treatment for bedwetting

[Maliainoregon]

Right now DH and I are very frustrated with our sons wetting. He is 10 and every morning he has a wet goodnite-he has never worn regular underwear to bed. I wonder sometimes how many other kids are in the same boat- seems like most his age stopped long ago. Does anyone think medication is a good option? His doctor is against it- but then again he is also against homeschooling.

[asta]

Has your son ever had migraines or sleep terrors?

 

 

asta

[bettyandbob]

I never did medication. I don't think it's a good option. A few years ago a child 20 miles from me died from the medication--pharmacy filled the prescription wrong and the child overdosed. OK, pharmacy mistake, but it was for bedwetting. It wasn't a drug needed to keep the child alive. So, the child died also over a convenience issue.

 

ds wet daily until about 7 when we went through a series of dietary changes, removing every possibly allergen from his diet. Many of these foods the regular pediatrician said we didn't need to remove because they were "mild" allergens. However, if most of what you eat is a mild allergen then you body is building up its response. We also did the (and continue) the feingold diet. Dairy has been shown to be a big problem for some bedwetters, so we cut back on that. These changes got the wetting down to once a week. Once a week is truly manageable--you have to change your sheets regularly anyway.

 

A few years later we started regular chiropractic. Whenever ds went through a spate of wetting more often, I scheduled an extra chiropractic adjustment and ds stopped wetting often. The wetting slowly trailed off over a few years from around the time we started this.

 

Ds knows how to do his own laundry and was taught when he was 7. Even if he can't control the wetting he can be responsible for his sheets. This is not a punishment and it will take some pressure off the parents.

 

Ds hasn't wet in a couple of years, so I think we are through. both the diet and Chiropractic help ds deal with his AD/HD type behavior and anxiety so these are lifelong.

[bettyandbob]

about the drugs. I don't know if this is true with current bedwetting drugs, but I remember studies when my ds was younger that showed that once the drugs were removed the children went back to wetting. That doesn't sound like a good solution to me.

[Ottakee]

I know it is frustrating but remember that it is likely much more frustrating and embarassing to HIM. After all, what 10 year old boy would want his friends to know that he wets the bed.

 

Is he a very hard sleeper? Is he restless while he sleeps? Any mouth breathing, snoring, sleep apnea, etc? Some kids with overly large tonsils/adenoids have trouble sleeping and dont' have normal sleep patterns. That could interfer with him waking up to go to the bathroom.

 

Does he go to the bathroom RIGHT before bed? I know it is simple, but some kids don't.

 

I know that some parents have found that removing all peanut butter or other allergy foods (esp. dairy) has helped with the wetting.

 

For us, we did meds for our girls as they were not dry day or night. They have what is called spastic bladder and take Ditropan. With it, they stay dry day and night. It has been wonderful.

 

There are risks to meds but I do feel that those need to be weighed against the possible emotional risks of being a bed wetter. I would see a pediatric urologist though if you decide to try meds as they can rule out any other possible issues and are experts in this area.

[KellyGirl]

My oldest was still wetting at 7. Our doctor said he doesn't like the meds because they mask the problem - skip the meds, wet the bed. They are good for things like camp and sleepovers, but don't really make sense for long term use.

 

The Dr. suggested that we try a bed wetting alarm. The cost (on ebay, but new) was about $60, but compared to the weekly purchase of Goodnites, that didn't seem so bad. The first night, ds didn't wake up. The next night we stayed near by and woke him up when it went off. Then there were a few nights where he got up himself when it went off. Then he never wet again. Except maybe once when he was really over tired. It has been 2 and a half years.

 

Another idea is to ask for a referal to a urologist. He is old enough that your ped should be willing to send him there, to make sure that there isn't a medical issue.

[~Tara~]

I'd seek out chiropractic care. When my Eldest was around 8 (?) he was still wetting frequently. I was already seeing a chiro and we talked about ds. She suggested bringing him in. I read the pamphlets on the chiro/bedwetting matter and had him in on my next appt. She said if this was his problem, we should notice a difference after just a few adjustments. So, he had a few with no change. His wasn't an issue of a pinched nerve in that area.

 

We found out he was just being lazy. He had already been doing his own laundry, but we took away the pull ups now. He stopped wetting almost immediately.

 

I'm not trying to say you kid is being lazy, I just want to make sure you have checked on that.

 

But if he really does have a problem..I would seek chiropractic care before anything else. Simple. Non-invasive. No drugs. :)

[Pamela H in Texas]

The urology department at children's has a specialist for bedwetting. She made sure there wasn't anything wrong with ds (it's just a few quick, non-invasive tests). She then said that he'd grow out of it when he did, that we could try meds differently than we already had (unsuccessfully), or the alarm or whatever, but kids outgrow it when they do. We did try again (unsuccessfully) and when we looked at statistics just started to accept that is how it was going to be. Oh, and we had tried the natural remedies people chat about also from food allergies to taking certain supplements or using certain foods. And we did the chiropractor thing also.

 

The only thing that DID work recently was that ds moved to the couch to sleep. He's now afraid to go back to his room because he doesn't want to start wetting again. A couple weeks ago, he did have accidents 3 days in a row, but that has been all in like 2-3 months. What few times he has slept in his room, he's wet.

 

So maybe a change would help? Or maybe my ds (14 in April) is just finally ready.

 

You're right that the average 10yo doesn't have this issue. It's like 15% of kids at 6 and goes down each year from there. But all kids are different. The majority of 9yos also read but there isnt' necessarily anything wrong with the kid that waits an extra year or two. Ya know?

 

HTHs a little,

[MommyX8]

I have a few bedwetters. My 8yog is on a nasal medication that works very well. If we wean her off it, she will go back into her pattern of wetting. My 7yos also uses the same medication, at half dose. He doesn't have as much trouble as his sister. My 5yob was a wetter, but he has had no incidents since starting Hyland's Bedwetting tablets.

 

The alarm is for sleep disorders, not hormonal deficiencies that lead to bedwetting. I have a Malem for sale if you want to go in that direction.

[Jennifer in SC]

The Dr. suggested that we try a bed wetting alarm. The cost (on ebay, but new) was about $60, but compared to the weekly purchase of Goodnites, that didn't seem so bad. The first night, ds didn't wake up. The next night we stayed near by and woke him up when it went off. Then there were a few nights where he got up himself when it went off. Then he never wet again. Except maybe once when he was really over tired. It has been 2 and a half years.

 

 

 

:iagree:We have had a similar experience with my 8yo daughter. We've only had the alarm for about a month, but things have improved significantly. In fact, for about the last week, dd has chosen not to wear the alarm and she's only wet the bed twice maybe.

 

I'll admit to being completely frustrated with it for the first week (she didn't hear it and still wet the bed) though.

[Nestof3]

I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. My sons --7 and 9 -- still wear pull-ups and they are sometimes (often) wet. My youngest said he hadn't wet his lately, but my 9 year old's was soaked last night.

 

My dad was a late bed-wetter and so was my husband. They didn't have pull-ups then, so my husband's mom washed sheets every day.

 

I tried the underwear and no pull-up for two weeks and was OVER the sheet-washing. Just be aware that those people with children who stopped bed-wetting early are often very unsympathetic to those with late bed-wetters.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Just be aware that those people with children who stopped bed-wetting early are often very unsympathetic to those with late bed-wetters.

 

Thankfully, we really haven't had an issue with this. Of course, few people know and I think people are less concerned it's a lazy issue when kids are as old as mine.

[dirty ethel rackham]

My heart goes out to your son. I was a bedwetter until I was 10. Being a bed-wetter was my deepest, darkest shame. The way my parents handled it just added to the humiliation. Everyone acted as though I could do something about it, that I was just lazy, when it really WAS out of my control. I just encourage you to be sympathetic to his to how embarrassing it is to him and continue to treat it matter-of-factly, but privately. Don't be fooled if he acts like he is not embarrassed - it is just face-saving behavior. Also, I wanted to assure you that your son is not alone. There are lots of kids his age who wet the bed, but you bet your sweet bippy they are not advertising it.

 

DD was a bedwetter until she was 5. That may not have sounded late, but I was pretty motivated to try to help her stop because of my history. You may have tried this already and I know it does not work for everyone. What we did was stay up until midnight and take her to the bathroom (she was barely awake) and have her go. We did that for about 3 months and then we forgot one night and she stayed dry ever since. From what I have read, most children who continue to wet after age 9 have some sort of issue - sleep issues, allergies, constipation, etc.

 

I wish you luck in finding a solution, for your sake, and mostly, for your sons sake.

[charlotteb]

DS, at 11 years old, is just starting to be regularly dry at night. These are what have helped us the most- limiting drinks after 6 pm, waking him up several times during the night (he went to bed at 9 and went to the bathroom beforehand, I woke him up around midnight, he had an alarm set to 3:00, Dh woke him up around 5 and then he woke up for the day a few hours later). We also had ds wash his clothes and bed covers if necessary. We tried the medicine when he was younger, with no results. But I think the biggest thing is waiting for their bodies to mature. The things we tried helped, but definately didn't cure the situtation. I'm hoping that he is through with it now as its been quite a while since he had an accident.

[Tree House Academy]

My older was a chronic bedwetter. I attributed it to his ADHD and how soundly he sleeps. However, here is something odd that I observed: When my younger was almost 4, he potty trained himself. Yes, he was definitely older, but when he did decide to train, he trained 100% day and night. Not another wet diaper...ever! So...almost immediately, my then 8 year old just all of a sudden stopped wearing pullups at night and stopped wetting the bed. Hmmmmm....made me wonder if he could have controlled it earlier on and was just too lazy/used to it to stop.....

[FO4UR]

I have a friend who's ds was a bed-wetter at an old age (like 10+), and he went to the chiropractor and it turned out he had some fixable issue. I don't know all the details, but I know that several visits to the chiro has completely changed his nights.

[Ellie]

about the drugs. I don't know if this is true with current bedwetting drugs, but I remember studies when my ds was younger that showed that once the drugs were removed the children went back to wetting. That doesn't sound like a good solution to me.

That was not true for my dd.

 

When she was 5 or 6--she's 33 now so it's hard to remember that far back--her pediatrician prescribed Tofranil. She took it for 10 days, then the dosage was cut in half; 10 more days then dosage cut in half again; then 10 more days. She was never wet again.

 

We had tried ev.er.y.thing--watching her diet, nothing to drink after a certain time, having her change the sheets *daily,* the whole thing. All that happened was that she began to feel rilly, rilly bad about herself, even though Mr. Ellie and I never, ever tried to *discipline* her in any way or made derogatory comments or anything.

 

I'm glad we did the drugs. So is she.

[Karen sn]

Try removing peanut butter. I did this with dd and within days of removing it she quit wetting the bed. She was 8 and a half!

Has only wet the bed on 2 nights (in a row) after eating peanut butter crackers.

 

Check out Dr. Doris Rapp and talk to Jennifer Good Witch of the North or was it West?.....I can't remember what she goes by now....Jennifer something or other.....anyone know?

 

Anyway - she recommended removing the pb and I will forever be grateful for the good witch!

 

http://www.drrapp.com/

 

 

[ereks mom]

My brother wet the bed until he was 13yo, when he began using the nasal medication. HOWEVER, he developed a nervous tic (eye twitch/blinking) which the doctor said was a side-effect of the medication. We thought it would stop when the medication was discontinued. It didn't. He still has the tic and he is now 27yo.

[SonshineLearner]

I'm glad to read this thread! My husband wanted to tell my son that he couldn't sleep with us until he stopped wetting his pull-up. I told him that it's developmental...and should really almost be a reversed thing...When he stops wetting...he should be in his own bed.... Yup, I know that at 5, most would say he's too old to be in our bed...that's another issue. He just really has the need to be with another person while sleeping, so when our olders are here...he sleeps with them...and when they're at their mom's...he sleeps with us.

BUT, on the wetting thing.....my brother's son took some homeopathic meds that helped for a while. He's 8 now and I think he's still using pull-ups.

I've heard that it's the pull-up thing that makes kids not wake up to go.... SO, it's good to hear of the cases where adults were wetting...all the way before pull-ups. It's also worth it to note, that I used cloth diapers until pull-ups..thinking that the pull-ups would only be needed for a few weeks/months..now 3 years later.....

Anyway, Thanks for the thread...and if anyone has miracles....be sure and share!

Carrie:-)

[Colleen]

My fourth son turned 6 at the end of August and if anything, he's back-tracked as far as staying dry at night. For a while there he was actually wearing regular ol' underwear each night and only had an accident once a week or so. But things got worse, and I got tired of washing his bedding every day so he now wears a Pull-Up or Good Night or whatever you call them. It's soaked each morning. I haven't noticed any connection between what/when he eats/drinks and the problem getting any better or worse.

 

It's frustrating, but I'm pretty much just expecting him to grow out of it sooner or later. I wouldn't be comfortable medicating the problem. I have considered a bed-wetting alarm, but most people I know who have tried that say it didn't wake up their child, anyway.

[graywiggle]

We used the malem alarm this year, after a quick urine test with the doctor found no probs. Worked brilliantly, 6 months on and there are no wet sheets. The first week is emotional! My son is 11.

 

maria.

[Frankie]

I will second the Malem Alarm. They DO work, and are worth their weight in gold.

 

The alarms are loud. The adults won't sleep through them, even if they're not in the same room.

 

We had my DS test the alarm out first, so he knew what it sounded like so it wouldn't scare him. The first week he woke up, was grumpy, but got used to it. After that, he was cured.

 

 

I can't remember how old he was when we did this now, but I wondered why I had waited so long. His confidence was boosted dramatically, even though we never made an issue of bed wetting. My DH and I both were bed wetters, so we understood.

[sheryl]

Yes, our 9 1/2 yo dd still wets the bed every night. She has been in the Goodnights pullups. A year or two ago on vacation we decided to tell her she had to wear only her big girl "panty" to bed under her pj's. She was dry for the week and another 3 days after we got home.

 

Then she started wetting again and we went back to pull ups. Well, I did. My dh was against it, but honestly it's time consuming to strip the bed, wash, remake everyday!

 

Right after Thanksgiving last month, we decided to try again. In the last month she's been wet every night, except for maybe 3 dry nights. She woke up yesterday on Christmas morning dry and I do believe it was a gift from God! Truly!

 

So, it seems some may be emotional. I think the chiropractic angle is very interesting and worth pursuing.

 

Now when she wets the bed, I don't wash everyday. But, she showers every morning she wets. This is SO frustrating to us because she is potentially missing out: not having friends over to play in bedroom, sleepovers, etc. if this happens.

 

I wish I had the answers, but I don't. We've tried everything and she'll be 10 in a few months. To have to deal with this is a test of my patience for sure. It puts a kink in starting our homeschool at 8:00 am because she's still showering and getting ready from that! We're on Christmas vacation now. When January comes, I guess she'll be expected in get in shower earlier so it doesn't impact the entire day.

 

When you read this it may seem we don't have compassion. Yes, we do.... we feel we've been patient and understanding. On the other hand, we are holding her accountable by having her be responsible for her actions. Are we missing the boat? I don't know.

 

Her doctor said that the kids just become accustomed to wearing one. The child needs a "goal" to work towards.

[sassenach]

Isn't there something about magnesium supplements too? I wet until I was about 12 and then grew out of it. As did my mom. As did my brother. Our only bed wetter is my 6yo. So far, I've done nothing about it. I don't have a strong desire to treat it, but I would be willing to make simple efforts. At this point, he's at about 50%, which is better than I was doing at his age. I thank God that my mom and dad were always understanding and never shamed me about it.

[Jumping In Puddles]

Would it help if he didn't have anything to drink after about 5pm and (obviously :lol:) uses the bathroom right before bed?

[swellmomma]

My ds is also 10 and still wets the bed though it is slowly getting better. A couple things that we have learned along the way, 1. juice at any point in time during the day makes him wet the bed. 2. pop at any time in the day makes him wet the bed. 3. I hate washing sheets daily but he won't wear pull ups. I use medications for him when he goes to cadet or bible camp but otherwise we do not use them.

 

I am still noticing after a day with lots of sweets he is more likely to wet the bed, so I am going to request a urine test for diabetes just to rule it out at our next appt.(he also gets crazy violent if he has too much sweets/juice)

 

My 5 yrold son was also a bedwetter until recently. He always had constipation issues and since resolving them and getting him regular his bedwetting has completely stopped, so that is something to consider as well.

[lynn]

Have you tried a bedwetting alarm? This seemed to helped my ds. Sometimes this is something kids just outgrow on their own. We did get a medicine called DDTP that the pediatrician gave us so ds could go to camp and not worry about bedwetting. Although it controls the bedwetting it is just a crutch in that most kids that take it continue bedwetting when they stop taking it.

[Melissa in Australia]

I haven't read all of the other posts. so sorry if I am repeating someone else.

we wake our boy up and walk him to the toilet at 11 o'clock at night, this really helps. we also have provided every one of our children with a torch ( flashlight). that way they can turn the torch on to go to the toilet. and aren't scared to hop out of bed.

[AnnetteB]

No time to read all the responses, but in our own experience one last trip to the bathroom before bed and then rousing him up one hour later, guiding him in and then back to bed. There is a physical reason for this eleventh hour visit. It has to do with digestion, fluids, and that hour of rest making for a full bladder. Then, in the morning we would wake him early and guide him towards the bathroom as he was a very sound sleeper. After awhile of following these strategies, he would wake and make the eleven o'clock visit solo. Later he was able to get up in the morning on his own as well. We tried Hyland's little homeopathic tablets, but I don't think they really did more than remind him that we were trying to work on the problem together. A friend's son (another really sound sleeper) had success with the alarm system.

[Maliainoregon]

Pamela has your son worn anything recently for wetting? Because I was thinking what my son would do if he gets to that age and still wets. Glad your son is becoming dry

[Maliainoregon]

After reading responses and talking to my son, I have decided to try and just wait out the problem a little longer. because of his sleep issues we can't do an alarm and I am not willing to risk medication if their is even a slight possibility of side effect. He also is less distressed about it than I thought- he says he doesn't mind having diapers as long as his friends don't know.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Pamela has your son worn anything recently for wetting?

 

I would buy GoodNights. He had the choice to wear them or not. But GoodNights go up to 125 pounds. He's just over that now. I haven't bought them in months though. I figured he'd mention it but then he stopped having issues on the couch soooooo.....

 

DS was extremely hard on himself from age 6 to 12. After going to the doctor and having more understanding spiritually too, he has done much better about it. But he is looking forward to not having the issue, of course.

[bettyandbob]

I noticed many responses suggesting an alarm. I just wanted to say this may work for some people, but it did not work for us. This thread has multiple suggestions and the only thing you can do is try them out and see what works for you ds. It is frustrating. Being in this situation makes fun stuff like Boy Scout camp scary. I hope things work out for you soon, but understand you are not alone.

[Ellie]

My fourth son turned 6 at the end of August and if anything, he's back-tracked as far as staying dry at night. For a while there he was actually wearing regular ol' underwear each night and only had an accident once a week or so. But things got worse, and I got tired of washing his bedding every day so he now wears a Pull-Up or Good Night or whatever you call them. It's soaked each morning. I haven't noticed any connection between what/when he eats/drinks and the problem getting any better or worse.

 

It's frustrating, but I'm pretty much just expecting him to grow out of it sooner or later. I wouldn't be comfortable medicating the problem. I have considered a bed-wetting alarm, but most people I know who have tried that say it didn't wake up their child, anyway.

But it often works. Meds worked for us, and I'm glad we did it.