IC/Nocturia
October 11, 2008 - 6:50pm — bill
Hi - I am a 73 yr old male diagnosed with IC (but no pain) (and no prostate). I stop fluid intake about 6;00pm but am up 6-8x a night. Daytime frequency/urge mostly normal.
Does anyone have any experience with using Cytotec (or any other suggested solution) for controlling nocturia?
thanks
IC/Nocturia
Hello,
The only relief I have found is being on Elmiron for a few months and amitriptyline which helps me sleep through. Now I only get up two or three times which is heaven to me. Black pepper is a hugh trigger for me. I have not heard anyone else that has expressed this, but maybe try taking black pepper out of your diet.
Hope this helps.
kdl
Black pepper can indeed trigger IC symptoms
Hi Kdl,
You're not alone, black pepper has been noted by other ICers to be a bladder irritant (some women with vulvodynia who are sensitive to oxalates also report it as an troublesome food). Personally I'm usually fine with black pepper (and white pepper), but have a dozy of a time with some of other "warm" spices like chilies, cayenne peppers, paprika, and cloves (though cinnamon and nutmeg are a-ok, which is great as I madly adore cinnamon). While they are not the same of course in terms of flavour, in place of black pepper you could try (assuming your bladder is fine with these foods) chives, green onions, toasted sesame seeds, arugula (which has something of a naturally peppery taste), or pink peppercorns (which are not actually peppercorns, but instead teeny-tiny berries that hail from the Baies Rose plant).
It's fantastic to hear that you've found some relief with that combo meds! Waking only two or three times a night sounds like a dream (no pun intended), and I really hope that you continue to have success with these drugs.
Healing wishes,
Jessica
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Jessica Cangiano: ICadvice.com creator and administrator
I have IC, but IC doesn't have me!
Hi Billl, A warm welcome to
Hi Billl,
A warm welcome to ICadvice.com, it's great to have you here with us.
I'm sorry to hear about the nocturia that your experiencing. I too have dealt with nocturia for as long as I've had IC, but do not have any experience with that particular medication. I agree that reducing liquids closer to bedtime can help make getting through the night a little easier. Sometimes I use a heating pad at night on my pelvic region and have interestingly found that this can help reduce nightly bathroom trips.
In the past I used to take an antihistamine drug called hydroxyzine which is often prescribed for IC (it helped a number of my IC symptoms, but side effects eventually caused me to stop taking it), while I was on it I experienced a marked decrease in nocturia.
These forums aren't all that active (though I check in all the time!), but I truly hope that other site members will be able to weigh in and help answer your question/provide more info on their experiences with Cytotec.
Again, welcome to the site, please don't hesitate to ask any other questions/share your thoughts.
Healing wishes,
Jessica
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Jessica Cangiano: ICadvice.com creator and administrator
I have IC, but IC doesn't have me!