Bedwetting Support Group

Primary enuresis is when the child has never been dry at night or would not sleep dry without being taken to the toilet by another person or has some dry nights but continues to average at least two wet nights a week with no long periods of dryness. Secondary enuresis occurs when a child goes through an extended period of dryness and begins to experience night-time wetting again. Secondary enuresis is often caused by emotional stress.

Figures commonly cited suggest that enough children sleepwet at age six (perhaps one in three) so that it is within normal expectations and supportive management is appropriate until a child is seven or eight or has the maturity and desire to take an active role in planning and implementing specific treatment. Also, even with no active treatment, about 15% (one in seven) of children who do sleepwet will stop each year through natural development. Some sources indicate that 5-10% of teenage children experience occasional sleepwetting.

Tricyclic antidepressant prescription drugs with anti-muscarinic properties (i.e. Amitriptyline, Imipramine or Nortriptyline) may be used to treat bedwetting with much success for periods up to 3 months.

Another medication, Desmopressin, is a synthetic replacement for the missing burst of antidiuretic hormone. Desmopressin is usually used in the form of Desmopressin acetate, DDAVP. Whether used daily or occasionally, DDAVP simply replaces the hormone for that night with no cumulative effect.

Some psychologists and experts recommend the use of night-time training devices such as a bedwetting alarm to help condition the child first to wake up at the sensation of moisture and then at the sensation of a full bladder. Success with alarms is increased and relapses reduced when combined in programs which may include bladder muscle exercises, dietary changes, mental imagery, stress reduction, and other supportive activities.