meds that cause urinary retention or difficutly urinating

[shlar]

Hello,

I will have hip surgery soon and they want to put me on morphine the first day through an IV pump, and then on Oxycodone or Perocet after that. Both the Oxycodone and Perocet say they can cause urinary retention or difficulty urinating, which is a problem for me on certain meds.

Has anyone had anyexperience with this or has this happened to anyone? Does anyone know of a medication for moderate pain that will not most likely cause urinary retention or difficulty urinating?

I would appreciate any help on this. If you could tell me any meds for pain that have worked well for you or have not worked well for you would be great.

Thanks, Sharon

[ICNDonna]

I haven't had retention from any of the meds you mention. If you're in the hospital for a few days, I wouldn't worry --- they can take care of any problems.

Sending gentle hugs,
Donna

[KatieB]

I take Percocet and don't have a problem with retention. I hope all goes well.

[Esmerelda]

I've had urinary issues with every narcotic painkiller I've been prescribed, including the ones you mention, as well as Tramadol.

In fact, I'm certain that the painkillers I was given to deal with a truly terrible IC flare-up in August caused me to develop Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, due to all of the straining and struggling I had to do to pee while I was taking them. And here it is, January now, and I'm still dealing with the damn Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. The IC flare-up is long gone, but I probably have months to go before I'm rid of the PFD symptoms.

I don't even want to think about what I'll do the next time I'm in agonizing, debilitating pain. There's just no way painkillers are worth the months and months of PFD misery.

[shlar]

This is to Esmerelda. Have you ever had your urethra dialated by a good urologist? This really helped me alot. Are you still on the pain medications or narcatics? How long did you take these? When I had problems in the past due to a certain anti-depressant (Effexor XR), I was better within a day or two of stopping it. What symptoms do you now have with the PFD?

Sharon

[Esmerelda]

Have you ever had your urethra dialated by a good urologist?

I've never had my urethra dilated before. Did this help you specifically with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?

Are you still on the pain medications or narcatics? How long did you take these?

I was on the pain medications for about three weeks, starting at the beginning of September. During this time, I really had to struggle to pee, as every pain medication I was given transformed urinating into an almost Herculean challenge. I'm certain this is the exact reason that I developed PFD, even though I'm aware that people with IC tend to develop it anyway.

So much difficulty and struggle for three stinking weeks of pain medication! It kind of blows my mind.

What symptoms do you now have with the PFD?

In the months that I've had PFD, I've encountered probably 40 - 50 different symptoms, almost all of which I'd classify as painful or uncomfortable.

As far as my symptoms go, currently they're pretty manageable, because (fingers crossed and knocking on wood) I'm finally close to achieving recovery. Right now I'm dealing with mild stiffness or soreness, which can be greatly or completely alleviated by daily yoga, and fairly mild muscle spasms in little bursts throughout the day. I'm also still dealing with that fun thing where what should be one bowel movement becomes a series of bathroom visits throughout the day, during which I find myself having to briefly stand up or rock back and forth on the toilet in order to do my bidness, usually while cursing up a storm. Oh, I also have TMJ now, which I developed after the onset of my PFD, and I doubt that's coincidental at all.

My primary symptoms when my PFD is moderately bad include a constant deep muscle pain in what I think of as my flanks--it's located on the sides of my butt, right below my hips. This is accompanied by muscle spasms, and extreme stiffness in my torso and legs (I end up shuffling around like a little old lady instead of a 31 year old). My body, especially my legs, hips, lower back and feet, also make constant popping noises when the deep hip pain and stiffness sets in.

When I'm worse than moderately bad, the kinds of pain I feel, the percentage of my body that is in pain, and the frequency and extremity of my muscle spasms all ramp up. (I think I hate muscle spasms the most out of all my symptoms. When they were really bad, sometimes they left my body feeling like people had viciously beaten me with brass knuckles while I was sleeping.) Oh, and when my PFD was at its worst, I also had that maddening feeling of having a golf ball in my perineum.