Anything new for flare/symptoms?

[Sheila6830]

It is Spring again and that always make me flare! I guess my bladder is sensitive to outside allergies. I already take zyrtec and singular at night.

Recently, besides the outside air bothering my bladder, I ate yogurt 3 days in a row! Ouch! I love yogurt, but it doesn't love my bladder.

I guess I have to go back to taking Atarax, Tramadol and Pyridium to help the pain and frequency?

Elmiron made me lose my hair.

Anything new out that can help with this awful condition?

I feel mine is almost autoimmune-like. When spring and summer are here and everything is budding and blooming, my bladder flares up.

Any new suggestions?

[izazen]

I try not to take any rx's or OTC meds at all. I try to do research for natural solutions, alternative meds, etc. One good source is a bulletin board where you can ask questions. Also, I look up traditional Chinese medicine forums.

For me, rx's and OTC's just complicate my trying to heal myself of IC and atrophic vaginitis in terms of side effects. I only take an rx if I absolutely have to.

For example, I used to have a chronic cough in the winter and it would last way into the spring. I always had a bottle of some cough medicine on my desk and I had this condition for years.

Then a holistic doctor told me about Neti bottles for seasonal coughs. Its an age old remedy for clearing out the sinus's with a very gentle solution. I do it once ever Fall and have no more cough! No more cough medicines either which were very strong and I always felt terrible after taking them.

Just my two cents. I hope you feel better.

[Jan S.]

I have tried traditional Chinese acupuncture along with herbs and did not have any luck. I found the herbs were actually acidic and caused a lot of discomfort. I worked with my acupuncturist for almost three years and finally had to give it a rest.

I hate the regimen but I find that Elmiron 3 x day with the atarax 2 x day, Elavil at bed and tramadol every 4 hours keeps me surviving. After a rough day at work I usually come one, crank up the heating pad and go straight to bed.

I also do home instills of lidocaine with heprin twice a month.

[lunaticwoman]

tramadol

The first thing I would do is get off that evil drug! My daughter has now had 4 seizures from it (that we know of!) I read that if you take it for more than 4 months you can get these seizure. I'm sorry...I just saw that word tramadol and had to tell you that there are many safer pain meds out there.It's worse than your normal pain med cause it also works on your seritonin levels. Please throw it away and get something else!

[Keen]

I'm sorry to hear that your daughter had seizures from this drug. According to my doctor, Tramadol is actually a very safe drug and has little side effects compared to other opoid like medications. I wouldnt tell someone to stop taking a pain med if it is working for them without talking to their doctor first though.

[ICNDonna]

I agree with Keen --- it's not a good idea to stop a medication without contacting your physician.

I also use a neti pot when I have nasal congestion, but I have to use it daily until the congestion is gone --- I don't like it so don't use it often.

Donna