Has Anyone Tried Medication for Bedwetting?

I always try the conservative approach first. Have you tried a Chiropractor? This problem has been addressed before on Mamasource, and many kids have been helped through Chiropractic adjustments. Before the medication with all the known and UNKNOWN side effects, this can't hurt. I have had my daughter adjusted since she was 2 days old. Now she is a beautiful and healthy 16 year old teenager. The adjustments are painless and worth a try. I see a wonderful Chiropractor. He is very patient and has 3 children of his own. His office is on the corner of Brown and Gilbert, behind Sprouts. Just give him a call if you want: Giving Chiropractic ###-###-####

God Bless

1 mom found this helpful

You've already received a lot of great responses so I just want to reiterate what most everyone has said. First and formost, there's nothing wrong with your son for wetting the bed. My 2 oldest boys (now almost 10 and just turned 8) were and are bedwetters. I took my 8 year old to the doctor and was reminded that it's a familiar thing -- he gets it from my husband who wet the bed until he was 12 years old. On occasion, there may be psycological reasons for why a child wets the bed, but 1 out of 4 kids are bed wetters (according to my doctor). Pull-Ups, mattress protectors and teaching your child to help with the laundry will help ease the burden of your situation. I personally think medication should be considered as a last resort. If you want to try another route besides letting him grow out of it, I would try chiropractic before I put him on any medication. Reassure your son that he is not alone -- there are so many kids in his same boat. Don't make a big deal out of it, but do try and encourage him to not drink after 6:00, use the bathroom just before bed, and consider taking him once before you go to bed (if it's a couple of hours after he goes down). These things have helped, but not cured our sitation. Our 8 year old uses a pull-up and sometimes still wakes up with wet sheets. We just change the bed and get everything into the washer before he starts anything else and he actually likes being in charge of this. Good luck! And don't worry...this too shall pass -- eventually!!

1 mom found this helpful

I have reecently read something in one of my parent magazines about bedwetting meidcation that can cause seizures. I don't remember the name of the medication but it's something that altered the kidneys function and if I remember correctly, the FDA issued the alert. I would do a search on the internet for the medication your doctor wants to prescribe. My son was 5 in March and is still in pull-ups but I am not going to use medication for this reason. There are things that will sound alarms at the slightest bit of moisture you could try. One attaches to the underpants and the other is a pad you place on the bed. Have you tried waking your son up at night to go potty and then send him back to bed? If it was me, I would research the medication heavily before using it. Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

My mom used to wake me up at night and walk me to the bathroom. If it starts at 12, try waking him at 11 and maybe 3...to see if he can start doing it on his own. It means you have to get up too but maybe you and your husband can take turns.

I have had this same problem with both my older sons. I too brought this problem to my doctors attention when my oldest son was 5 because my husband was also a bedwetter. My doctor told me that he would grow out of it. I did some research online, and the success of these medications is very low. Initially, the success is very good, but the failure rate after discontinuing the medication is about 80%! Psychologically this does more damage to older children who seem to have stayed dry for months only to realize that the problem has returned. The only permanent solution to bedwetting is to use a wetness alarm. Several models are available online. The one that my younger son used has underwear that has the sensors already sewn in and the alarm snaps onto the underwear. The alarm is wireless and plugs into a wall outlet. It also has a battery backup. This requires a real commitment from one of the parents, however. Initially, the parent is the one that hears the alarm and wakes the child up. But after a week or so, the child begins to slowly wake up on his own. Soon, you will be able to compete with your son to see if he can get to the bathroom before you do! The alarm comes with suggested directions of use. If I were you, I would look online. At 7.5, he will want to start having or going to sleepovers or summercamp.

Hi W.!! I agree with kathleen and dawn. Try a chiropractor. My daughter had the same problem when she was small and it really worked!!! We have been going to the chiropractor for 18 years and i don't know what i would do without it!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck!

W.-
I personally would not giv the meds for bedwetting. I would look for a second opinion. I have never had bedwetting problems, til my youngest. She is stll wtting the bed at the age of 6. We just keep her in bedtime pull-ups. She is a very heavy sleeper and just can't wake up at night to use the bathroom. The doctor keeps telling me that she will get over it. I can understand your plea for help. I am worried that she is going to go through the same problems here soon. I hope that things work out for you soon. Praying for you.
S. C

Hi W.,

I have had two children that I used DDAVP nasal spray with, it worked great. The one child had to go through 2 bottles before she quit wetting on her own, the other child only to go through one. The doctor told me to wait 2 weeks in between bottles to see how they would do. The older one is now 19 and the younger one is 13, no side effects were experienced then or until now. Good luck with whatever you decide.

D.

I have a 6 yr old daughter who also consistently will wet the bed every night. What we have started doing (we haven't tried any med's, yet) is waking her up every night around 11pm (if we wait much longer to wake her up she will have an accident) and have her go to the bathroom. Like you said, he is wet by about midnight every night so if you wake him up before then he can use the bathroom and not have an accident. It works for us. She has not had an accident since we started doing this, only if we forget to wake her ;). You might try this before you start medicating.
Good Luck!

My daughter is 11 and still wets the bed on occassion. I almost did the 2000 dollar coaching---glad I didn't, I got a panty alarm for 10 dollars and she refused to wear it. I have resorted to the nose spray desmopressin 0.01%. She uses it when she goes to camp or stays at friends houses, otherwise not. She does not use it continuously. She has her good days and bad. When she does wet, she does the laundry. It is a training thing--she sleeps so heavy. Tip--place a shower courtain from dollar store under mattress pad-fold to fit. it is washable in machine.

My sister used medication on her still-bedwetting thirteen year old grandson who lives with her. I know she was pleased with the results and so was he. If she had known of it she probably would have tried it sooner. Don't know if it's the same medication, however.

We haven't gone to mediacation but we are still in the trying of stuff per the doctor.

We went to a pediatric urologist for my 7 year old daughter. She had to have some tests done. Then the doctor told us to not allow her to have any dairy products after 6:00 p.m. because it has the same stuff that turkey has, triptafane sp?. On the nights that we are successful with this she does not wet the bed. We also have her stay up later and get up earlier. We let her take a nap in the afternoon. We also wake her up in the night to go potty.

I would also be interested to hear what others have to say on this subject. I feel your frustration, I am only going to the medications as a last resort, also.

Yes my son had the same problem and that age and we tried the medication and it did help,but it did not stop the wetting completly. His doctor prescribed a low dose and only gave him a few re-fills, because of the side effects and did not want this to become the primary solution. However it did give him a feeling of control over his problem, he felt more confadent about sleep overs. Along with using the med we had him take the responsibilty of monitoring his liquid intake before bed time since it was a problem that he was aware of and wanted to control as much a we did. We also tried the bed alarms, but they did not help. Another teecnique we tried was setting a alarm clock at night to go off 2 hours into his sleep, because it seem to be the time when he would wet the bed, this would cause him to get up and go to the bathroom. I hope this helps, I know it hard seeing your child emotional upset.

Our pediatrician prescribed it for our daughter and it worked like a charm! After about 1 year on it, she outgrew the bedwetting (that's why nothing works to "fix it" -- it's just the body developing and they have to outgrow it) Anyway, I highly recommend it, as it will save you the headaches of all the laundry and do wonders for your son's self-esteem and confidence. My daughter was finally able to not stress out about sleep overs or anyone finding out her "secret". Best of luck!

Hi W. -

Have you tried any natural remedies to strengthen his urinary system? I would suggest you try 10-15 drops of nettle leaf tincture, 3 x's a day. You can get the tincture at your local herb store, like Chakra Botanica in Payson.

Also, for reasons unknown, I was told when my youngest son had this problem to feed him a small box of raisins before bed. It works!

Blessings,

M. M. Ernsberger
Certified Clinical Herbalist
Square Foot Gardening Specialist
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Someone mentioned EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique - basically tapping on the energy source points on your face/body -- it sounds way 'out there' but sounds like it can work on a variety of things. Try it, it costs less than chiropractic anyway.

W....

Try chiropractic care. Excellent results with this condition. Come see me if you like. I have helped many kids with this condition in the last 14 yrs.

F. Rooh,DC
____@____.com

Hi,
May I suggest that you talk to my mom? She took care of my cousin for several months and she had to take this medicine also. Her name is Sheila and her e-mail is ____@____.com
I hope she is of some help to you.

I would not do the medication unless it was going to fix the problem. I would try having your son hold it for as long as he can during the day, BUT of course not past discomfort. his bladder may not be big enough to hold lots of liquid. holding it will increase the size and train the bladder to hold it. it is summer now so it will be easier to work on this. and at 7 your son should be more than willing to help you help him.
how sound does he sleep at night? I would make sure the way to the bathroom is totally lit so he can get up and go without harming himself---I do not mean brightly lit. just not totally darkness. my grandmother used to wake up my uncles at night and make them go but that just trains you. you did say he does this every night. but if he would go somewhere would he go in the bed there? my daughter would wet her bed most nights but not anywhere else. you are right not to make a big deal out of it. and you were right to check with the doctor about it but you never said if the doctor actaully did tests on him or not. if she didn't I would insist on tests to check his bladder and kidneys. and pay attention to his mental state. I know it is hard to think this but he may be doing it on purpose for other reasons. attention maybe, his brothers are giving him a rough time at something and he thinks if he makes something wrong with him they may stop. among other things. just pay attention to your son (I am not saying this because you have 5 sons) good luck

let me add 1 more thing. make sure when your son takes a bath he scrubs himslef very good and especially in the ceases of his body --- especially if he laid in the urine during the night for any length of time. you certainly do not need him to have an odor that kids in school will notice or else he will have bigger problems than just this. you know how kids are.

it seems you are doing a great job! it also seems to me that your son is involved in your decision making. i have a son that exact age and i think i would talk to him about it, explain about the meds, but also the danger of the meds, and make the decision together.

Hi W.,
My 13 year old son just in the last 6 months has stopped wetting the bed. We did not do medication basically for the same reason you are thinking! We were told by the pediatric urologist that as long as there is nothing wrong physically, that he will grow out of it. Just keep a plastic sheet on his mattress, as to not ruin the mattress. Be patient, it will stop. Hope it all works out!

you might want to consider getting a protective padding for the mattress and keep him in pull-ups. I agree with medication, why harm your child if you don't have to. I have a son that did the same thing. You just have to wait it out. The reason is because his bladder is still growing and if he is a hard sleeper he won't feel the sensation to get up and use the bathroom. His bladder will be at normal stage when he is 12 years of age. As he gets older the problem will stop. Just encourage him to tell you he's had an accident and thank him when he does. Try to keep his spirits up and don't make him feel like it's his fault because it's not.

HI W.-
I know three chiropractors that have helped several kids and adults with bedwetting. There was no need for medication and after a few treatments they had no problem. It is an alignment problem where pressure is sitting in an area that causes bedwetting- it is not the childs fault at all- their bodies are in need of alignment. I go to a chiro that does no adjusments and is not invasive at all- the children are not popped and adjusted in the typical manner you would think. It is worth researching so that you can prevent the use of the medications. That just starts a cycle of meds to prevent one thing after the other. Medication will mask the issue not heal it:) If you would like the numbers of the chiros I know I can share them with you- Good luck, I know you will find so much helpful info with researching chiropractic care and bedwetting.
Talk soon,
D.

My girlfriend and I were just talking about this yesterday.
Her son is 11 and for the very first time in his life has finally quit wetting the bed. (He did it nightly)
She ordered a device that sounds an alarm when it gets wet. It has been 3 months since she started this and it worked the 4th day she had it!!She said she's kicking herself for not finding this years ago.(She tried everything as well)
She also mentioned she wants to put it on Ebay since she's done with it.
Unfortunately she's traveling right now so I cant contact her until tomorrow, but if you want more info on this please reply back to me.
P.

I agree with you that it sounds scary to shut down kidney function. Any time you throw a medication into a body, it disrupts lots of systems and has many effects that you might not see the results of for years. Especially in developing children, I would use the utmost caution before administering any medication.

Hypnotherapy is a safe, gentle alternative solution you can look into. Think about what controls sleep and waking and bladder function...it's not the conscious mind. Dealing with things on a conscious level won't help. The subconscious is everything below the level of the conscious mind. It's really fun for kids and the results are amazing.

You can try this--have him relax and close his eyes, and imagine his brain as a computer. When his bladder is full, it sends a signal to his brain that it's time to pee, and this signal works perfectly all day long. Then at night, the computer has a little problem and the signal doesn't get through. So have him program the signals to work perfectly every night. Have him imagine the cables and the buttons and have him work on it. All the circuits from his brain to his bladder and bladder to brain work perfectly. So either he will hold it all night or his computer will wake him up. Have him take some time with this exercise, and then have him imagine what it will be like now that it's fixed.

Then at night before bed, have him program the computer again, maybe giving himself a button or dial, and have him make sure everything is working. Have him imagine waking up in the morning dry and happy and very proud of himself.

This may be something that needs more professional help, but imagination can solve many problems on its own. Vividly imagining what he wants can bring it to him. It's got no side-effects and is worth a try! If you do decide to explore it with a professional, look for one in your area that works with children. They don't have to be PhDs or psychologists, just experienced with kids. Good luck to you, and it's so great that you're exploring options instead of just doing the medication. He's lucky to have such a conscientious mom!

All of my kids have been bed wetters. My eldest out grew it at age 11. We had a Dr. give her the DDAVP and then after research chose not to give it to her. The medications they use for bed wetting actually started out as anti-depressants. So even thought they found that they worked to control the sphincter they still have the same properties as other anti-depressants. So our choice was to avoid messing around with the unknown. We still have a 9 year old who wets the bed. He will out grow it. He wears pullups and we just tell him that he will out grow it. No big deal. Good luck.

Of course this is a frustrating issue for your son and you. I can't believe they even would make a medication to "shut down the kidneys!" Please don't risk physical problems to attempt to solve this! You said you tried changing diet. I would really encourage you to explore not only diet, but also environmental sensitivites as well. It could be the sheets, mattress, laundry soap, pajamas, not to mention carpet, paint, drapes, etc in his room. When exploring diet, each food needs to be out of the diet for 3-4 weeks to be sure it is not the offending one. Dairy and/or gluten are probably the most offending ones, but it could be dyes, sugar, or anything else. Please continue to seek the cause instead of masking the symptom, which is what that drug will do.
PS It is not that unusual for children (and even adults) to bedwet. Assure your son that it is not his fault and many other boys and girls share this same problem. When you find the cause and eliminate it, you will be assuring him better health. Good luck with it...it is not easy, but so worth it!

Hi W.,
We've been through this too. Our pediatrician recommended "The Potty Pager" and it worked very well. We did not want to go medicated route unless absolutely needed. He agreed and they highly recommend this approach. Basically, it's a small pager alarm that attaches to the underwear before bed, right where urine would hit first. It's a sensor and alarm will go off, or vibrate or both when he starts to go. This helps program the brain to recognize full bladder, need to wake up. We've tried the wake the child up approach, but this makes him rely on you and doesn't achieve the latter idea of him recognizing feel and need to arouse self! It is about $80 + but think of the time, expense of alternatives (pull-ups, washing bedding, self-esteem...). One last piece,follow their advice for extended use, to really have a longterm effect of new habit. You may think b/c he's dry for 7 days you can stop, but please follow their course of recommended use.
Good luck!!
Barb

How frustrating for your son and your family....my heart goes out to you! The good news is, there is a great product that might be the perfect solution for you:
http://www.bedwettingstore.com/Bedwetting_Alarms/malem_be...

The site www.bedwettingstore.com seems to have a lot of information and products to choose from!

Best,
C.

HI! Sometimes, but not always, bed wetting is just an emotional glitch that can be delt with with counseling. Find a pediatric psychologist in your area and see what they suggest. Shutting down kidneys is such a scarey thought especially considering his age. Has the doc checked his bladder size before suggesting this drug? Usually an ultra sound can show problems and those are easy.

My son, 5 1/2 years old, had the same problem. My pediatrician recommended a "bed-wetting alarm". You can purchase it online at www.bedwettingstore.com. We bought the Malem alarm which vibrates, lights up and has an alarm. I'm happy to say that after 3 months (that may sound like a long time but it works if you stick with it) he is dry at night! NO more wet pj's, no more Pull-ups at night and no medication!!! The alarm helps reprogram the brain to feel the need to pee. Good Luck!

My 11 year old daughter has struggled with bed wetting off and on for years. We have had her on Desmopressin and while she was taking it she didn't have one accident. After being on it for about three months we took her off of the medication and she hasn't had any accidents. It's probably been about eight weeks now. I didn't really feel that at her age pull-ups were an option as I know wetting the bed had an extreme affect on her self-esteem. Hope this helps and good luck with whatever you decide to do.