From United States and Canada call
Interstitial cystitis (IC) also known as painful bladder syndrome is a condition in which there occurs chronic inflammation of the muscle layer of the bladder that causes symptoms like chronic bladder pain/bladder pressure and pelvic pain. Homeopathic remedies for interstitial cystitis aim to stop further progression of the condition and manage the present symptoms.
The urinary bladder is a muscular sac that stores urine from the kidneys before it is voided out of the body. When the urinary bladder fills up completely it expands fully. Following this nerve signals are exchanged between the bladder and the brain. This causes an urge to urinate and the bladder muscles squeeze and the external sphincter of the bladder relax to allow urine to flow out. In Interstitial cystitis inflammation of the bladder wall can result in scarring and stiffness of the bladder. As a result the bladder is unable to hold the quantity to urine that it used to hold previously. There occurs an urge to urinate frequently from even smaller volumes of urine in this case.
Causes
The exact reason behind this condition is not clear yet. However there are certain factors that are thought to play a role that irritates and damages the lining of the urinary bladder and lead to this disorder. These include over stretching of the bladder, autoimmune reaction (in this the immune cells of the body due to a mistake starts damaging the body’s healthy tissue from a misdirected response), injury to lining of the bladder. Other factors are weak pelvic floor muscles, infections, allergies, trauma to spinal cord.
It is more often diagnosed in females as compared to males. The age when this is diagnosed is mostly during the 30’s or more. It is also thought to run in families.
Apart from above it is suggested that this condition may be linked with other chronic pain disorder like IBS ( a disorder affecting the large intestine with symptoms including abdominal cramping / pain, gas, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, or both diarrhoea and constipation) and fibromyalgia (chronic disorder in which there occur widespread pain in body, general fatigue and some other symptoms mainly including sleep issues, memory issues like brain fog and depression.
Symptoms
Its symptoms include pain / discomfort / pressure in bladder when it gets full and gets better after passing urine, pain (that can be slight discomfort, burning or sharp pain) /pressure in the pelvis, pain in lower abdomen, urgency to urinate, persistent urge to pass urine, frequent urination day and night with small quantity of urine (urine may pass around 50 – 60 times a day. Other symptoms that can appear include painful or burning urination, pain during coition (sexual intercourse) and incontinence of urine (involuntary passage of urine). These symptoms may increase in intensity and get worse if a person having this condition also gets a UTI (urinary tract infection).
The symptoms and its intensity vary from person to person. The symptom intensity also varies among one person from day to day and may have a period where no symptoms are present (remission period).
Some of the triggers that can worsen its symptoms are mental or physical stress, menses, exercise, sexual intercourse, certain foods (like spicy food, alcohol, chocolate, citrus fruits, coffee) and sitting for prolonged periods of time.
In women pain may also occur in vulva, vagina and perineum. In men the pain may also be present in scrotum, testicles, perineum.
Complications
First complication is stiffness of the bladder wall resulting in reduced bladder capacity. Next, it can cause relationship problems in partners due to pain and frequent urination. It can also lead to sleep disturbance, emotional stress , depression and poor quality of life due to frequent urination and pain.
Homeopathic Remedies for Interstitial Cystitis
The homeopathic system of medicine carries a great scope to treat cases of interstitial cystitis. It effectively manages symptoms like bladder pain; pelvic pain; pain in lower abdomen; urgency to urinate; frequent urination, painful / burning urination; pain during sexual intercourse; pain in vulva, vagina in females; and pain in scrotum, testicles in males. With these medicines the symptoms gradually reduces in intensity and frequency gradually. The homeopathic medicines for its treatment are very safe as they are prepared from naturally occurring substances that does not cause any side effects.
-
Equisetum – For Heaviness/Pain in Bladder and Lower Abdomen
This medicine is prepared from plant Equisetum hyemale also known as Scouring Rush. It belongs to the family equisetaceae. It is well indicated to manage bladder pain. Persons needing it may have heaviness, dull pain in the bladder and the lower abdomen. Sometimes they have severe pain in the bladder and lower abdomen. They also have frequent almost constant urges to urinate. Next they have a feeling of fullness in the bladder. The bladder region is also tender in them.
-
Lycopodium – For Frequent Urination, Heaviness, Pain in Bladder
This medicine is prepared from plant Lycopodium Clavatum having the common name club moss. This plant belongs to family lycopodiaceae. This medicine is beneficial for cases where frequent urine is present especially at night time. Dull pressing pain, heaviness or bearing down over the bladder is felt. Sometimes pain in the bladder of stitching type may also be present.
-
Belladonna – For Bladder Pain
This medicine is prepared from a plant called deadly nightshade. It belongs to family solanaceae. It is firstly helpful for dull pressing pain in the bladder. This is mostly felt at night. Next it is useful for bladder pain of shooting type worsening from movement. Other than this it helps where sharp, burning , stitching is felt in the bladder neck. Bladder region can be painful to touch along with the above symptoms. The desire for urine is also frequent and urine passed is small in quantity.
-
Merc Sol – For Frequent Urination with Marked Urgency
This medicine is very effective when there is frequent urination and marked urgency to urinate. Persons needing it have frequent urination both in day and night time. They have the urge to pass urine every hour and pass a little urine every time. Whenever they have an urge to urinate, they have to hurry to pass it otherwise it passes involuntarily. Burning in the beginning of urination may also be felt by them. Another symptom that they have is soreness of the bladder region.
-
Thuja – For Urgency to Pass Urine
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 offers great help for cases where urgency to pass urine is present. Persons requiring it have a sudden, urgent uncontrollable urge to pass urine. Along with this there is cutting pain in the bladder. Involuntary urination especially at night may also be there.
-
Sepia – To Manage Painful Intercourse, Pelvic and Vaginal Pain
It is a very valuable medicine for females to mange complaint of painful intercourse, pain in pelvis and vagina. In cases needing it there is bearing down sensation in region of bladder. There is marked stitching pain and constant soreness in the vagina. Burning pain in vagina and vulva are also present. There is marked burning and aching in bladder during menses. Along with this there is pressure sensation in bladder with frequent urination. A major symptom attending it is urgent desire to urinate.
-
Argentum Nitricum – For Pain during Coition in Males
This medicine is indicated to manage pain during sexual intercourse in males. Other attending symptoms include painful urination, pain in testicle especially right side. This pain is contusive in nature where it is required.
-
Causticum – For Urinary Incontinence
This medicine is a significant one to manage complaint of involuntary urination. Other complaints where it works well includes frequent urination with scanty urine, constant desire to urinate, burning when urinating .
-
Clematis – For Males to Manage Pain in Testicles
This medicine is prepared from leaves and stems of plant Clematis Erecta. It belongs to family ranunculaceae. It is very effective to manage pain in testicles. The pain can be drawing, pinching type. The testicle may also be painful to touch. The testicle may also be swollen.
-
Cantharis – For Painful or Burning Urination
It is a leading medicine to manage painful or burning urination. It is indicated when the pain and burning is present during, before or after urinating. There is a constant urge to urinate with this even from slightest urine in the bladder. Urine quantity is scanty. Heaviness, soreness and burning pain in the bladder is also marked. The bladder pain is worse from drinking even a small amount of water. Another chief symptom attending above is pain in perineum.
-
Apis Mellifica – For Burning at the End of Urination
Apis Mellifica is well indicated medicine for cases in which burning is present at the end of urination. With this there is frequent urination day and night with the desire to urinate every half hour. Other than this it is indicated for stinging pain while urination.
Can I take more than one homeopathic for IC? I’m taking lycopodium and can I add Belladonna Equisetum and
Sepia? I have a lot of bladder, pelvic floor and vukva pain. Also do incontinence pads cause inflammation and pain?
Hello,
Can you suggest a remedy for night sweats on the head, neck, and trunk due to full bladder/bladder pain at night? The underlying condition is Interstitial Cystitis.
I use Equestium, Lycopedium, and Causticum as needed for IC symptoms. My symptoms aren’t relieved, but are decreased in urgency with these remedies.
Thank you.
This is very interesting information. I have lived with interstitial cystitis for six years now, also am in menopause and all this happened when menopause hit. Is there a chance of any help to stop the almost constant burning and urgency? Thanks Mary
Pelvic pain pressure cramping.
Thoracic and lower back aches.
Small Shreds of body tissue, some tingedcw blood, during urination negative urinalysis dip.
No blood, no protein, no WBC,s, no nitrates … Ph 7.5.
Blood test show wbc increase over 3 months, from 3.2 to 7.9 w increased AST and ALT values.
Help me stop the pain with household remedies. I don’t trust that plant treatments are prepared correctly.
God Bless.
Linda
Hello! Interested in knowing what the recommended doses are for Equisetum and Bella Donna. My wife suffers from IC. We’ve tried Quercetin, Aloe, D-Mannose to varying degrees of effectiveness.
Hello,
This is all very interesting information. My wife has IC and I am, well we are looking for a solution.
Hello Dr Sharma,
I was diagnosed with IC. I have had a flair up for 6 weeks. I also just found out I’m pregnant. Due to pregnancy my urologist is limited in what she can prescribe. I’m in pelvic pain, I have a dull burn always, I have a feeling of urgency to urine always. I’m very anxious about all this. I have autoimmune problems which have caused many food allergies and I have dermagraphism, rashes and very high histamine in my body which I believe is a cause of my IC. Are these holistic medicines you recommend safe for pregnancy?
Crystal, I’ve been dealing with this for 10+ yrs. I’m finding my chronic situation seems to be exacerbated by histamines, too (along with stress-induced auto-immune escalation). You might want to do some research on an enzyme now being marketed. It’s called Diamine oxidase (DAO), which breaks down excess histamine in the body. Our bodies produce DAO from the lining of the gut and kidneys, but I SUSPECT autoimmune problems could interfere with that function.
I stay on a VERY STRICT low histamine diet. Unfortunately that can vary from person to person. I would highly recommend you find someone to explain/teach you how to muscle test on yourself. I use a pendulum, even a necklace when I’m out without one of my pendulums, to help guide me in the grocery store. It’s not perfect, but it helps me. I never eat out ANYWHERE, but I’ve learned to socialize without eating or drinking.
Homeopathy has been about the only thing I can trust to take for help. Also gentle, meditative exercise like Chi Gong and Tai Chi have helped me.
Good luck on finding help. This is a lifelong journey. You might discover some interesting emotional aspects to this journey as well.
Hi Dr. Sharma
I was recently diagnosed with IC. I am taking Gabbapentin which helps some with pain and sleep. I want to go more natural. my main problem is frequent urination and some burning but not much burning. I was wondering which herbs would help with the frequent urination and also with some pain. I take percoset sometimes if pain gets bad.
Thanks for your help with my condition. I did order the licopodium and will start it today.
Blessings
Donna
Hi Dr. Sharma
I was just diagnosed with IC. the dr did a cytoscopy and bladder distention. I was in more pain after procedure. I have pain from the IC but gabbapentin is helping. I want some natural cures for the pain and frequent urination and pain when peeing. I would be so grateful for your help in determining which homeopathic products would be best for my healing. Sometimes I have retention of urine as well.
Also need something for anxiety and sleep.
Thank you sooo much for your support.
Blessings
Donna
I am 29 and have recently been diagnosed with intersistital cystitis. I have tried kinesiology, acupuncture, Chinese medicine and a friend gave me some staphysagria and ertica urens to try which didn’t work actually worsened symptoms. I recently had the idea to try bidens or cobblers peg in a tea which seemed to provide a little relief but I am at my wits end with this condition I have been in pain almost daily since November and for 14 months the year before. I am lucky I have such a beautiful supportive partner but it means we can’t have sex which is so hard as we had such a healthy sex life before now I end up crying in pain on the toilet after. I’ve tried cutting out nightshades, alcohol and coffee I only just read and learnt cacao was known to aggravate it so I’ll cut that out too. I am also taking sea buckthorn oil omega 7, marshmallow, aloe vera inner leaf, d mannose but I am still suffering. My symptoms are pain at the end of urination that leave me with a razor like feeling at the end of my urethra and like I still need to pass urine. It’s usually in this area not so much the belly area. I have to pee often sometimes more than others like sometimes every 10 minutes. Really want to get to the bottom of this condition and live a normal life again. Any help would be so much appreciated. Thank you x
Hi, Im so sorry for what you have been going through. I know how tough it is when your illness affects your relationship and intimate/sexual life (I have had none for years due to my health problems and its really super frustrating and depressing). I wonder whether you could actually have endometriosis and/or pudendal neuralgia?? The symptoms overlap in these conditions and people get often misdiagnosed. I suffer from severe endometriosis myself, I had surgery in 2018 (London, UK) with very little relief from my horrendous menstrual pain (my periods were like being tortured for several days, bedridden, unable to work, with no medication bringing any relief) . Not long after the surgery, I gradually started to have very intense neuropathic type of pain in my abdomen especially after emptying my bowels, I also have burning/cutting sensation in my bladder when it fills up (its like I get pain instead of the natural sensation to let me know “you need a wee!”) with pressure felt right behind my pubic bone and severe pain after sex (or just orgasm-if u know what I mean 😉 that can last for several days. Are your periods painful?? Have you had any accident or fall that involved that area before this mayhem kicked in?? I also get aggravation from coffee, alcohol, cocoa/chocolate and so many other things- particularly stuff that can exhibit estrogenic properties (eg. soy, herbs that contain phytoestrogens). I also took sea buckthorn oil for some time only to realise that it was making my symptoms worse as it is apparently reccommended for women going through menopause who obviously need to supplement on (phyto)estrogens. The same applies to some extent to Aloe Vera & marshmallow. So hence I am a bit suspicious whether you could actually have endo on your bladder or urethra. I genuinely hope it is not your case as it is not a diagnosis I would wish upon my biggest enemy but you better be aware of it. I am wishing you the best of luck in tackling your health problems, it is a rough path indeed. Would be nice to get a response from you! Take care!
Continues pain n heaviness down dere. With urge to urinate more..but no pain while urinating…pain n burning sensation down dere..no blood in the urine or smell.
I m 49 years old woman..experiencing perimenopause since last Nov..had uti in end jan..was alright for 4 months then had covid on mid April…may end had vaginal itching n inflammation..4th day had uti symptoms but no growth of organisms in urine culture…showed a urologist n he said ots over active bladder..put me on steroids for a week n antibiotics. For 25 days..again uti came back in 15 days..since then suffering
Dear Dr. Sharma, I am a 72 year old active female with IC. I am presently taking colloidal silver (10 ppm one week alternating with 250 ppm the other week) olive leaf extract, vitamin D3 with k2, probiotic, sacchromytes boulardii, nattokinase, L-Argentine and Serrapeptase. I have been taking belladonna for the pain and using essential oils to calm the flare ups. I have changed my diet and am eating foods that are more bland – no caffeine, tomato products, spices, carbonates beverages, alcohol, etc. I am hoping to find other natural remedies, homeopathics, essentials oils and vitamins to reduce the flare ups I am getting weekly. Any help you can give me would really be appreciated. I do not take antibiotics, prescription medications, or visit doctors. I only want natural remedies. Thank you so much!
Hello Dr. Sharma,
I have Interstitial Cystitis and my subtype of IC is Hunner’s Lesions. Would these homeopathic remedies help calm my lesions? From what I’ve read, there are very few treatments that help relieve the pain from Hunner’s Lesions. I have taken D-Mannose, Desert Harvest Aloe Vera, Marshmallow Root, Turmeric, Bladder Builder, Bladder Ease, etc. for a year. Those along with DMSO instillations (also for a year) didn’t work. Nothing stopped the pain except for a fulguration.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Lori Veach
I was diagnosed with IC May 2004. My main symptom is frequent urination and clitoral burning. I’m on Pregablin 50mg, Tofranil 75mg, Prelief antacid tablets, bladder irrigation & Lidocaine 5% ointment. Clitoral burning is the worse. What else for this? The only thing that subsides burning is Norco. Thank you.
I am interested in the medicine for the interstitial cystitis I’m just curious what is the medicine you would prescribe and how much does it cost
Muscle spasms in the bladder due to IC
Hello Dr. Sharma I have a question for you hopefully you will be able to help me, I have a epididymitis cyst and this has been for 3 years now pain comes and goes, it’s a dull pain and sometimes I have urine discharge and I’m just asking you what is something effective that can help me? I’d appreciate your response thank you.
I have Interstitial Cystitis and main symptoms is constant burning pain in urine. Once it start with urine passing it become constant before after and for all time burning pain at tip of secret part. Only medicine helps is prelief but it causes me constipation and indigestion. Once burning pain starts I feel constant urge to urination even if I just evacuated. I need medicine which reduce or control my burning. I just take milk bread means Roti and few fruits like pears apple avacado red yams without any spice still it is not giving response.
Any help please. I am retired from India and dependant on my son so live with him in Santa Clara CA USA
I have IC and milder symptoms as described in all the homeopathic treatments listed here. My main problem is frequency resulting in very broken sleep and making travel of any distance (needing to stop for toilets – very uncomfortable and inconvenient). Associated pain as described is a constant reality. Which of the treatments or combination do I choose?