I was just diagnosed with IC and was prescribed Elmiron to help repair the lining of my bladder.  I am hoping that I don't have to follow as strict of a diet while taking this, but is that possible?

Although we don't have a lot of research to support this yet, many practitioners and people with interstitial cystitis do find that over time they can add more foods to their diet once the bladder is given a chance to settle down or heal a bit.  If you are just beginning with pentosan polysulfate sodium (Elmiron), however, I would highly suggest that you build your meals around the Usually Ok list on the IC diet food list.  By only consuming foods and beverages that are as IC safe as possible, you will give Elmiron every chance to work.

Think of it this way: If you had a scrapped knee you would take good care of it so that the knee could heal, right?  You would clean it, put antibiotic cream on it, and keep it bandaged.  You definitely wouldn't take that bandage off three times a day and scrape the wound with sandpaper!  In a similar fashion, we believe Elmiron works to protect the bladder lining and possibly heal it like a bandage on a skinned knee.  If you eat bladder abrasive foods while you are taking Elmiron, it would be like taking sandpaper to a skinned knee.

Therefore, in order to give Elmiron every chance to work at healing your bladder, it only makes sense to follow a fairly restrictive diet for the first few months -- at least until you know if the Elmiron is going to work or not.  After you begin to get some relief with Elmiron, you can then begin to add foods back into your diet slowly.  It may seem like a long process now, but it can definitely pay off in the end.