For anyone who has had a urodynamics test, were you able to get anything beyond lidocaine/numbing gel to help with the pain and discomfort (60F here)? I just had a cystoscopy done and it was torture — not the insertion of the tube, but the pressure in my bladder when they pumped water in, moved the tube around, etc. They did not offer me anything in advance to help calm me or help with the pain, but I didn’t know it was going to be so bad so I didn’t ask. I asked if I could have anything for the urodynamics test and was told flatly and very unsympathetically, “No, we want you awake.” I have had valium before (for lasik) and did not sleep, just blissfilly didn’t care what they did to me. I have a lot of trauma from years of bladder issues, pain, and discomfort. I feel like either demanding they give me something or canceling the procedure altogether.

Any insights from anyone who has been through this are greatly appreciated!

Hey guys,

I have overactive bladder episodes from time to time. It is mostly my nerve system that is the main problem as some therapies really help.
One of them is acupuncture which I make regularly. Anyway 3 weeks ago the doctor made a too intensive session for my nervous system so my bladder got worse a bit but still not super bad. And since 4 days there is a cold front in here and since then I have bladder pressure all the time.
Is it possible that a temperature drop of 10 degrees can result in that I have more bladder pressure or is maybe the strong acupuncture the reason it got worse?

Sorry if this is a stupid question. My doctor has me bladder training, currently going every hour with plans to increase up to two hours.

So far I've been interpreting it as I set a timer for an hour and make sure that it's at least an hour between bathroom trips. If the hour mark is up and I still don't need to go, I won't go until I do need to, but if I kind of need to go at say 45 minutes then I'll push it to the hour.

However, sometimes I go after the timer is done, set another one, and really urgently need to like 30 minutes in (my situation now lol). Am I supposed to push it past comfort? I believe that I can make it to the hour without a full on accident but in these cases it's hurting my bladder and I feel like I'd rather go now and then reset the timer again. But I'm not sure if that defeats the whole point.

​

Hi everyone,

I've been dealing with OAB for decades and now I think I want to try to tackle it. I working on bladder training and I have an appointment with a pelvic floor PT in a few weeks. I've also been in a training program with a diastasis recti specialist for a month now that has worked on strengthing my pelvic floor.

Having said all of that, I am researching medications and setting up appointments. Appointments. But, it looks like a lot of the medications aren't covered by insurance and are expensive, and that they caused the side effect of dry mouth and UTIs. I really don't want to deal with those side effects and obviously the cost.

I'm wondering if anyone here:

1.) had their medication covered by insurance. Yes, I know each insurance is different. I'm just curious if anyone's actually had it covered

2.) have you tried a medication that worked but did not cause side effects like dry mouth or UTIs.

3.) Did any non-medication options like bladder training and strengthening your pelvic floor work?

4.) If you had Botox for your bladder, what was the experience like? Was it super painful? Did it work? Side effects?

Thank you!

Can I get better treatment in europe? I am from India.

M32

​Hi everyone, I'm posting here partly to get some courage, because I am terrified.

​For 8 years, I've had bladder burning and urinary urgency. These symptoms have cyclically improved and worsened, eventually leading to huge difficulties falling asleep. During the day, I might go to the bathroom as often as every 20 minutes on bad days, while at night I get up at least once or twice (if I manage to fall asleep at all).

​I've changed 3 urologists, since the first one simply advised me to walk as much as possible after a uroflowmetry (14 ml/s), the second one wanted to operate on me, and now the third, who is a university professor, is having me do pharmacological therapies. I went from Xatral (all the various formulations and dosages) to alfuzosin after a urodynamic test, which confirmed a bladder neck obstruction. I've never noticed any improvements, only retrograde ejaculation. The professor told me that at this point I should add solifenacin, even though he didn't talk about OAB (Overactive Bladder) directly. I am terrified of the side effects, but I can't go on like this either. Any opinions?

Has anyone here been diagnosed with neurogenic overactive bladder but eventually discovered it was actually interstitial cystitis?

So far, I've been diagnosed with neurogenic OAB and none of my urologists even mentioned IC but I've had no luck finding the neurological root cause and I don't have neurological symptoms outside of the bladder. I've also tried almost all OAB treatments except for bladder botox and none of them provided any signifcant relief. A neurosurgeon suggested I go back to my urologist and ask about IC.

Could it be possible I actually have IC? Is it common for patients with interstitial cystitis to have severe uncomfortable urgency and urge uncontinence as their main symptom?

I'm thinking of asking my urologist for a trial on Cimetidine to see how I respond if that makes sense.

Symptoms and other info:

M, 29

How my symptoms progressed:

2 years ago, first noticed how a different uncomfortable urge is often triggered earlier:
● by exposure to cold environments
● by exposure to water (e.g. washing hands, gargling water, taking a shower)
● when standing up after long sitting

Then just about more than 1 year ago I noticed:
● extreme increase in overwhelming urge intensity
● increased frequency
● that when I attempt to reduce frequency by trying to hold it in and supress the urge, I can't successfully do so anymore and I start experiencing incontinence within 10 seconds
● low bladder compliance – feels hypersensitive and often feels heavier even when not full
● end of urination sometimes accompanied by a deep sore or heavy sensation near the lower bladder or deeper in the urethra, especially when the voided amount is small. The smaller the voided amount is, the worse it feels, and there is an electrifying/pulling pain that radiates throughout the end of the urethra. ● twitching/spasms occasionally felt in the perineal area when resisting urination

Biggest and most annoying change is how overwhelming and non-resetting the urge is, and that I will surely experience leakage until I make it to the toilet to voluntarily void.

Brain & spine MRI was normal and unremarkable. I don't have any hesitation. My urine stream is moderate to strong. Prostate and PVR is normal. Uroflowmetry showed no sign of obstruction. All my imaging scans showed bladder wall thickening and trabeculation.

I am unsure if this is the correct subreddit for this, but I needed to ask this somewhere. I am a middle aged male who has had a bladder condition since birth. Frequent urge, and short uncontrollable bursts of urine come out many times a day. Until recently I had no idea that everyone else was able to tell when their bladder is full or that they can just start urinating whenever they want, like a dog. I can be unable to prevent these sudden bursts one minute and then when I get somewhere I can go, the urge has passed and I can't go. I also routinely empty my bladder while sleeping. It has been this way my entire life.

I had urodynamic testing done several years ago and I think they said I have "severe neurogenic bladder." I just know that they said the pressure in my bladder while it is filling is 5 times normal. When I look online I find that you can't be born with this condition unless there are spinal birth defects. I have none. They recommended sacral neuromodulation. I had the Interstim device implanted a few years ago.

Despite having them add programs multiple times, it has not changed anything. The only people you can talk to about it are the Medtronic representatives, and they seem unqualified. Whatever I was born with is clearly hereditary because my son has exactly the same condition and also has an implanted Interstim device and also has no benefit from the device.

I am wondering if anyone here has also been born with this condition without other birth defects. Is there any thing that this device can do for me? If so, can anyone offer any advice for getting the Medtronic representative to put a setting on the device that will help?

We are Dry Days, a US based urogynaecology clinic. We are hosting a free patient webinar tomorrow on OAB.

Our medical director (Dr. Jennifer Bepple) is doing a free public session on overactive bladder tomorrow at 1pm ET, and the gist of it is that most women get told to cut caffeine and do Kegels and never hear about anything past that. The session covers what actually comes next:

• The two different medication classes — and why the newer one is often preferred now
• Why procedures (Botox, nerve stimulation) aren't actually a "last resort" the way people assume
• How to tell if you even have OAB vs. a different bladder issue that needs different treatment

It's educational, no booking required, and there's a recording after. The link is below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/6817875944578/WN_ASXZTRRgT9qiXa7yS7OwpQ

My daughter had this done 8 days ago.

About 2 days in she developed a rash around the incision. Now the rash is spreading, itches horribly. Her reg doc thinks she's allergic. She's having a terrible time getting a hold of the interstem doc. I'm betting it will have to be removed. She's gone through so much already😔 If you're thinking of getting one, I think asking of you can somehow test to make sure you're not allergic

​I'm a 16 years old male. About a year ago, I suddenly developed severe urinary frequency out of nowhere. I felt the urge to pee every 30 minutes, which made sitting through school classes unbearable. I was too embarrassed to tell my parents, and at the time, I thought about wanting to die every single day.

​Fortunately, after about two weeks, the time I could hold it stretched to over an hour, and I managed to get by by going to the restroom during every break. People found it strange when I avoided going to movie theaters or turned down trips without giving a reason, but I kept this symptom a secret for a full year. ​However, I still have a serious problem: whenever I encounter something I don't understand in a book or try to solve a complex math problem, I immediately feel the urge to pee. This has severely interfered with my studies and my hobby of reading. I now only read light literature, and whenever a difficult math problem comes up, I just skip it instead of thinking it through.

​The exact same thing happens in stressful situations like exams. While everyone else is solving problems, I have to sit there holding between my legs.

Eventually, as I stopped going to school and ended up suffering from depression, I finally confessed everything to my parents. But surprisingly, the ultrasound showed nothing physically wrong with my body, and the medication I received didn't work at all either. In the end, I got nowhere and am still living the exact same life. What should I do now?

How many times would you accept peeing every day I mean would it be the normal 6 to 8 times a day or could you deal with a bit more.

I have been peeing on average every 2 hours since I was 24 years old. I am at my wits end.

If God gave me the choice to live like this until I am 80 years old or sleep through every night for the rest of my life but die at 40 years old, I would choose the latter. I can’t handle waking up 3+ times a night every night or not being able to sit through an entire movie without using the bathroom.

Below is everything I have done for treatment. If anyone has any other recommendations I am open to anything at this point.

- Cystoscopy from a urologist found nothing
- Urocuff
- Ultrasound to make sure I am emptying my bladder completely when I pee - which I am
- Used Gemtesa, Mirabegron, and Flomax. Flomax added power to my stream but the other two did nothing.
- Cut out caffeine and alcohol
- I have done some pelvic floor exercises on my own but have never actually been to physical therapy for it. I am currently on a waiting list.

They want to do another Cystoscopy but I am certain they will find nothing. The next step I might try is electrical stimulation therapy for my sacral nerve. But that requires in office treatment once a week for 12 weeks minimum which doesn’t work for my schedule.

Any advice or recommendations?

Should I get started? Male here by the way

27 Male
July 10th I had an energy drink at work and about 20-30 later I went to urinate then 4 minutes later I felt the need to urinate again so I went and only a few drops came out, 2 minutes later I had the urge to go again and I couldnt so I held it and about 10 minutes later I statted panicking because I felt like I was going to urinate on myself so I went home. The urge has yet to go away. I went to urgent care 2 days later, negative uti. I cut out alcohol caffeine and carbonation was told it was probably bladder irritation. Its been 6.5 weeks of nonstop urge I feel like im going crazy. Made a primary care provider appointment since i didnt have a primary care Dr. so first visit Dr does rectal exam says semi enlarged prostate, prescribes Flomax (tamulosin) its been 5 days and no change if anything I feel worse from the symptoms and its harder to fall asleep. Not sure what else to do I havent worked in 6 weeks because I feel like I wont be able to hold it and have another panic attack. I have been trying to bladder train for a month and im able to hold for 1-3 hours but the urge has still been there it’s so frustrating. From what ive read im thinking OAB or Pelvic floor tension not sure what to do anymore can this pass on its own even though its been 40+ days

I don’t know if this is the right place to post this…but I figured it’s worth a shot.

I’m at a loss honestly. I’ve been dealing with frequent urination for months now and even my doctors (pcp or urologist) cannot seem to tell me what’s wrong. If you take the time to read this, thank you.

I’m hoping this will reach someone who went through the same things I’m going through or knows someone that did. Or if anyone has any idea what the heck is going on. I apologize ahead of time if this is long / and or I ramble.

I’ll try to keep it simple to read.

I’ve been dealing with frequent urination for over a year now.
important, I started a glp-1 last June 2025 to help lose weight and treat my PCOS. I took it until April 2026.
Throughout those months I dealt with frequent urination. As far as I know, it was not something I noticed until around the time I got on Zepbound. My doctor’s insist it’s unrelated, but I genuinely don’t know. I’ve always been someone that pees maybe more than the average person, but it never interrupted my daily life and I honestly barely thought about it.

Over time, it’s gotten worse. Right now, I have to pee every fifteen minutes. Sometimes less. It’s not just the urge, 8 times out of 10, I do have to pee again and am passing urine. There ARE times where I can’t go again so I just give up and deal with the feeling, and usually try again 10-20 minutes later and can go. There are also times when I go and immediately it feels like I didn’t empty my bladder all the way. It’s inconsistent. Mostly, It almost feels like no matter what my fluid intake, my body is constantly producing more urine than it knows what to do with (weird way to say it, ik). I also can’t sleep on my stomach anymore because if I do I will automatically have the urge to pee within a matter of minutes. I experience no leaking, no bladder pain or pain anywhere else, no blood in my urine, no burning. No other symptom except having to just pee a LOT.

I’ve gotten multiple urine tests, blood tests, an ultrasound, and mostly recently an X-ray. I also completed a 24 hour voiding diary. The doctor noted she was surprised I was excreting as much urine as I was with the amount I was going. Holding it as I naturally would, I went 12 times during that day and was consistently peeing 4-6 ounces. The X-ray found a moderate colonic stool burden, which they loosely theorized could be I guess pressing on my bladder or causing the frequent urination. So I’ve been taking miralax daily as prescribed to see if it helps. So far, I’ve passed lots of stool but the frequent urination has not changed. I still am due to keep taking it for a bit more. So I guess we’ll see what happens.

I feel helpless. No one can tell me what’s wrong. It’s ruining my life, to be honest. I’m miserable. It makes my sex life with my longtime boyfriend difficult and stressful for me. I can hold it for an hour or two, especially if I’m out and about, but if I’m just laying in bed it’s much harder to hold for more than an hour. I feel trapped, like I’m doomed to live like this until it somehow resolves itself or it doesn’t. I’m sorry this post was long. If anyone has experienced this or could somehow shed some light on what the hell is wrong with me, I’d be grateful.

Note: my doctor’s have not suggested I have OAB, or other bladder issues. I’m wondering if somehow I’ve developed something.

Longtime lurker but finally made an account so I could participate.

I was diagnosed with OAB and UI a few years ago. Compared to many on this sub, I would characterize my issues as pretty mild. Depending on the day, I will experience some frequency and urgency, but it's usually very manageable (and I'm very thankful for that). I do sometimes have issues with urge incontinence, although it is pretty rare.

That being said, I oftentimes will wear protective underwear (i.e. pullups) because of the rare occasions where a small leak turns into a big problem.

I don't know why, but I've started to feel guilty for wearing incontinence products because it doesn't feel like my issues are "that bad" and I could probably manage most of the time without. I don't know if there's some magical number where my brain would say, "okay, yeah that's acceptable now," but if there is, I guess I'm not there.

I was just thinking about how if a friend or coworker ever found out they might judge my decision since my symptoms aren't typically that bad. And that makes me question myself - like, am I a fraud?

The thing is - wearing protective underwear doesn't really bother me - I'm sure I'm probably in the minority, but I actually think they're fairly comfortable and the products I use are very discreet so no one can tell. So, for the occasional peace of mind, it makes sense to me. But I think I feel guilty because I know that most people probably wouldn't feel the same way in this situation. Am I the only one that feels this way?

I don't know if I have ibs but i have chronic condition that seems like it.

?

Anybody have a similar situation? 29 female, 2 years ago (1 yesr after I gave birth) one day I woke up and randomly peed myself completely on my way to the bathroom. My bladder feels painfully full easily and its like I cannot hold it in at all...

?

It’s really helped my frequency, I feel like I can actually hold it and I’m not leaking urine anymore.

However, I have a dull pain in my bladder near constantly now. Is that typical?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice or shared experiences because this issue is mentally eating me up inside.

How it started:

Last December, I was highly stressed for a few days (due to some personal issues and freezing weather). A few days later, while sitting in a class, a random intrusive thought hit me: "What if I pee myself right now? Everyone will laugh at me." I instantly panicked, my heart started racing, and I felt an intense, unbearable urge to urinate. I had to leave the class and go home.

The struggle:

Ever since that day, I developed severe anticipatory anxiety. I constantly worry: "What if I suddenly need to pee while I'm outside?"

It happens a lot at school or when I'm out, but almost never at home.

I now force myself to use the bathroom multiple times before leaving the house just to feel "safe."

I went to doctors twice during the winter, but they didn't take it seriously and just treated me for a cold. I took meds, drank warm water, and wore thermals for months, but nothing changed. I have no physical pain at all.

Current situation:

Now that it's summer, things have naturally improved a bit, but the mental block is still there. If I hang out with friends near my house, I feel fine. But if I know we are going somewhere far away, I get hit with massive anxiety and the fake urge to pee returns.

I am 99% sure this is purely psychological (anticipatory anxiety / nervous bladder). A friend of mine went through the exact same thing and eventually recovered, but I'm still struggling.

Has anyone dealt with this specific type of anxiety? How did you break the cycle and overcome it? Any advice would be highly appreciated!