Interstitial Cystitis (IC) Support Group

Hi Brandy,

sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time right now.

As for herbs and such Cornsilk is used to treat cystitis and I believe it is ok during pregnancy, but you should check with your doctor or pharmacist.

Humboldt Herbals sells a Bladder Aid Tea that I have found helpful. It doesn't taste to wonderful, but add a little agave nectar or honey and it's ok. Unfortunately I'm not much of tea drinker, so I don't reap the benefits of it because I almost never drink teas.

Anywho, here it is:

* Bladder Aid Tea
*
* $2.75/Oz. Add to Cart

A cleansing blend of diuretic herbs to help flush out the kidneys and bladder. Blended with Cornsilk, Nettle, Parsley, Marshmallow, Cleavers, Chickweed, Dandelion leaf, Spearmint

http://humboldtherbals.com/organic...



***As with all medications be sure to check with your physician before beginning a new treatment, while these are natural remedies, they are still "drugs" and you want to make sure it is not contraindicated with anything you already use***

I do have a lot of back pain and I think it is linked to IC but I don't nessasarily have it when I am in a flare. I went to a physical therapist and she said my pelvic area is in a state of clenching and therefore can affect the rest of my body.
Anyway I don't any herbal solution for the frequency you can find stuff that may help with the burning. I advise if you are not already doing this to make sure you drink lots of water during the day but nothing like pop, coffee, juice or any caffeinated drinks. Those tend to make me pee all night. Also stop drinking one or two hours before bed. Also you can look into Desert Harvest Aloe capsules. You can get them online at the Desert Harvest website. I started taking them they are all natural and no preservatives. They are made just for IC. I don't know if they are working yet but I am hopeful. Check with a doctor that it is ok during pregnancy.

I personally take hydroxyzine at night. It calms my bladder and helps me hold my urine and not get up as much. But it is a drug and not safe to take during pregnancy.
I have heard that some women have relief from their symptoms during pregnancy so you might be one of the lucky ones!

Good luck!
Tori

I had bad, ic-related back pain with my period this month. I use Marshmallow Root Tea (hannasherbshop.com), Bilberry LEAF and Raspberry LEAF teas (both at Humboldt Herbals). I drink the Bilb. and Rasp. teas hot, so they are instantly soothing. The bilberry leaf is especially known for it's pain-relief in the bladder.

It looks like you aren't taking an antihistamine. I take loratadine (generic form of claratin) daily. I think it's a huge help for my overall wellness. Exercise is also important. Even if you are just climbing the stairs of your house for 15 minutes, you have to get your heart rate up to get your blood flowing and sweat out some toxins. Your body also releases natural pain-relievers when you work out. This will help you physically and mentally.

The ONLY thing that allows me to sleep through the night is taking 200mg of ibuprofen before bed. Please note, I take generics of most drugs because they don't have artificial colorings and sweetners like over-the-counter name brands such as Advil. Talk to your doctor about anti-inflammatory drugs, as ibuprofen shouldn't be taken long-term, especially in large amounts.
In addition to the IC diet, please avoid nightshade plants (ex. potatoes and eggplant) as they cause inflammation. Foods like blueberries and spinach (if you can tolerate them) reduce inflammation.

In the meantime, try taking a hot bath in epsom salts. Feel better soon!

I was on Elmiron (still am) for almost 9 months and still getting up 3-4 times per night. In addition, I couldn't go more than 1 hour during the day without extreme urgency and frequency. My doctor told me to really watch my diet and she recommended bladder instills. I really didn't want to do the DMSO instills but she use DMSO. Anyway, I went ahead with the instills and within 2 weeks I was able to sleep through the night or only get up once. It's been 2 years since the instills and I'm still able to sleep straight through most nights. I go maybe 3-4 times during the day and once or twice in the evening. The instill used was: Heparin 10,000 Units/ml-2ml's, Solucortif 125 mg, Gentamicin 80 mg/2ml-2ml's, Sodium Bicarbonate 8.4%-50ml's, Marcaine 0.5%-50 ml's. The instills were given once a week for six weeks and held in the bladder for 30 minutes at each visit. My doctor had also recommend the Interstim but thought I should try her instills first; I'm really glad I did.

Sorry your having such a difficult time. I had the interstim implant in 05 and its the best thing I ever did for myself. Before that I couldn't drive 10 miles without stopping at least once. Now I can sometimes go for hours. I know that not everyone has sucess with it but think insurance companies have way to much control. If your doctor thinks you need it they should not be able to deny it. I know that my doctor had to do a trial run before the insurance company would pay for the interstim it might be worth mentioning. Or maybe you should call the insurance company direct and find out what basis they are using for denial.

Low back pain has always been a big part of my IC pain but I know that it varies with different people. Hope you get some resolution soon. Hugs Deb

I would REALLY recommend also exploring some alternative therapies out there. I am pregnant, for example, and I can't take Elmiron as there are not any human studies done with Elmiron and pregnancy, and it is a fairly new drug -which means long term studies could take decades to come out. There is a wonderful website called evenbetternow.com that has lots of safe alternatives without the side effects of Elmiron. I have tried both and have found the natural remedies work faster (2 weeks compared to 3 months) and are MUCH safer and easier on my system. There is a wonderful homeopathic doctor on that site that you can email or call for free advice. He has WAY more knowledge than even my urologist! Even though most Western doctors have only one option, there are MANY options out there that they are not trained in. Do lots of research and you can overcome IC!! Good luck and good health!