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Hi all my name is Kevin I am a 35 year old male. I recently got diagnosed with OAB. It started about a month ago with ligjt bedwetting and that got heavier over time, and has since progressed to accidents during the day. I already had an appoinment with my Urologist. He has prescribed Vesicare. I looked at the reviews and side effects and feel a little uncomfortable takin the pills. Has anyone taken them? Do they work?

I have been managing with Abri form at night and started useing tena mens during day time. They are pretty concealed. Just not sure about all this and kind of freaked out.
 
Hi Kevin,

Welcome aboard here. I am 39 male dealing with oab and neurogenic bladder thx to ms lol. I have been on vesicare along with merbetriq at the same time. Honestly I wouldn’t read to much on the side effects as you are going to magically create them in your body. Just my humble opinion. At least you are using good products already as that can become a problem for some people. For myself it was very freeing when I just accepted I needed to wear tape on briefs (abena m4 in my case) for any site walk arounds and client mtgs I needed to attend. I honestly didn’t realize how stressed I was just worrying about if I would make it till the end of the meeting with pee running down my leg. Lol. Sometimes it’s just accepting where you are as an individual and just accepting it. And use protection to assist you. As much as we think everyone is looking at us wearing a diaper or protection no body really is. It’s just our minds playing tricks on us. At least that was the case for me. Just trying to give you some helpful tips from what I have learned over the last 3 years from my experiences.
 
Hi Kevin this is a really good place to learn there are many people with different reasons for incontinence and to feel you are not alone in experiencing this as it's not something discussed alot in social settings.
OAB is a diagnosis for people with no obvious cause such ad diabetes, injury surgical intervention(like prostate surgery) or even repressed sexual abuse, obesity. It's a big general,term, OAB.
We vent alot here and some have very severe issues and pain, some just inconvenience and mentally distressed.
Any rate, you will find over time, the forummis incredibly supportive.
A drug called Desmopression was mentioned in a post titled Update!! That has a 12 hour effective life and helped a member recently. You might want to read the post it is Update!! I want yo try it myself, haven't yet. Maybe one to ask your doctor to try.
 
Hi @Kevin82, good to have you aboard with us! This is a great forum and everyone is supportive and truly non-judgmental. Whatever is on your mind, we can answer it. It seems like your choice of protection is working for you and that's great. I rely on protection myself and it makes me feel like I am taking care of myself without too much undue stress.
Unfortunately I don't know about Vesicare. You're like me in that you're hesitant to take medications and you're right to do so. But if you have questions or nagging doubts, do call your doctor's office again and discuss it, emphasizing you're a bit leery about the side effects. Or you can Google it online and study what it says. One thing that most concerns me about meds like that is it could lead to things such as dry mouth or increased eye pressure. That concerns me as my eye doctor some time ago said I'm a glaucoma "suspect." That potential for glaucoma was fixed when I had cataract surgery. That said, why take silly chances? I can see well now and I want to keep it that way! I'd rather have to wear protection than fiddle around with glaucoma and fading vision any day! I don't think wearing protection is all that bad. Bottom line, read all you can on Vesicare and if you have doubts, do ask your doctor. And let us know how you make out!
 
Very well put billliveshere. Unlike most I am one of the few people who do very well with prescription drugs with very few side effects if any at all. I am pretty sure I have some dry mouth from merbetriq which would explain why I have the need to drink so many fluids during the daytime which then makes my incontinence worse lol but really for how many meds I am currently taking with so little side effects I can’t really complain. I truly believe drinking like 3-4 litres of fluids a day helps my system flush out toxins and allows my body to easily detoxify and hence minimizes side effects. It’s just shocking for most doctors for how many medications I take (7 prescriptions) plus testosterone implants and tons of supplements basically 50 pills a day. Lol 😂. Most people will be like wow. The sad part is I feel great in comparison to 3.5 years ago when I could barely walk, puked my guts out for 60-70 days and finally hospitalized and given huge amounts of steroids and diagnosed with relapse remitting MS. And took until earlier this year for me to close to what I would recall as normal. Stay the course and ALWAYS advocate for yourself with your doctors as you are the only one how you feel and are the only one who truly knows your symptoms. And like one of the meds is known as Satan’s drug for lots of people (cymbalta) has worked miracles for me. So just a case in point if I read all of the side effects from cymbalta I may never have taken it which I would say has been a life saver. So hard to say and honestly a lot of people when trying to come off of an antidepressant medication step down your dose and never go cold turkey. And if you do somehow mess up and forget a dose or starting to get withdrawal symptoms just take another dose of the meds and majority of the symptoms would disappear. Just my advice to anyone on antidepressants or anti anxiety meds 😃
 
Kevin82 said:
Hi all my name is Kevin I am a 35 year old male. I recently got diagnosed with OAB. It started about a month ago with ligjt bedwetting and that got heavier over time, and has since progressed to accidents during the day. I already had an appoinment with my Urologist. He has prescribed Vesicare. I looked at the reviews and side effects and feel a little uncomfortable takin the pills. Has anyone taken them? Do they work?

I have been managing with Abri form at night and started useing tena mens during day time. They are pretty concealed. Just not sure about all this and kind of freaked out.
Click to expand...

Hi Kevin and welcome to the forum.

I have OAB and have taken Vesicare in another form called Solifenacin before I stopped taking them and had Botox. They made my eyes and mouth dry and did help a little but not as well as Botox has helped. Hope that helps. You could try the medication for 6 months and keep a diary as to how you are feeling on them and then decide in 6 months time whether you have got any benefit from it or not.
 
I like what @Jwh51 said about being your own advocate and that only you know how you feel and what your symptoms are. Like that old saying, "Know thyself," or maybe "to thine own self be true!"
One thing about listed side effects, they are a compilation of ALL of the side effects that were ever reported on that drug. That doesn't mean you will have all or any of them, of course. But it's something to be aware of. I explained up above I'm leery of taking meds that will increase eye pressure and with good reason, I think. Hey, I like seeing! I'll happily wear protection so I can continue seeing. A doctor prescribes a certain medication because s/he thinks the overall benefits will outweigh the likelihood of undesirable side effects. So the doctor is weighing the good versus the bad and if the good wins then you've got a new med to take! As I see it, it would be wiser to start off on the lowest possible dosage and after a time if the doctor thinks you would benefit from a higher dosage then that will be prescribed.
 
All,

Thank you for the warm welcome it is greatly appreciated. I am going to give the meds a try and see what happens.
 
Hi @Kevin82, good for you! Just see how it goes. If there's something you don't like, you can always discontinue but tell the doctor first and maybe there's a better alternative. But whatever happens, do let us know if you have questions or further concerns, or even just comment about the weather in your area. I think we'll figure something out!
 
@Jwh51 I, too, love Cymbalta. I love the anti-depressive effects, and tte anti-ADHD effects, though Cymbalta does ramp up my anxiety, which does not need to be any worse. I particularly love the way Cymbalta helps my chronic lumbar pain. It does exacerbate my incontinence, but not much, compared to how much it enables me to get out of bed and get through life with remarkably less back pain. Unfortunately I’ve gained a bunch of weight since I’ve been on Cymbalta, but it might not be related, more likely due to the chemical changes and aftermath of my having had to have a hysterectomy because of cancer. So many crappy things happened to me in a 2.5-year-period. I’m doing a lot better now both physically and emotionally. Without Cymbalta, I probably would have killed myself by now, both because of depression and because of the amount of back pain I was in. I’m not exaggerating when I say Cymbalta saved my life.
 
Great post Snow. And likewise I would have to say I am the exact same in that cymbalta has saved my life. I went through ‘major depressive disorder’ and looking back on it 100% agree with you as I am the same cymbalta has saved my life. People who have not experienced that kind of depression really do not understand what we mean by saying that. I just was shocked how many people hate cymbalta but like anything in life we all need to find what works for us personally. And what works for someone else doesn’t mean it will work for you. Lol. That is what I refer to the joys of trying to find a medication that works for your body. Same thing for the incontinence drugs in that they may do wonders for someone and be a complete nightmare for someone else. And forsure cymbalta as an antidepressant is one of the meds which is very polarizing. We love it while others despise it. Curious what dose on you on Snow? I am on 90 mg a day and once of my concerns as always been if I need to come off of it how hard it is going to be. Discussing that with my psychiatrist he’s like Jason you may never come off of it. Lol. And I was like touché I never thought about it that way. Lol.

Have you ever tried to come off of it? Just curious. Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!
 
@Jwh51 Hi, yes, I’ve gone off Cymbalta abruptly (and stupidly) a few times. It’s hell, some of the worst headaches I’ve ever had in my life, and I say that as someone who gets migraines. If you google “how to get off Cymbalta” or something, you’ll see how it’s widely regarded as the hardest or second hardest psych drug to come off of. HOWEVER! Fortunately, inside the capsules are little balls, so it’s possible to count those and verrrrry gradually decrease your dose, which prevents any side effects from occurring. It’s not a big deal to decrease from, say, 90 to 60. But decreasing from 60 to 30 is harder.

I’ve tried 90 and 120 before, which is soooooo awesome for my back pain. I could actually contemplate getting off 1000mg of Aleve every 12 hours if I could tolerate 120mg of Cymbalta. But Cymbalta’s stimulating effect as an SNRI greatly amplifies my insomnia, even at 60mg. It’s impossible for me to sleep on 120mg.

Sometimes in the long, dark winters, I do need to temporarily increase my intake from 60 to 90mg for extra motivation and to help my back weather the air pressure changes which accompany snowstorms. 90mg also increases incontinence for me, but sometimes it’s worth it in the winter darkness.

Here’s a good tip: there are several different genetic Cymbalta manufacturers. Most use lots of teeny balls in their capsules. But there’s one that only has 12 balls in a 60mg pill. That’s my favorite for decreasing gradually. If you need/want to stop taking Cymbalta, and your pharmacy doesn’t have that particular generic with the big balls (sorry, I don’t know the manufacturer’s name!), shop around until you find a pharmacy that does.
 
Thanks for the feedback. ;). I have swapped between 60 and 90 mg but haven’t dared to go anything Lower than 60mg lol. For all of the reasons listed plus some.

Your last tip was awesome and something I am forsure going to keep at the back of my mind if I need to come off for some reason.

The only thing I truly hate about cymbalta is that is makes codeine ineffective and not that I needed codeine often but for chest colds and coughing codeine worked miracles and especially the codeine cough syrups. But I guess looking back now I still wouldn’t change a thing. Yes without cymbalta I can take codeine but the fact that I probably wouldn’t be here without cymbaltas positive impacts on my life I can suck it up that codeine doesn’t work for me. :)

But if I really want to complain and whine about cymbalta other than my dread of having to come off of it. Is it’s interaction with codeine and rendering codeine useless that would be it.

However the plus is cymbalta pulled me out of a major depressive episode (after being finally formally diagnosed with MS and barely able to walk, bedridden and puking my guts out for over 75 days) lasting several months to half a year and prevented me from killing myself. So looking back that’s a solid win in my books even though now I have incontinence thanks to the ms damage down my spine. But like many say here it could be a lot worse and to that I am very thankful it isn’t. Amen to that. 🙏
 
@Jwh51 Wow, nobody has ever told me that Cymbalta makes codeine ineffective but I can say so, because I’ve had Hydrocodone/Lortab a few times in the past few years for surgeries, and I always say it doesn’t work! I was recently prescribed oxycodone for the first time in my life, a few weeks ago, following knee surgery. It worked, but I still felt like it didn’t help me like it helps other people.

Nitrous oxide also no longer works on me; anyone else ever experience that? I’ve read it may be because of Cymbalta, and/or from depression itself.

And yes, I’m with you: Cymbalta kept me from killing myself - barely - but it worked, eventually.
 
Again Snow I am 100% with you on the oxycodone as I have been prescribed that to deal with migraine that just don’t go away. However like you it worked however I don’t believe I get the same pain relief as other people say they do off of it. And bluntly put I take 2 pills and I don’t feel loopy or anything like again what most people say on how they feel. So you are probably right in that because of cymbalta it is not as effective as in other people.

I know the issue with cymbalta and codeine is that cymbalta prevents the pathways in the body that turn codeine into morphine from working. So honestly it would not shock me that there is probably a glitch as well for oxycodone as well. Again like both of us say we are very thankful for what cymbalta has done for us however when we are in pain it is hard to find pain meds which work in the manner they are expected to work. However at the same time I don’t now how much nerve pain cymbalta is preventing me from experiencing.

I will do some more research into this and will let you know if I find anything truly enlightening.

And it probably makes sense thinking back to when I increase my dose of cymbalta from 60 to 90 my incontinence became worse. Oh well the benefits I have had otherwise far out weigh that issue since I already had to deal with incontinence issues.
 
@Jwh51 Yeah, just like I don’t get much pain relief, I also never get any “high” from pain pills. Maybe we’re lucky in that regard, because the potential for pain pill addiction is thus removed for us. It’s scary though, to think about how they’d treat our pain if we were run over by a truck or something. Maybe straight morphine would work. Hopefully!

I’ve been taking 1000mg of Aleve every 12 hours, for over a decade, for the pain of having no more disc material in my seven vertebrae from L1-S1. Those vertebrae are now self-fusing with a 17’ curve to the left (a.k.a. scoliosis). Sometimes I have to add Tylenol to the mix of kidney/liver toxicity. I’ve recently become anemic because the Aleve has created so many micro ulcers in my intestines, that I’m always slowly bleeding... somewhere. I never see any evidence of it. I’m taking iron but it’s not really helping. If/when I have to quit taking Aleve and have zero lumbar back pain relief, I don’t think I can tolerate living like that. I’ve tried. It’s not worth it.

It’s so insulting that the pharmaceutical companies and medical communities don’t give a crap about inventing a non-addictive chronic back pain solution. The plastic discs that can be inserted in the C-spine work just great - for the C-spine! But the plastic discs for the L-spine don’t work; they’re not complex enough. With modern technology, why can’t they invent an adequate L-spine disc replacement?! Or a pain medication that doesn’t ruin other parts of the body?

“Grin and bear it,” is basically the primary thing I hear from the medical community. Easy for those who don’t experience lumbar pain to say. They imagine it’s like having menstrual cramps, or a back muscle spasm, or even a broken leg (which I’ve had). But no, back BONE pain can’t just be ignored. It doesn’t go away with a trip to the ER or a visit to a chiropractor. It consumes your existence. It radiates everywhere. It alters the CORE of the body, unceasingly, and therefore alters the core of life. There’s no diaper for lumbar pain! Cymbalta only goes so far.

I’ve had a bunch of types of spine injections in several places in my spine. None of them helped at all; they just made the pain worse. The only upshot is that it’s better, more natural, for my spine to be self-fusing, than for me to have a rod inserted. My aunt had that done and it made her pain much worse. Accordingly, she was miserable and mean for most of her life. She quit functioning by age 65. Life isn’t worth living like that. I won’t do it.

Anyway. For now, fortunately, I can still take Aleve and Tylenol.

One more thing about pain meds - it’s so obnoxious that thanks to the over-hyped opioid hoopla, doctors don’t prescribe real pain meds any more. The vast majority of people who are/were prescribed opioids *don’t* become addicts. A few people really ruined it for the rest of us.

So what do doctors prescribe instead? Naproxen (a.k.a. Aleve)!!! Every 12 hours, for decades on end! NOT ONE DOCTOR WHO PRESCRIBED
ME ALEVE, ever warned me that I was ruining my intestines and therefore my blood and nutrient supply, by taking what they prescribe me: NSAIDs! So what’s actually worse, Aleve or Oxycodone? Statistically, consistently taking Aleve is actually far more of a certain path to early death than are stronger pain meds.

Pick your poison. Some days I feel like that’s all my life has added up to.

Sorry to stray onto the topic of back pain... that’s a topic for some other forum. But the origin of my L-spine problem is one and the same with the origin of my incontinence. I don’t recommend falling down a cliff.
 
Snow I think your intelligent explanation of the various pain meds and the problem with the much prescribed Alleve OTC good for what ails you pill is extremr6ly important for everyone regardless of forum type.

Also good to know about back injury which is definitely a cause for some incontinence issues.
I can assure you your intelligent explanations are very lucid and interesting although so unfortunate.
 
Hi Snow, I'm sorry for all the pain issues you're having and I really wish I possessed the power to make it all better for you. You are a great asset to this forum family and I give you all of my support as you have given to all of us here. You really stick up for people who are knocked down and you bolster their spirits. You're a wonderful example for everyone to follow. I wish we could do the same for you. Your explanation of pain meds and what's going on was very clear and easy to those of us "not in the know" to understand. You are a great communicator and that's something I truly admire. And you know I was in the communications business, as it were. I understand where you're coming from with back pain radiating from the bones. It's probably an understatement to say it must be tough to deal with all this time. I saw your comment about technology needs to invent a lumbar spine disc replacement and pain meds that don't adversely affect other parts of the body. And I hear you when the medical community just tells you to "grin and bear it." It's easy for them to say, sad to say.
What I would like to see invented is some sort of device that lets these doctors walk in their patient's shoes for a day or even just a mile. Only then can they know just what you're going through. I know that's very wishful thinking and a tall order, but if that could ever come about I think attitudes would change quickly. I admit I don't know what it exactly feels like when you have these painful times but if there were such a device, as I mentioned, that would open so many eyes. Unfortunately, until that comes about, it is as you say, "pick your poison."
Please know that when things seem to be overwhelming, you can come here and we'll be here to talk you through it and continue to offer our support.
 
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