Newly Diagnosed Toolkit

There are several things you can do on your own to take control of your symptoms and to feel healthier:

Diet Modification

Changes in diet help many patients control their symptoms and most IC treatment guidelines recommend dietary changes as part of an IC therapy plan.

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Bladder Retraining

Bladder retraining involves learning to urinate (void) on a set schedule, not when your bladder tells you to. Bladder retraining is usually part of an overall IC treatment plan that includes other therapies, but if you have no pain and only mild urinary urgency and frequency symptoms, bladder retraining may be the only therapy you need.

Stress Management

Most people with interstitial cystitis (IC) recognize that stress plays a part in exacerbating symptoms or bringing on flare-ups. Simply dealing with having IC and the accompanying symptoms can be a source of stress in itself. In addition to using regular exercise to combat stress and relieve pain, IC patients suggest the following complementary therapies:

• Learning basic relaxation techniques.
• Using meditation tapes and/or visualization.
• Learning self-hypnosis.
• Receiving massages.
• Going to psychotherapy to learn coping skills and stress reduction techniques.

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Physical Therapy

Using physical therapy to treat common IC problems can go a long way toward easing your pain and bladder symptoms. The physical therapy techniques that help relax and lengthen tight muscles and release trigger points are different from the ones that help incontinence patients, who mainly need to strengthen the pelvic floor through Kegel exercises.

Your physical therapist (PT) should be specially trained in the techniques that help IC and pelvic pain patients.

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Complementary and Alternative Therapies

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies most often used to treat interstitial cystitis (IC) symptoms include biofeedback, diet-based therapies, herbal remedies, massage, yoga, and Pilates. CAM refers to health care systems, practices, and products that are not part of the conventional medicine treatment approaches.

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Oral Medicines

Follow the link below to a list of medicines that may be prescribed to relieve IC symptoms. Each of these classes of medicines comes with its own set of side effects and drug interactions. Remember to always make sure that you check with your doctor before trying any new medicine or therapy.

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Bladder Instillations

The American Urological Association’s practice guideline for IC indicats bladder installations as a second-line treatment option when diet modification, stress management, and over-the-counter products are not enough. Bladder instillations or bladder cocktails are mixtures of medicines put directly into the bladder.

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Cystoscopy with hydrodistention under anesthesia may be necessary when an IC diagnosis is in doubt and the symptoms are complicated. “Complicated” symptoms include incontinence or overactive bladder, gastrointestinal problems, blood or protein in the urine, and gynecologic problems.

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Electrical nerve stimulators, also known as neuromodulators, send mild electrical pulses to nerves in the lower back and help manage urinary function or offer relief of chronic pain. Neuromodulators have been helpful for many IC patients who don’t get enough relief from other therapies.

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Immunosuppressants

Cyclosporine, an immunosuppressive drug used in organ transplantation, is also a treatment for several autoimmune disorders with good results. Because IC may have an autoimmune component, this medicine is being studied as a possible IC treatment.

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Botox

While not FDA-approved for the treatment of IC, Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A or Botox) is used to treat many conditions of the bladder, including IC. Botox is thought to work by blocking the sensory nerves in the bladder that transmit pain, spasticity, and inflammation. It requires direct needle injections into the bladder.

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Bladder surgery option is generally considered a treatment of last resort. Only a urologist experienced in treating IC can advise you on the appropriateness of surgery for your particular situation.

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