Sep 13 2008
How Does Elmiron Work?
I was sent an email from a newly diagnosed Interstitial Cystitis patient wanting to know how the medication Elmiron works. I had written a post at the beginning of this blog where I discussed Elmiron, so more information can be found there but I will highlight how Elmiron works on this post for the lady who emailed me (thank you!).
It is believed that Elmiron works by helping to build up the protective mucous layer of the bladder lining. How it does this is because Elmiron is chemically similar to the compounds that make up the bladder’s protective mucous layer. When an IC Disease patient takes Elmiron, the capsule is dissolved and the active ingredients are carried to the kidneys. From the kidneys, Elmiron travels to the bladder and in the urine. Once Elmiron is in the bladder, it is believed that Elmiron sticks to the exposed bladder wall and coats/replenishes the bladder lining that is defective.
The problem I have found through talking with many IC patients is that while Elmiron is an effective treatment, many patients do not give the drug enough time to work. A patient needs to be on Elmiron at least 6 months to start seeing positive results.
I hope I have answered your question!
This is a great explanation of how Elmiron works. It’s my understanding that Elmiron “mimics” the way the body’s natural mucous lining would work to protect the nerve endings in the bladder from irritants in the urine… that are not meant to make contact with those nerve endings and don’t do so in a non-IC individual. When that contact with the nerve endings does happen in IC patients, it results in pain.
I take Elmiron myself for IC and it’s very helpful. What my doctor told me when I started taking it is that it takes 3-6 months to really kick in for most patients and that patients vary in their response time.
In addition to using Elmiron, I do bladder instillations. After being trained at my doctor’s office on how to do them, I self-catherize at home to instill a combination of Lidocaine and Heparin into the bladder. After waiting 25 minutes, I simply urinate and the medications are no longer in my bladder.
For me… the combination of Elmiron and bladder instillations has really helped! I used to make bathroom trips to urinate as often as every 15 minutes when I had my period and average an hour of “holding time” at other times of the month. (I also have endometriosis).
With the medications I use, I have had times where my “hold time” during periods has gone from 15 minutes to about 3 hours.
Clearly this has improved my quality of life. The reduction in pelvic pain and bladder pain has been impressive.
Since I have multiple chronic illnesses and many of them are unresponsive to treatment, it’s wonderful to find treatments that have actually helped my IC.
I am grateful to have found a pelvic pain specialist who finally diagnosed my IC after 12 years of suffering. I had seen 3 urologists prior to him with 3 negative cystoscopies. The 4th cystoscopy with the pelvic pain specialist I currently see resulted in a definitive diagnosis which led to these treatments that really do help me.
Best of luck to you in finding an effective regimen to manage your pain and improve your quality of life.
Jeanne