How to stop pee-ing so often!

Knee replacement. The thought of having to get up to go to the loo throughout the night post op worries me

What is TKR?

Tried everything to stop peeing frequently. I know I drink too much tea & was told it is a mild diuretic. Every 2ish hours in the day with having to rush or pee myself not pleasant once the feeling hits! At night have resorted to incontinence pads as having to get up & rush is impossible for me. So no way to stop this just put up with it I guess! At my age could be something a lot worse couldn't it so will definitely put up with it but still have a moan!

You have my sympathy. For years mum has been ruled by her bowels, last few years, bladder has joined. We finally got appointment with specialist and he's admitted that there is nothing he can do. To make matters worse, medication to HELP, actually caused urinary retention resulting in ambulance, me getting the resus talk and almost a month in hospital trying to put things right.

Result being pain meds she's had for years have had to be stopped because they clash with blood clot thinning drugs (flat out in hospital, Consultant said side effect to long hospital stays!)

So Amitriptyline and Solifienacin both stopped and mums peeing back to every 2 hours, day and night!

But we've been told "I'll get the incontinence nurses to come see you". I asked him when, as within the last 18 months she's been promised bladder training and massage etc so many times and she's still waiting.

I'm angry at the whole system, certain issues just aren't seen as important.

My dog wakes me up for her breakfast at 7. Not early for most people but I’m semi nocturnal so I need a bit more sleep. So I have a drink of hot water ( I started doing that after having a few weeks of terrible indigestion recently) and listen to Jason Stephensons Get Back to Sleep Fast on utube. I used to listen to Paul McKenna but it stopped working but Jason never fails to get me back to sleep. Had yet another needing the loo dream last night!

One cause of this is the water sits in the cells of your legs etc and your circulation doesn't get it to the kidneys until you lie down. Anyone with oedema or swelling of the ankles will know how the legs and ankles are not as puffy in the morning as in the evening. So supposing you could put your feet up or even lie down in the evening to watch TV or whatever, then you might have a chance the excess water will have got through your kidneys before you go to sleep

The continence is helping me and I think it is improving. Worth seeing one.

Alison09

Im on Migabegron 50mg. It has been life changing for me. Before I couldnt walk for 10 mins without needing the loo and was up 4 times a night. Now, I can walk for an hour and get up maximum once a night.

Yes I am on Mirabegron too. Initially it worked well but seems to be losing its effectiveness.

I have had about 16 pelvic floor operations so I am rather disordered down there but also have a 295ml capacity and an unstable bladder, so I am a bit of a lost cause sadly!

I wake several times a night and don’t get back to sleep very easily but as I also have Sjogrens Syndrome, I need to drink when awake as my mouth is so, so dry my tongue burns.🥵 Horrible …

Ask your GP about oxybutynin. I'm on it to reduce sweating but it is actually prescribed for overactive bladder. I only wee about 3 times a day now.

I seem to wake needing the loo 5am -ish each day and then cannot get back to sleep. Don't have a drink after around 8pm but a few nights ago I was desperate for a cuppa at about 10pm and thought blow it, I'll be up around 5am anyway I'll have a drink and wouldn't you know it I slept right through until after 7am!! Thinking of trying this again.

Have you been tested for Obstructive Sleep Apnea? If you are overweight and a snorer, this is a possible cause.

Im on Migabegron 50mg. It has been life changing for me. Before I couldnt walk for 10 mins without needing the loo and was up 4 times a night. Now, I can walk for an hour and get up maximum once a night.

As someone who was grabbed violently by the menopause ...pesterpause as I call it! ... when I was 42 - I'm now 59 - I find I have to keep getting up to wee in the night. At one point I was up a whopping 11 times from about 10:30pm to about 2am and I had to start another work shift at 6am to 6pm! I was utterly exhausted already!

Other nights it's just once or twice!

I put mine more down to extreme bullying by one of the matrons I used to work with- nasty piece of work. I started where couldn’t breathe, I suppose panic attacks really, then the constant needing a wee 😩my bladder is the same as ops- only holds a small amount before it becomes agony to hold any more. I suppose the bladder becomes accustomed to holding only a small volume.
I’ve tried nearly all the bladder drugs, one gave me HBP, they also gave me very dry eyes, headaches, also I have read they can contribute to dementia.
Five Bladder stretches (surprised I can’t hold a keg of beer in there) ha.
Surgery was suggested, where they could sew part of my bowel to the bladder, to make it larger- no thanks!
Hopefully someone will come up with a cure one day

Farmor15

There is an issue that can cause excessive urine production - atrial fibrillation (AF), the paroxysmal sort that come and goes.
"AF in general occurs at night, often ending in the morning following rest. Frequent urination (every 20 minutes or so) often occurs during the early phase of an episode and is due to the release of atrial natriuretic peptide from the fibrillating atria" (quote from research paper).
I have this type of AF- only get episodes about once a month, but when I do, I wake in the night with a full bladder, the only indication I'm having an episode. I can confirm I'm in AF by taking my pulse. However, it's fairly unlikely that this is the cause of regular waking up to pee.

Golly that is scary 😩

Farmor15

I did have an issue with stress incontinence- no problem at night but during the day, if I coughed, sneezed or lifted something heavy, I would leak. Tried pelvic floor exercises for years, but after assessment (urodynamic clinic) I was deemed a suitable candidate for the Bulkamid procedure. A bulking agent is injected into urethra (under anaesthetic) which narrows the opening from bladder. I was told it might not work, but was lucky to be one of the successful ones and my stress incontinence is 90% improved.

👍🏻👏👏👏

ftm Amitriptyline in low dose is used for nerve pain . I have been using it since 1992 upped my dosage and on 3 10mg tablets a day which has stopped my pain flares. In a higher dose it's an antidepressant. Did they tell you why they have put you on it?

Amlodipine is to treat high blood pressure but it causes water retention and swelling of lower legs and ankles. I was on it for a few years and the first thing they did at the AF clinic was taken it off me for those reasons.

Since a teenager always got up in the night to wee. And have been going twice a night for decades . At the moment having problems with water retention and on the waiting list to see my cardiologist as my GP said they don't prescribe water tablets without further investigation. But I already know what's wrong with my heart it has a small hole in the side of it between my heart and lungs. The flaps round your heart are supposed to close before birth but that one of mine didn't. On Flecainide and Apixaban for my heart . Ramipril for blood pressure.

Plus I was born disabled and my bladder and bowel can go into spasm and no matter how urgently I need the loo I have to sit before I can go and once started my bladder and bowel can spasm so sit longer before it relaxes.

Few years ago had series of UTI's and kidney infections and ended up taking 16 courses of antibiotics. When I saw the urologist he reckons I had a bad infection. Ultrasound on my bladder and kidney when my bladder was full them empty showed nothing wrong.

A nurse gave me a brilliant tip. When sitting on the loo make sure you hips and knees are in line . That way you empty your bladder and bowel completely. I have an ease toilet which is higher than a normal loo so put my feet on toddler step and only had I UTI since doing that . But I need a 7 day course of antibiotics.

Needing the loo so often may be caused by your bladder retaining some urine . Perhaps if you try what the nurse told me it might help and always sit bit longer to make sure you bladder is empty.

There is an issue that can cause excessive urine production - atrial fibrillation (AF), the paroxysmal sort that come and goes.
"AF in general occurs at night, often ending in the morning following rest. Frequent urination (every 20 minutes or so) often occurs during the early phase of an episode and is due to the release of atrial natriuretic peptide from the fibrillating atria" (quote from research paper).
I have this type of AF- only get episodes about once a month, but when I do, I wake in the night with a full bladder, the only indication I'm having an episode. I can confirm I'm in AF by taking my pulse. However, it's fairly unlikely that this is the cause of regular waking up to pee.

What a relief to realise we aren’t alone in trying to,, negotiate these things as we age.

I solved this problem, I am 61 and had been urinating excessively for about 4 years.

I cut out all caffeine, I now only drink decaf tea, strawberries, raw tomatoes, anything with lemon, tangerines, pineapple.
I can drink wine thankfully.

My life has changed immeasurably, long car journeys were a nightmare, I used to be up 5+ times a night.

Good luck.

So glad to read this thread. For the past approx year I wake up 2 or 3 times a night to go to the loo and it’s a BIG wee. Then the minute I wake up in the morning I need to go again. I am so tired that twice I have woken up with my legs out of the bed and am pulling my pants off! Can you imagine? 😱

I have been wearing Always Discreet pads and sometimes they are wet. I hate this.

I drink 1 cup of tea in morning, coffee mid morning, tea at lunch or soup, cold drink with evening meal and a coffee in the evening. I drink a lot more water in summer months. I never drink after about 8pm but have a sip of water every time I need the loo as my mouth is so dry.

Have not seen GP or nurse about this yet. I paid £22 for some pills called Bladder Less but they were no good at all. Took them religiously for 6 weeks with no change at all.

Sounds like the problem might be a combination of low bladder capacity and drinking too much water. When I went for urodynamic tests, nurse established my bladder capacity was about 350 ml. Average apparently is 300 to 700 ml so yours at 150 ml is very small.

Nurse told me that a lot of people make the mistake of going for a pee before they go out, whether the need to or not! She suggested it was better to put off going as long as possible to increase bladder capacity. If you don't have a leaking problem, you could try waiting longer before going, during the day, even if it's uncomfortable. Distract yourself but focusing on something else.
Then stop drinking anything after 6 in the evening as it seems like night-time is the most bothersome time.

I was told by the hospital Incontinence Nurse not to drink more than 1.5 litres of liquid daily and the idea of 2 litres a day is wrong.
I have vaginal atrophy and Ovestin helps with urgency and leaking.

I don't leak at all, just go go go! I've had various tests along with the botox. Kidney function is fine, I'm voiding completely, pelvic floor is strong. The only thing they've been able to pinpoint is that my bladder only holds 150ml. The idea of the botox was to reduce the need to go and allow my bladder to learn to expand to c450ml.

Maybe it really won't expand?

I do often wonder if I'm just drinking too much. One specialist nurse said I needed to drink c2l of water on top of everything else. I ignored that as I couldn't possibly drink that much.

I did have an issue with stress incontinence- no problem at night but during the day, if I coughed, sneezed or lifted something heavy, I would leak. Tried pelvic floor exercises for years, but after assessment (urodynamic clinic) I was deemed a suitable candidate for the Bulkamid procedure. A bulking agent is injected into urethra (under anaesthetic) which narrows the opening from bladder. I was told it might not work, but was lucky to be one of the successful ones and my stress incontinence is 90% improved.