Tweet
Hey all,
Been off and on visiting the forum for a while, but without some long-term results from the treatments I have tried, I didn't feel like I could come out and say anything was particularly helping.
Nothing prescription that I have tried has helped. I've been put on amitriptyline, Wellbutrin, and Celexa. Amitriptyline and Wellbutrin made me way too sleepy to function, and Celexa actually caused urinary retention as well as a host of emotional problems.
What I have consistently had great success with is Glucosamine. I have an interesting story. My dear old cat, Sylvester, the family cat since I was 10, was diagnosed with cystitis by the vet when he was old. He'd been urinating blood, so it was a pretty awful case of it. The doctor surmises that the stress of other cats in the home to an old cat who just wants to be left alone might have done it. Sound familiar? I'd already been diagnosed with IC by a doctor, confirmed with a cystoscopy and laparoscopy. The vet told my mom and me to give Sylvester daily doses of Cosamin DS and said that would help relieve the inflammation, to make his last years less painful, hopefully.
This was like a light bulb for me. I googled up "interstitial cystitis glucosamine" and saw all kinds of sites with research into why Glucosamine can help. It is normally used and recommended for rebuilding cartilage in the joints of the body. However, it can also help relieve inflammation and potentially help to rebuild the mucous layer of the bladder.
I certainly don't know whether the mucous layer of my bladder has been rebuilt any over the 3 years I've been taking liquid glucosamine daily, but I know I've seen a decrease in inflammation. It's not perfect. It's not as if you can start drinking Joint Juice once a day and you can't tell you have IC anymore. However, it's a huge help. It helps me to be a lot more functional.
Look for Wellesse brand, or Joint Juice. I have had the best luck with liquid concentrations of glucosamine. They're fast acting. I feel like you almost can't take too much. I'm sure there's a point where you CAN, but sometimes I take a dosage of the liquid glucosamine and take it in pill form too, which will kick in later due to my slow metabolism.
I feel like it was an incredible gift that my old dear cat left me when he passed away. My life of dealing with IC has been so much easier with this supplement. I have no health insurance and honestly, prescription medicine has been no help. This has worked. I hope my story will help others.
Been off and on visiting the forum for a while, but without some long-term results from the treatments I have tried, I didn't feel like I could come out and say anything was particularly helping.
Nothing prescription that I have tried has helped. I've been put on amitriptyline, Wellbutrin, and Celexa. Amitriptyline and Wellbutrin made me way too sleepy to function, and Celexa actually caused urinary retention as well as a host of emotional problems.
What I have consistently had great success with is Glucosamine. I have an interesting story. My dear old cat, Sylvester, the family cat since I was 10, was diagnosed with cystitis by the vet when he was old. He'd been urinating blood, so it was a pretty awful case of it. The doctor surmises that the stress of other cats in the home to an old cat who just wants to be left alone might have done it. Sound familiar? I'd already been diagnosed with IC by a doctor, confirmed with a cystoscopy and laparoscopy. The vet told my mom and me to give Sylvester daily doses of Cosamin DS and said that would help relieve the inflammation, to make his last years less painful, hopefully.
This was like a light bulb for me. I googled up "interstitial cystitis glucosamine" and saw all kinds of sites with research into why Glucosamine can help. It is normally used and recommended for rebuilding cartilage in the joints of the body. However, it can also help relieve inflammation and potentially help to rebuild the mucous layer of the bladder.
I certainly don't know whether the mucous layer of my bladder has been rebuilt any over the 3 years I've been taking liquid glucosamine daily, but I know I've seen a decrease in inflammation. It's not perfect. It's not as if you can start drinking Joint Juice once a day and you can't tell you have IC anymore. However, it's a huge help. It helps me to be a lot more functional.
Look for Wellesse brand, or Joint Juice. I have had the best luck with liquid concentrations of glucosamine. They're fast acting. I feel like you almost can't take too much. I'm sure there's a point where you CAN, but sometimes I take a dosage of the liquid glucosamine and take it in pill form too, which will kick in later due to my slow metabolism.
I feel like it was an incredible gift that my old dear cat left me when he passed away. My life of dealing with IC has been so much easier with this supplement. I have no health insurance and honestly, prescription medicine has been no help. This has worked. I hope my story will help others.
Comment