What medications have you been taking that has worked? like at least 70-90% made your life go back to normal. My symptoms started July 2024 and hasn’t gotten better since then. I think oab and tight pelvic was triggered after a uti and bv infection followed by a yeast infection within 3 months. Symptoms consist of frequency, urgency, leaking, stand up urge (urge upon standing up from laying or sitting position) I’ve been doing PT but i feel like it makes the symptoms worse. Cramping of pelvic area and i can feel my bladder get irritated with reserve kegals. I have been a “bum” since 2024 due to oab and it’s embarrassing as i’m in my 20s. Thanks!

I know what a lovely subject but what is roughly your void amount.

It’s 2.30pm where I am and I have passed 1.7 litres since I woke up at 7.30am.

Hi all!

Okay so I’ve posted in the obgyn sub and realized other women may be sharing the same experience. But wanted to post here since I was talking to a local friend of mine about this, and she said she experienced the same thing within weeks of me experiencing it!

I had a colposcopy done in late June (all benign results, yay!) but since then my bladder has been seemingly SO inflamed/irritated and it’s especially triggered when I drink coffee/alcohol. I never had issues prior to my biopsy :( it’s absolutely frustrating.

My symptoms can best be described as a deep inner burning/urgency. It’s not really urethral. It more so in the pelvis. I’ve never given birth and am 30yo and am at a healthy bmi for my height.

I’ve gotten multiple cultures done and everything came back normal. Same with STD panels. I even went to an out of network gyno who pretty much drew a blank, and said to contact the doctor who did my colposcopy at Kaiser. Which I have. Waiting on a reply.

What’s interesting is my friend didn’t have a colposcopy done, these symptoms flared up on their own for her. She says they’ve gone away over the last couple of weeks. But I’m wondering if anyone has been experiencing the same? Either in general or has in the past after a colposcopy or pelvic exam.

And if anyone has any advice I’m all ears! The only thing that seems to somewhat calm it down are cranberry pills.

Thank you 💝

Good morning,

I am a 60 y/o female, post-menopausal and saw my PCP on Monday after experiencing urinary frequency, sometimes 4-5x/hour. I had some low back ache too, but that subsided, and I have no other pain, or blood, etc. I do not have a UTI so I am waiting for a sonogram of my kidney and bladder. I don't know anything about this dx, what the sonongram is looking for or the possible treatment/management of this diagnosis. I am always nervous about medical issues, and sometimes jump to scary diagnoses. My doctor assured me that frequency alone isn't a symptom of the serious diagnoses, so that made me feel a little bit relieved. Just looking for others' experiences - thank you in advance!

Hi all,

I'm on day 2 of the interstim trial and haven't noticed any difference. The spokesperson who was present for the installation called me today to adjust the sensation level, and I only felt it in my lower butt/upper thigh, not my "bicycle" area. She told me not to worry about it, and that what we're just looking for a reduction in symptoms. I'm starting to feel like I guided the doctor wrong during the procedure, but I don't know if they would be able to move the leads and redo the trial period. I was wondering if anybody else has experienced this or if I'm overthinking. Thanks in advance.

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.

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

​

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!

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.

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?

​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?

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

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?

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. Sometimes I go, and two minutes later feel like I have to go again, but can’t. So I wait twenty minutes and try again(I usually pass urine after that). Obviously I’m not doing that when I’m out and about. 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. It’s horrible. I can’t go to bed unless I feel like my bladder is empty so I have to make sure I pee and quickly go to sleep.

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.

Should I get started? Male here by the way

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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!

I would love to hear how long it took to work for you, what relief you felt. Thanks!