User Reviews for Elmiron oral

Medication has kept me from having to use foley catheters which we all know how unomfortable they are. I have had no side effects and to be able to urinte is a wonderful thing.

For five years I suffered from debilitating pain from what my urologist initially thought was prostatitis. My consultation with the Cleveland Clinic was no help at all, and in fact exacerbated my condition. Finally, after attending a seminar, my urologist prescribed Elmiron, and explained that it was a treatment of interstitial cystitis(IC). For me, it was a miracle drug. Within three days of beginning this therapy, my pain receded and I have been pain free for two years now. If you have been diagnosed with chronic prostatitis, Elmiron could resolve your symptoms. Mention Elmiron to your doctor who may be unaware that it sometimes works for men.Read More Read Less

i have been taking this medicine for one year. after going to my primary dr then a gi dr then finally my gyno made a correct diagnosis and referred my to a urologist it was almost two years of pain. now all pain with intercorse is gone. i still have the frequent urge to urinate but if i have to hold it i don't hurt as bad (i found drinking mostly water helps...i drink about 60-75oz a day! the urine is less acidic that way) i take this med two pills twice a day the second dose accompanied by elavil. i find this helps me sleep through the night. although i still have flare ups they last no longer than a week or two with several months of relief in between. i do loose hair on a regular basis but not enough to make me look bald. before if you just touched my stomach below my belly button i would freak out, same if my pants were too tight i just couldn't bear it but now i have no sensitivity to touch. one thing i havn't heard mentioned is that this is linked to allergies. my urologist says that over 90% of people who have this ic have allergies too. they beieve that this is a severe allergic reaction to something in your environment. has any one else heard this??? so in addition to the elmiron and the elavil i also take an allergy pill. the biggest downfall of this medicine is that it costs sooooo much and the manufacture does not offer much help. it was 130.00 on my dads prescription plan, on mine it is 67.00(who says wal-mart ins sucks?!) even though it is expensive its worth it and i am reminded of that every time i get a flare up. i do find that the only thing that i have to eliminate from my diet is caffene, spicy foods are fine in moderation other than that...no diet changes....Read More Read Less

The pain has decreased for the most part, I still have breakouts and intercourse is still painful. The diarrhea is really bad.

I have interstitial cystitis. Elmiron took many months before I saw benefit. I have suffered with side effects of hair loss, very dry mouth and eyes, weight gain, and paresthesia along with a bad taste in my mouth. I now take only about 2 pills per day. The cost is very high and that is why I've taken my dose down. I've taken it for 1 1/2 years.

I began to experience a decrease in bladder pain after 2 months on Elmiron. By the end of the 6 month treatment my doctor prescribed, I was virtually pain free. Unfortunately, about a month after I stopped taking Elmiron, my pain came back. I am unsure as to why my doctor would not let me take it for a longer period of time.

It cured the pain, decreased urinary frequency, but increased my weight. Although I have increased my physical activity and reduced calorie intake, cannot lose weight.

I was diagnosed in 1999, I have been on it since then, and it has worked for me. I still get flares once in a while if I am not careful what I eat or drink.

I have been suffering with bladder pain, spasms, burning for over 6 months, tested negative for IC doc started me on elmiron 2 months ago. I am very depressed, tired, moody have anxiety and a feeling of not being able to breathe well. Kind of a shortness of breath feeling. Lots of headaches, dizziness. Doc says I should stay on the med for at least 6 months. I sure do sympathize with all of you who have had to endure this miserable condition. Any suggestions as to any other thing to make the pain go away??? Do any others suffer from anxiety and moodiness? Read More Read Less

This medication took several weeks to start working, but it allowed me to be able to work again and to lead a more "normal" life. The pain isn't entirely gone and I do have flare ups, but it has helped so much. It is expensive but I have a good insurance which pays most of the cost. I started out taking four a day, but after 2 years have been able to reduce to three a day and now 2 a day, but if I have a flare-up I will go back to three a day dosing. My main side effects have been severe hair loss, easy bruising, and fatigue, but I can live with all of this to not have the severe bladder pain that I was experiencing before starting on this medication.Read More Read Less

I have been taking this and Ditropan XL for 6 years now for my IC. It initially took about 3 months to start working and almost a year to get the full potential so i say stick with it for awhile if you can. It is the only way i can work full time. Diet is a huge part of it for me. Avoid soda,coffee and beer for sure. Vinager is pretty bad too. For those of you having trouble with the cost, contact the manufacturer. When my job was cut last year and i was laid off they paid for an entire year supply. Side effects got better over time. Dry mouth and eyes for sure. Drink water and carry around eye drops. I also have fibromyalgia and IBS. And so does my mom. I swear it is all related to one main problem with the nerves in my body. I am only 28 Does anyone else have these conditions along with the IC?Read More Read Less

It took the doctors 3 years to diagnose my IC as they thought it was my Endometriosis. They put me on this and I made myself stay on it as I was soo excited to get some relief of pain and finally be healed! But, after 4 weeks on it I had to stop taking this medicine for several reasons. One, it made me nauseated, dizzy, moody and I just didn't feel like myself. I lost so much weight cause of the sickness I get from this my doc took me off of it until I gain some weight back, but I am not gonna take it again! The side effects are soo horrible and that is upsetting as I waited 3 years for them to figure out what was going on and have a diagnosis and now the medicine that is the only thing that heals the bladder wall makes me soo sick! Two, I have no insurance and this is almost 300 dollars a month where I live and I am also on Ditropan XL which is 100 dollars a month! I still take that because that is awesome for the pain! I know the doc said Elmiron can take months to years before I see a difference, but the Ditropan XL helps the spasms of my bladder and I am soo grateful for Ditropan XL! If you can't take Elmiron and haven't been suggested Ditropan XL you should ask your doc for it! Elmiron and Ditropan XL together makes a faster recovery IF you can handle the horrible side effects!Read More Read Less

The side effects of this drug were so intolerable that I was not able to take it for more than 5 days. I had horrible headaches, constant heartburn and diarhea and I had trouble sleeping at night from all of this. I was taking the drug because I was recently diagnosed with IC.

I was diagnosed with IC after a very long 1 year experience with the pain, problems voiding and overall horrid feeling all the time. However, I am noticing that I am having eye problems (focus mostly). Is anyone else having this problem. I am on 2 capsules AM and PM.

I have had pelvic pain intermittently for years and finally was diagnosed with IC. Started on drug 4 months ago, taking two in morning and one a night. Some lessening of symptoms, no major side effects but I sure hope this works for me. It is very difficult for me to stay on the special diet and really do not know if it makes much of a difference in my case. Has anyone tried elavil in combination with this drug and had success? What other pain relievers have been helpful?

I have been using Elmiron for 1 1/2 years. It took time to start being effective (4 months) and now after all this time, I am in pain again. Not as sever yet but for it to come back I am sure the full pain will return. The doctors do not want to prescribe anything else for pain because this is suppose to take care of it. What is wrong with doctors today? We know our bodies better than anyone. I am not a junkie, and don't even take asprin unless I really nead it. Maybe I need to find a doctor who has had IC for awhile. I would recommend Elmiron to everyone who has IC, however don't count on it forever.Read More Read Less

It took two years before I found out that I had IC thanks to a great female doctor in the greater hartford area!! I take one pill at 11:00 in the morning and two just before I go to bed at night - still have some pain once in awhile but overall this med has been great

my question is this....is this medication safe for an extended use on a child 6 yrs of age. I have talked with several urologists and was told a young child can not get IC...is this true? if anyone has any pertinent info on this please post here for now. thank you

This is my second round of Elmiron. I stopped it when I became pregant and for several months therafter. I had forgotten what relief it can bring from what was once very mysterious and terrible, side, back and upper quad pain.