THE REAL DOPE ON NEW BEDWETTING DRUGS The story in question lauds the newest scientific study (double blind, no doubt) on a newly minted drug that solves the bed wetting problem once and for all. Except, there are many side effects and drug interactions. This doesn’t seem to bother the drug companies or doctors who will be prescribing it by the truckload. No doubt, they feel that those side effects are the lesser of two evils. The pharmaceutical companies MUST be conscientious enough, one would think, that the benefits would far outweigh the risks. Right? Well, not exactly. It seems that over 200,000 children across Canada (extrapolate that number and count about 1,000,000 in the U.S.) between the ages of 5 and 19 are wetting their beds practically every night. This is an affliction not to be sneezed at because of it’s lasting effect on the people involved. Imagine the feeling of hopelessness and embarassment of all the young people who would do anything for a dry night in bed. My daughter had that problem for many years and there seemed to be nothing to alleviate it. By the age of five, she was unable to stay anywhere overnight without bringing along a plastic sheet, a deterrent in itself, but we all realized that it was a direct result of her premature birth meaning that her bladder was not capable of funtioning effectively. The new drug in question, a synthetic hormone, will keep the person taking it from producing urine during an eight to 10 hour period so that the bed doesn’t get wet. Great news? Yes. No! It turns out that the recipients of the drug can end up with mental impairment, seizures and comas. DDAVP (Desmopressin acetate) can also cause headaches, stomach cramps and nausea. Further investigation has determined that the drug can actually cause severe allergic reactions including skin rashes, itching, wheezing, swelling of lips, tongue and throat. Lethargia and vomiting along with mental deterioration can also leading to seizures and coma, serious conditions all. These are symptoms that may or may not occur. Is it worth the risk? It’s been found in many studies that bedwetting is hereditary to some extent. If a parent wet the bed, then the chances of the child doing the same thing is a 50% possibility, and if both parents had the problem, the incidence would increase to 80%. Did you know that before the age of four, 20% of all children wet their beds? That’s a very high number. I can just see this drug being marketed the same way that ADD and ADHD drugs are sold…and before we know it, we’ll have millions of children taking DDAVP. Not a good sign at all! Not only has THIS new drug been developed, but many doctors prescribe anti-depressants to children for the condition in hopes that depression is the root cause. In Holland, children in a study determined that bedwetting was the third most traumatic thing that could happen to them, next to divorce of parents and trouble at school which was equal to surgery. However, by the age of 18, the problem completely disappeared for most of the sufferers. My own daughter never wet the bed again after her first trip to stay with relatives for a month in her fifth summer. Curiously, doctors feel confident that this new drug will be helpful because it’s been approved by Health Canada (equivalent of the U.S. FDA) and are confident that the drug company that developed it has determined beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is safe for all humans. The doctors feel that it can be very effective as long as the parents are aware of the side effects. They consider it a “new hope” for a seemingly hopeless situation. Most physicians say they will prescribe it for children with low self esteem. Most of the opponents of the drug treatment feel it is not warranted for a hereditary condtion, and especially not if it can cause such adverse side effects. The premise is that bedwetters are very deep sleepers and wet their beds mainly because they do not realize that their bladders are voiding during the night. The simple remedy should be limiting liquids in the evening, but that doesn't always work. Vigilance most often does the trick. Ferring Pharmaceuticals believes that drugs will to the job better, even though they realize that they are treating the symptoms instead of the cause. The most telling story is that most children who take the drug to relieve their bedwetting, immediately revert to their original problem as soon as the drug is stopped. There’s no cumulative effect and therefore no real hope for the future. Behavioral approaches have been very effective when used in special clinics. In Wilmington, Delaware, doctors stress behavior changes and have had great response. They’ve had children come to them who have been on DDAVP for a year with no appreciable improvement. Bladder stretching exercises are important in treatment along with bed changing and clothing awareness. Diapers are not used, and children are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings and to keep dry. Positive reinforcement in the form of books and conversation are followed on a one-to-one basis. It’s good for parents and children to know that by the age of 15, only 5% still suffer from the condition. Parents of children with Enuresis (bedwetting) are the first to point out that the problem won’t go away with the use of drugs. They will simply mask the symptoms and when the children mature enough, they will take matters into their own hands. Why do we need drugs when they don’t actually cure the syndrome? Many of these parents have written to Health Canada to ask them to restrict the use of this drug for the most serious cases. There are, indeed, herbal remedies for bedwetting and they should have no side-effects at all. Brochu, parsley, plaintain and oatstraw have been effective over the last several hundred years. Be sure to give these remedies before 3pm to be properly effective. Health Food Stores have more information and appropriate capsules. One parent had this to say. “Pills were once what old people took. Now children take all these pills. It worries me. I mean, what kid ever had seizures or a coma from wetting the bed?” “nuff said!.” Back to the Writing Index