Homeopathic Medicines for Neurogenic Bladder

Neurogenic bladder is a term applied to lack of bladder control due to some brain, spinal cord or nerve problem. While homeopathic medicines for neurogenic bladder cannot completely reverse the condition or the damage which has already occurred, they are very effective at halting further progression of the condition and provide symptomatic relief.
The function of the urinary bladder is to store urine and expel it out from the body. Many nerves and bladder muscles work together in a well coordinated way for this purpose. These nerves help to carry messages between the bladder, spinal cord and brain to hold and release urine at appropriate times. Only on receiving a nerve message the bladder muscles either tighten or relax to manage urine release and storage. When this nerve pathway doesn’t work properly from nerve damage or from some brain disorder then it results in a neurogenic bladder in which the bladder muscles may not relax or tighten at the right time. As a result, the bladder may not fill or empty correctly respectively.

Homeopathic Medicines for Neurogenic Bladder  

There are numerous natural homeopathic medicines that carry a good scope to help in managing symptoms of neurogenic bladder. These medicines can be taken for supportive help along with conventional treatment. There are no specific medicines in homeopathy which are indicated for these cases and the prominent individual symptoms present in every individual case serves as a guide to selecting the homeopathic medicine for that particular case. The symptoms of neurogenic bladder including frequent urination, urgency to urinate, involuntary urination, difficulty in starting to urinate, straining during urination, a weak urine stream, dribbling of urine and painful urination can be well managed with homeopathic medicines. These medicines should be used after complete analysis of the case from a homeopathic expert and self medication should be avoided. In case of acute urinary retention or kidney damage one should seek urgent help from conventional mode as homeopathy has its limitation here to help these cases.

For Managing Frequent Urination

1. Merc Sol

This medicine is very beneficial for people who experience frequent urination day and night. They also have marked urgency to pass urine and have to hurry when the urge to pass urine is felt. When they pass urine it is scanty and flows in a thin stream. Sometimes it passes only drop by drop. They may also have burning in urethra on beginning to urinate. 

2. Lycopodium

This medicine is prepared from the plant Lycopodium Clavatum commonly known as Club Moss. This plant belongs to the family Lycopodiaceae. Its use is highly recommended for cases where frequency of urination is increased at night time. Person needing it has to wait for a long time before he can pass urine. During urination burning can be felt in the urethra. The urine may be strong smelling. Other than this it is also indicated when there is complaint of involuntary micturition. Lycopodium is also a top grade medicine to treat cases of kidney stones.

For Marked Urgency to Urinate

1. Petroselinum

This medicine is prepared from plant Petroselinum Sativum, also known as Parsley. This medicine belongs to the family Umbelliferae. It is very useful when there is sudden urging to pass urine. Along with this the urination is also frequent. The desire to urinate may arise every half hour. During micturition, burning in the urethra may be felt.

2. Pulsatilla

This medicine is prepared from plant Pulsatilla Nigricans, also known as Pasque flower. The family of this plant is ranunculaceae. Its use is considered when there is marked urgency to urinate where a person can’t wait and has to rush to urinate. If he doesn’t hurry then the urine starts to leak on its own (urge incontinence). Other symptoms include frequent almost ineffectual urging to urinate, discharge of urine drop by drop, burning during and after urination

3. Thuja

This medicine is prepared from fresh green twigs of plant Thuja Occidentalis commonly known by the name of Arbor Vitae. This plant belongs to family Coniferae. It is another excellent medicine for cases presenting with urgent, hasty desire to urinate that can not be controlled. To this continual urge to pass urine attends. Urine flow is obstructed in most cases needing it. Cutting pain in urethra appears during urination. Its use is also done when there is dribbling of urination.

In Cases of Difficulty in Initiating Urine

1. Chimaphila

This medicine is prepared from plant Chimaphila Umbellata commonly known as pipsissewa or Ground Holly. This plant belongs to family Pyroleae. It is a very useful medicine when there is difficulty in starting urine. Persons needing it have to strain to initiate the urine flow. They have frequent desire to urinate every hour or two but pass only a small quantity of urine. The urinary stream is very thin like a thread. Sometimes they pass urine in drops. During urination they also feel cutting, scalding pains. 

2. Nitric Acid

It also works well when there is difficulty in starting urine. Persons who need it have to stand and press a long to make the urine begin to flow. There is a very thin stream of urine that mostly smells very offensive. They may also feel cutting or needle – like stitches in the urethra.

3. Prunus Spinosa

This medicine is prepared from a plant named Blackthorn of the family Rosaceae. The part of this plant used to prepare homeopathic medicine are the buds that appear just before flowering. This medicine offers much help when a person has to strain for a long time to begin urination. The urine passes in a feeble stream and is scanty. Other indications to use this medicine are an urgent desire to urinate, continuous urging to urinate, burning and biting in the bladder. 

For a Weak Urine Stream

1. Clematis

This medicine is prepared from leaves and stems of plant Clematis Erecta that belongs to the family Ranunculaceae. This medicine is very effective for cases having weak urine streams and slow urination. The urination begins only after great straining in such cases. Other symptoms that are present include frequent and urgent desire to urinate, dribbling after urination, and a burning or sharp stitching pain in the urethra.

2. Sarsaparilla

This medicine is prepared from dried rhizomes of the plant Sarsaparilla Officinalis also known as Wild Licorice (of the family Liliaceae.) Its use is also considered when the urine stream is very thin, feeble and the person has to press a lot to urinate. Sometimes urine flows in drops. Much pain and burning is felt at the end of urination. It is also top medicine for treating cases of UTI and kidney stones.

For Straining During Urination 

1. Pareira Brava

This medicine is prepared from the root of the plant called Velvet Leaf. This plant belongs to the family Menispermaceae. It is an effective medicine when a person has to strain a lot to pass urine. In some cases needing it straining is extreme where a person has to go in a knee-hand position to pass urine. During efforts to urinate the pain goes down the thighs and even to the feet. The urge to pass urine is also constant with the above complaint. Dribbling of urine at the end of micturition may also arise. 

2. Magnesia Mur

This medicine is significant to treat cases where a person has to strain intensely to urinate. He is able to pass urine only by bearing down hard with abdominal muscles. They may also have increased need to urinate with scanty urine. Sometimes urine is passed only by drops and he always feels some urine remains back in the bladder.

For Dribbling Urination

1. Baryta Carb

This medicine is valuable to treat cases of dribbling of urine after urination. Additionally, there is a frequent and urgent desire to urinate. During urination, a  burning sensation can be felt. This medicine is also beneficial in cases of complete urinary incontinence (involuntary passage of urine).

2. Cannabis Indica

This medicine is also well-indicated for dribbling of urine when the urinary stream stops. The urine is passed at short intervals and in small quantities. They also complain of burning, scalding or stinging pain during and after urination.

For Involuntary Urination (Urinary Incontinence)

Some of the leading homeopathic medicines for involuntary urination are Causticum, Sepia and Natrum Mur. The most suitable medicine among them can be used after case analysis to manage urinary incontinence.

For Sensation of Bladder not Emptying Completely 

1. Staphisagria

This medicine is prepared from seeds of the plant Delphinium staphisagria also known as Stavesacre. It belongs to the natural order Ranunculaceae. It is an excellent medicine to manage cases where sensation as if the bladder did not empty completely is present. Other symptoms that are present are increased frequency to urinate but urine is scanty and passes in a thin stream. Following this, there is a sensation of incomplete emptying of the bladder. During and after urination burning in urethra is there.

2. Hepar Sulph

This another one of the useful homeopathic medicines for neurogenic bladder when urine passes slowly with a feeling as if some urine is left behind in the bladder and it is not emptied thoroughly. In cases needing it, the urine flow is also obstructed and in the beginning the urine is slow to come after some wait.

For Painful Urination and UTI

1. Cantharis 

It is a top grade medicine to manage cases of UTI. The key feature to use it is pain or burning during urination. It is also present before urinating and continues after urination. Other than this, there is a constant urge to pass urine, but the urine is very scanty or falls out drop by drop.  A sensation as if the bladder didn’t empty accompanies above symptoms.  

2. Apis Mellifica

Apis Mellifica is next prominently indicated medicine for UTI cases. In cases needing it there is burning while urination that is felt extremely at the end of urination. Sometimes stinging pains are felt on urinating. Increased frequency to urinate is present with this.

Causes

The brain disorders that can lead to neurogenic bladder include the following:

Multiple sclerosis (an autoimmune disease in which the protective sheath called myelin sheath that covers the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord is damaged.)

Parkinson’s Disease (a nervous system disorder presenting with rest tremor, slowed movement, muscle rigidity, impaired posture and balance, speech changes. In this disorder sometimes bladder problems can arise with difficulty urinating or inability to control urine.)

Alzheimer’s disease (an irreversible, progressive brain disorder in which memory and thinking skills are destroyed and it finally can make difficulties to carry out even the simplest tasks. In its last stages it can affect bladder and bowel control)

Stroke (refers to interrupted or decreased blood supply to a part of the brain that deprives it of getting oxygen and nutrients resulting in cell death). 

Infection or tumour of brain / spinal cord.

Cerebral Palsy (group of disorders in which movement, muscle tone or posture are affected due to damage to the immature brain during its development usually before birth.) 

Birth defects of the spinal cord like spina bifida (a birth defect in which the baby’s spine and spinal cord do not develop properly in the womb).

2. Damage to the nerves which supply the bladder muscles can also lead to this condition. This kind of nerve damage can arise from diabetes, a pelvic surgery, vaginal childbirth, spinal stenosis / herniated disk, spinal cord injury, long term use of alcohol or some heavy metal poisoning.

Symptoms 

In cases of neurogenic bladder, there is loss of ability to control urination. The symptoms vary from one person to the other. In these cases either the bladder becomes overactive or underactive depending on the nerves which are involved and nature of the damage. In some of the cases both overactive and underactive bladder can occur in the same person.

1. When the bladder becomes overactive it contracts more often than normal before it gets full with urine. It causes symptoms that include increased frequency to urinate, usually small amounts of urine, urgency to urinate (means sudden, urgent feeling to urinate). Additionally, sometimes the sphincter muscles may be too loose that cause urine to leak before reaching the bathroom (urge incontinence).
2. When the bladder becomes underactive then it will not contract when it gets full with urine. With this, the sphincter muscle may be too tight to allow urine to pass. In this type of case, there is difficulty to feel or know when the bladder is full, and overflow incontinence (urine leakage when the bladder gets full) occurs.
   Other symptoms are difficulty in starting to urinate, straining during urination, a weak urine stream, an inability to empty all urine from the bladder and dribbling of urine.
3. Painful urination can be present that indicates there is an urinary tract infection (UTI). In these cases recurrent UTIs may be present.

Complications

The complications of neurogenic bladder may include repeated urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and urinary retention. Damage to the kidney if the bladder becomes too full and causes back flow of urine into the kidneys frequently may also occur.