazzyD]

I found night urination (predictive text kept insisting on putting “ruination”!) was caused by a few things. 1. Irritation by Pred so I had to keep my urine very dilute. 2. Fluid retention by day which was dependent on salt intake, hot weather, standing up a lot and upon lying down allowed it to get through the kidneys. 3. Irritation by calcium supplements and latterly magnesium carbonate. 4. UTI’s which crept in occasionally but were well controlled with D-Mannose.

[Pr0jection in reply to SnazzyD]

Many thanks for taking the time to reply. I will take on board all that you say and will definitely research the D-Mannose

[winfong]

I find having nothing after dinner helps. I love a nice cup of tea around 8:00 pm, but know it's going to keep me up. If I can resist the urge, it always helps during the night.

[Pr0jection in reply to winfong]

Thank you. I'm definitely going to try to avoid drinks after 5pm. I remember my elderly maiden aunts refusing a cup of tea after 5.00 p.m. saying it would keep them up all night, and here I am!

[agingfeminist]

do check this problem with your GP. There are things other than pred that can cause it. Good luck!

[paulus65]

This is one of the symptons of type 2 diabetes. Steroid- induced diabetes is a recognised possible side effect of taking pred. You should get your blood sugar checked.

[Pr0jection in reply to paulus65]

Thanks for the reply. I've had my blood sugar checked and thankfully all OK.

[Dolcelatte]

I have been taking Solifenacin 5mg for months, in the evening. Prednisolone in the morning.

It works wonders on an overactive bladder, with no side effects apart from dry mouth. I drink water in the evening and at night if I wake up and feel thirsty. It made a big difference.

[strawclutching]

I've just picked up a prescription for solifenacin after few investigations, but my main symptoms are constant UTI pain whether an infection is present or not. Getting up through the night has been a problem with me for many years and not, I don't believe, related to Pred. Because I currently have a UTI, I'm thinking twice about using the solifenacin. Even when it clears, not sure I want to be adding yet another medication and have doubts that it will treat the uti pain at all which I think is due to the existence of extra bugs (low immune system) but not existent in sufficient numbers to reach the threshold for an actual infection to show in the lab, if that makes sense. Interestingly, the UTI pain lessened when the Pred dose went down, but has now returned with a vengeance since I had to increase again. I can't advise you one way or another but it sounds like your urgency & night frequency symptoms could well be related to bladder spasms so maybe it's worth a try?

[whitefishbay]

Camomile tea always makes me tea @ 5 x a night.

[AliDeJ]

Hello. Many years ago I had an overactive bladder...up 7 times a night sometimes. No infection, just a malfunction of the sphincter. I was eventually prescribed Solfenacin and it worked! I remained on it for a number of months. All better now and no recurrence of the problem.

[DanielSophie]

I had similar symptoms and constantly getting UTIs. Saw a specialist - who was so lovely. He prescribed Solfenacin. I also was reluctant to take it but my goodness it worked! He gave me a months supply and within days the urgency and the nocturnal getting up had vanished. I had a real issue getting a repeat prescription from my GP - thats another story - so went without Solfenacin for 5-6 days. Had no reaction so decided not to take any more tablets. 18 months on and I have had no problems. Good luck - whatever you decide.

[Pr0jection in reply to DanielSophie]

Thank you, that's encouraging. Yesterday I restricted my liquid intake after 4.00 p.m. and I was up more times than usual last night! Also, because of the lack of liquid I was constipated this morning. Hey ho, I think I'll see the GP who will probably refer me to a urologist. Thanks again.

[Kiwisufferer2019]

I have an irritable bladder and take D Mannose which is very effective, restricting uids is not good for kidneys. My urogist put me on D Mannose, it's a completely natural product. Before Christmas I had a procedure where they stretch the bladder by fling it with saline solution, and that helped a lot, but I have to stick pretty much to a low oxolate diet. I still take the D Mannose tarts twice a day. Good luck.

[Kiwisufferer2019]

Oh jolly predictive txt fluids, filling and tablets.

[Treetop33]

I get this as well and it's so annoying. However, I did also get checked out by specialists to make sure nothing else was going on, which is definitely important.

I found marshmallow root seeped in water really helps an overactive bladder, if that's what it is for you. Hard to take regularly though as it tastes disgusting - like pond water smells. I've heard chamomile tea and ginger helps inflammation too. Perhaps see a herbalist? x

[Pr0jection]

Thanks Treetop33, I'm going to make an appointment with my GP for a referral to an urologist just to check that everything's OK.