Some treatments are not recommended for IC/BPS because they have not shown enough benefit or may cause harm.

These include:

• Long-term antibiotics when there is no infection. Repeated or ongoing antibiotic use can cause side effects and lead to antibiotic resistance.
• Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) bladder treatments outside of research studies. This treatment has not been shown to work well for IC/BPS and can cause serious side effects.
• High-pressure, long-duration bladder stretching. This approach can increase the risk of serious problems, such as bladder injury, without a clear added benefit.
• Long-term oral steroid use. Steroids taken by mouth for a long time can cause serious health problems and are not recommended as a main IC/BPS treatment.

Patients should talk with their healthcare provider about safer, guideline-supported options for symptom control.