Anybody That Has Advise on a Doctor or Medicine for Bed Wetting?

My son too is having the same issue. He is 11 years old. His 5 year old brother does not wet the bed anymore and does not require pull-ups. I took my 11 year old to the chiropractor and it worked for a couple of weeks (I think it was all in his mind) then went right back to having accidents almost nightly. I too am at my wits end because he does not take the wet sheets and pajamas off and put them in the dirty clothes so now the room smells like pee. Thank goodness for mattress covers. I have 2 babies in diapers so buying pull-ups just adds to my bill. Thank you for posting this question and I will ask my pediatrician about the DDAVP. My son just sleeps so hard that hardly any amount of noise will not wake him up.

Hi M.,

My daughter, who was 7 at the time was bedwetting and we used the alarm - it worked great!
T.

Look up Hyland's bedwetting tablets. Read up on them. I don't have any kids that have this problem, but I have tried their other products & they seem to help. And it's cheap.

Hi M.,

I would recommend trying Chiropractic. I am a Chiropractor and I have worked with many children at a variety of ages to eliminate bedwetting. The nerves for the bladder come out of the spine. When there is pressure on the nerves from the vertebrae being out of place, the bladder can not function properly. By adjusting the spine and removing the pressure on the nerve, the bladder can start functioning optimally. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me at ###-###-#### or visit my website at sullivanchiropractic.com. Thank you! Dr. Sandra S.

Well, related to not drinking after 6pm....my daughter could not NOT drink after 6pm, so we started saying only yogurt drinx after 6pm. That way she had something to wash food down and satisfy thirst, but no bed wetting. It worked within a few days. I think that the yogurt may have had a positive effect of becoming a "solid" in her stomach, so in addition to not contributing, I think that it actually helped. Worth a try for you!

Hi M.,
Have you taken your son to a chiropractor? My ex husband had the same problem when he was your son's age and his mom took him to a chiropractor. He didn't have a problem with wetting after a few adjustments. If you need a recommendation I would be happy to give you a couple very well respected and knowledgeable Chiropractors.
Good Luck,
K.
"The Garage Door Lady"

No medical advice - just a what my mama did to me. She gave me what I now know to be 1 TBSP of apple cider vinegar out of a dark glass 'cough syrup jar' every morning and every night for 7 days. Every time, she said this was to help me stop wetting the bed but I had to take it for a week. At night 5 I stopped. I haven't wet the bet in 22 years (I was 8). I don't know if it's something in the apple cider vinegar or the psychosomatic effect - but whatever it was, I'm grateful she did it.

S.

M.,
We did everything, doctors, urologist, not drinking after 6, etc. Nothing worked. My daughter wet the bed until she was almost 14. But, my husband did, too. I think taking some of the pressure and stress off of him might help. My daughter always felt "bad" when she would wet. I finally just told her to not worry about it. I would recommend a pad for the bed as well as pull ups. That's no big deal right?
M.

There are some prescription medications out there. It is often a case that your brain does not recognize that you need to go to the bathroom enough to wake you from sleep. Your pediatrician should be able to prescribe this medication for you, however if they are not willing you can always try making an appointment with a urologist to check for any structural defects. One that I would recommend is Dr. Kirk Pinto or Dr. Jeff Pugach. I am a pediatric nurse practitoner and have worked with both. I hope this helps!

We tried everything for our son and nothing worked. We had heard about the alarm but didn't think we could afford it either. However, when he was 12 or 13, and this problem was seriously affecting his social life, we finally "bit the bullet", and bought an electronic alarm for his bed from Sears. We got the "loudest" one which was slightly more expensive that the "loud" one. It said to expect results in 2 to 3 weeks. It worked on him in less than 1 week. Several months later we moved to a new state and the bedwetting began again. We got out the alarm again and in just a few nights he was dry...never to have the problem again.

The chiropractor might work, but the alarm would probably cost less than even one trip to the chiropractor...definitely less than multiple trips.

Other than this, you might try pull-ups. They are pretty indiscreet...however, the alarm might be cheaper in the long run.

You need to take him to a specialist. I wet myself until I was in the 3rd grade when my mother finally found a dr who discovered my bladder was misshapen. I had surgery and never had another problem after that. There are several reasons the bladder may not be able to maintain fluids and sometimes it can be cured with medication. The meds did not work for me, but they have them.

Bless his heart! My prayers are with him. It really is a frustrating and embarrassing problem.

Have you tried a chiropracter? That helped when our son was 5.

For us, DDAVP was the solution. Our doctor explained to us that there is a hormone which kicks in at night to limit the amount of urine which is created, and when the body isn't making enough of that hormone the result is bedwetting. I would guess that since your son is 12, you have tried everything. A 12 year old boy is usually active in sports and scouts and other activities and he probably needs fluids in the evening, especially during our hot Texas summers. So eliminating fluids at 6pm could be dangerous! It will be a great relief for him to know that this is not something he can control and that it could just be that he needs a hormone supplement. Call your doc and ask to try it. We only needed to use it for about 6 months. It worked wonders for us and will totally change your sons life

Do you "wake" him up at night? I put that in quotes because if you get him out of bed he could still be asleep and you could be teaching him to dream he is walking to the bathroom. To make sure he is awake, ask him questions like, where are you? If he says "I don't know" he's asleep - wake him.(cold water on the face is effective) Also, has anyone said he shouldn't be getting up in the middle of the night? My husband told one of our son's that and he started wetting the bed. It took me months to teach him that was wrong.

Bed wetting is usually caused by inadequate sleeping patterns. Even if he is getting to bed early and falling asleep, it doesn't mean he is getting into REM sleep.

So before medicating, try a sleep clinic too. Of course, talk all over with doctor and do your homework!

Big thing, never ever make him feel ashamed of his accidents. I am sure he is already but you will have more psychological issues when he is older if he is feeling ashamed. See if counseling will help him through this as well. Believe me, if he could stop himself from wetting, he would.

Something I did with my toddler during bed wetting accidents, put a plastic air mattress between him and the mattress to avoid soiled fabric. In fact, get rid of that bed and get a big blow up mattress. Easy to clean, no big damage, no big deal and its fun too. You want to take as much stress off yourself and the boy as possible while you are figuring this all out.

One last thing, if he will do this, have him put on incontinent underpants. (sorry, can't remember the correct term or name). If he will do this it will reduce the mess around him. Nothing worse than waking up with urine all over you. Always be careful on sleep overs too.

Good luck to you both, I hope you find a quick answer! C.

Dr. Syed Quadri or Dr. Talat Tayyaba, child and adolescent psychiatrists, in Bedford. 817/684-2710

www.stopwetting.com also for info

I'm a former bedwetter myself. It's such an embarrassing problem! I agree with the ladies who have suggested waking your son up in the middle of the night. Until he grows out of it (and he will, don't worry), going to the bathroom in the middle of the night is the best way to avoid the problem. The best part about this approach is that he can take a cheap watch on sleepovers, set it, and it's not likely to wake anyone else up if he has it right by his own ear.

Good luck to you.

Hi M.. I feel for your son. Bed wetting is such a difficult thing. My brother wet the bed until he was 18 and it was so difficult for hime. I've heard it is hereditary (my dad was a bed wetter), so I of course worried about my own kids. They all potty trained during the day by 22 months, but 2 of my 3 did not potty train at night until almost 5. If you haven't already tried this, you might. What my husband and I did was have them go to the bathroom before bedtime and then set our alarm to wake them up around 1:00 am (yes, this was a pain), and then after a few nights we would move it back 30 minutes and we kept doing this until we got them to make it through the night. In reality, what we did was take them out of their deep sleep to go to the bathroom, so that they learned to wake up and go on their own. Both mine can be heard getting up at night to go to the bathroom (although it gets less and less - they are 10 and 7 now). I think they just either can't hold it as long (more sensitive to the need to urninate) or they have small bladders. When we kept moving the time back by 30 minutes, if they had an accident we knew we had moved the time too soon and we needed another night or two at that same time. It does take a toll on the parents getting up, but it was so worth it for their self esteem and in the long run me not having to wash sheets. Good luck. I'll be praying for him.

One reason for your child wetting the bed is that he has a small bladder & that is something that they will eventually resolve itself, but in the mean time medication is a good solution. You don't necessarily have to take him to a specialist, your pediatrician should be able to prescribe the medication. The medication is DDAVP. It does work. I was also told (by a doctor) that it is hereditary.

GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS!!

DDAVP (also called desmopressin acetate)...it does wonders!

I have a brother and a sister that had this problem well into their teens. It's so tough on them. I don't know of a Dr or how to fix BUT i did want to advise against the alarm. Although it may work, my sister still tells me how bad it upset her - it's NOT a pleasant way to wake up. She believes she was traumatized from the experience - and she's probably right. Just my opinion...

I have to tell you that the alarm is totally worth the money. I spent a ton at the chiropractor and seeing a pedi urologist - my son was on medicine to help his urgency - didn't help the bedwetting. Within 2 weeks of using the alarm - no more bedwetting! He has been dry for 4 months now. He is 10.

You need to see a urologist because there are different reasons for bedwetting - every child is different. He did tell us 20% of kids each year outgrow it up to age 15. So they aren't really concerned with it until age 15 1/2.

You can contact me directly if you have specific questions.

I just want to add - the alarm is not traumatic!! OMG!! there is a vibrate mode. It is far more upsetting for self-esteem to wet the bed! My son CHOSE the alarm after weighing all the options with his doctor - I was not really wanting to do medications - they are NOT a cure - just a treatment! His self-confidence to go to summer camp and have sleep-overs was worth the price of the alarm! He totally did it himself!

Think of how it must feel to wake up wet and cold every morning - even if you use absorbent briefs. Bedwetting is NORMAL - but upsetting for the child experiencing it.

M.~

My son used to use a prescription that was in the form of a nasal spray that kept him from wetting the bed. It has been several years ago since he used it & I don't recall the name of it. He basically used one spray in each nostril each night when he was going to bed & it really worked!

We tried everything prior to using the medication. We tried restricting his fluids & cutting him off after 6:00 pm. We tried waking him in the night & taking him to the rest room. Nothing worked.

Ask your doctor about it or google it. Good luck ;)

Have you considered taking your son to a doctor. They say the brain and all the stuff that works in the urinary system sometimes do not connect. There's a medication they can give him until he matures in that area. The pediatric doctors will be able to help with this dilemma. C. T.

My son is 14 and this problem has just started to get better. You're not alone -- that's why they still make pull-ups (disposable underwear)in larger sizes!

This is a hereditary thing. If there is anyone on either side of the family who has had this trouble, that's probably why your son does. Our doctor told us that when it's hereditary, you can do all kinds of stuff (urology work-ups, medicine,etc.) but basically you'll just have to wait until his bladder matures. This is more common in boys than girls, too.

We decided not to do the alarm system or drugs, and just wait it out until his bladder matured enough to let him know he needs to go. We put a vinyl-lined pad on the mattress and had him stop drinking after dinner and pee before getting into bed. In the last 4-6 months, we have finally started to see some consistency in his being dry in the morning.

CVS brand night time disposable underwear come in larger sizes, and do not have babyish looking pictures on them. When my son went to spend the night at someone's house, we just told him to wear them under his pj's and throw them away in a plastic grocery bag in the morning. He would just go straight to the bathroom with his clothes in the morning, change, and take care of his wet pull-up.

As they get bigger, and their bladders have a larger capacity, if they don't pee before they get into bed, sometimes the pull-up will leak.

When he was younger, I would sometimes tell the mother of the friend he was staying with what was going on, so she could remind them to go to the bathroom and then not make a big deal about his needing to throw out the wet pull-up quietly. As he got older, I let him handle it. Those pull-ups have worked for sleeping at home, friends' houses, and summer scout camp.

Mostly we worried about not having my son be embarrassed or feel bad about himself. We just kept talking to him about how everyone's body matures at a different rate, and this is how we were going to handle things until his bladder "grew up."

Hang in there. It does get better!

My cousin acctually had this problem up until she was in college. They ended up setting an alarm clock for the middle of the night. It would go off she would go to the bathroom and then go back to bed. If she didn't set the alarm she didn't get up with the alarm she wet the bed.

We went through this with our oldest. he is now 25. we had the Dr refer him to a urologist back then who gave him a script for a synthetic harmone nasal inhaler that was inhaled at night before bed. We had tried everything before tht. His body did not produce enough of the harmone to stop his urine production at night. He was a different child after that and was able to stay with friends and gained self esteam. He eventually during puberty began to not need the spray. I am not one to put my kids on meds but at some point I had to realize that this was not something he was in control of. I hope this helps. It was only $10 back then with insurance. Like I said he is 25 now and has a very successful career in the Army. He is a marathon runner and a tri athlete.

My daughter had this problem when she was young and her pediatrician prescribed her a nasal spray that worked overnight. He explained that it was actually a sleep disorder. Normally, the body "slows down" when we are asleep - but in some young people this doesn't happen. I'm sorry I can't remember the name of the spray but your doctor should be able to prescribe it for him. He needs to know that it isn't his fault, also. This can be very traumatic for a pre-teen. Best of luck. :)

This is a long process. Our doctor said to do this or the alarm thing. Drink 6-8 oz of fluid fr time you wake up til 3:30 pm(VERY IMPORTANT). No caffeine after 3:30 pm including colas, chocolate,energy drinks, iced tea, iced coffee, ect. Avoid drinks with red dyes which may cause bladder irritation like kool aid, hi-c, and evenpopsicles. from 3:30 to 6pm limit 4-6 oz of fluid, maximum 4-6 oz at dinner. Drink nothing after 6pm except a sip with any medication. Ice cream, watermelon, milk on cereal also count as fluid after the 3:30-bedtime hours. Keep a diary of what is being takin in. The doctor told us it could take up to a full year before finally working. If this didn't work then we are supossed to get the alarm. We are still working with our 8 year old with this. Good Luck! Hope this helps.

Have you tried using the weekend to determine if he is doing this at a set time everynight? Alot of times it is during a certain hour that they are wetting. Does he wake up when it happens? It will be exhausting but try setting your alarm for every 30 minutes and checking him. When you see he has wet write down the time. You will need to do this for several nights and see if it is about the same time. If it is then start setting his alarm for right before tis time and have him get up and go. Then reset his alarm for in the morning. It seems he is a very deep sleeper and does not wake up when his body has to go. You can slowly train him to get up at night and go. Yes cutting back his fluid intake will help some. Also check with your OB. It has been to long to remember but there is a certain side you lay on while preg. that increases your urine circulation so you do not get bladder infections. If you find out what side they recommend preg. women sleep on try getting him to sleep on the other side, it won't stop it but can slow it down. my MIL is dealing with this with our 12 yo niece but with her it is pure rebellion from being taken away from her parents kinda payback thing. Unless there is emotional things going on even at school with bullies then he is just a very deep sleeper and needs to program his body to wake during the time he needs to go. We did break the 9 yo from bed wetting by doing this and it only took one weekend to figure her out and now she automatically wakes up at that time and goes even if she does not feel the urge. We ran water and did the warm water with her hand thing to make her go when she got up so her bladder would be empty. This is also how I potty trained my 4yo when he was 2. Good Luck

Hi M.,
I know that you want to help your son, so you might want to take him to one of the urology specialists at Cooks (assuming you couldn't get help from your family doctor). They can check to see if he has a medical/physical reason for the bedwetting. It may be a hormonal problems and they sometimes prescribe DDAVP for bedwetting or to control how the body uses water. Have you tried this? Also, if you have insurance, check to see if that pad alarm is a covered medical device (durable medical equipment) if prescribed by your doctor.
just some suggestions...

My step daughter used the Hargitt House program, and it worked great! Mainly no dairy after 6:00.

Take him to a urologist. My 10 year old sees Dr. Kirk Pinto with UANT in Fort Worth. He takes DDAVP and it worked "somewhat" but not totally. He ran a bunch of tests and constipation was a bit of the problem and his bowels weren't coming out properly. He takes Ditropan with the DDAVP and rarely has wet nights. He is going to phase out the ditropan soon and then go from there.

check natural/herbal solution from www.zoneofnaturalremedies.com and in children section you will find product call "Be-Dry Bedwetting Formula". Read info about that product. Good luck-W.

I have known two other friends that had children with this problem, and for some reason dairy products (milk, ice cream, cottage cheese) eaten of an afternoon or evening seems to of the effect of bed wetting. Hecould go ahead and have these for breakfast, but you might try that diet and see if it helped. Several yeas ago there was an article in my Guideposts written by the movie star that played "Little Joe" on that old western series of TV, and he said he wet the bed clear into high school,and was so embarrassed, and his mom would hang his sheets out thinking that would help, and he said a person can't help it, because they don't know they are doing it. I guess it isn't uncommon, I hope the diet thing helps, as I don't know of meds.

Have you tried the "overnight" pull up type underwear until you figure something out. Also, I strongly suggest that you take him to see a urologist. There could very likely be a medical issue that is causing this, esp. if it is relatively new. He could have chronic low grade UTI's or bladder infections. I would make the appt. and go from there. If it's nothing medical then you could contact your son's Pedi. and see what reccomendations they have. Best of luck to you both!

Hi M..
Just wanted to tell you that I didn't think I could afford a bed alarm either. I bought one on Ebay from a store called the Bed Wetting Store. It's not a pad alarm, it is an alarm that clips onto my son's underwear. And, it cost about $38. We have been doing it for about 3 weeks and we're still working on it so I can't tell you any success yet. I'm hoping it works well!

One thing the literature says about wetting... make sure the daytime toilet habits are good. And, make sure he goes ALL THE WAY when he goes. Many kids are so used to going quickly (so they can get back to playing) that they never completely empty their bladder. THen, when it's nighttime, they naturally relax the muscles in their bladder and the pee comes out.

It's just an idea. I hope it helps.