The Forums › Forums › Medication › Ritalin › Ritalin and ** urinating **
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June 21, 2011 at 1:36 pm #89738
AnonymousInactiveJune 21, 2011 at 1:36 pmPost count: 14413Just wondering about this:
I have always had sleep issues and one of the problems I’ve had is that I need to get up a lot during the night to urinate (I’m a female). So I don’t drink in the evening if I can. When I get nervous, I have to urinate, and I can do it frequently.
Usually, when I do have to urinate, it’s quite urgent, I don’t notice it because I’m focused on other things.
After being on Ritalin now for almost a week (only 10 mg 3x day), I’ve noticed that I’m not waking up in the night to urinate, and when I do, and I notice that I do need to urinate, it’s not urgent and I can usually go back to sleep (although in the morning, it’s more urgent and I do get up).
And during the day, unless I am drinking gallons of water (I should try this to be sure), I am not finding the need to urinate as much.
And on a related topic, rather than being constipated, as I usually am, I’m having good bowel movements in the morning and throughout the day. Not diarrhea, but relatively soft compared to the usual.
I am experiencing dry mouth too, that one I know is a side effect and so I sip water frequently. That should make me need to urinate more frequently but it doesn’t.
Has anyone else had this experience?
REPORT ABUSEJune 21, 2011 at 1:53 pm #105183no to the above symptoms as you describe them
, but did/do you drink a lot of coffee or coke ? I find when I curb the caffeine the need to run to the washroom countless times a day is curtailed. Because I was regulating myself with caffeine before starting meds this was a huge issue.
Just switched to Ritalin about a week ago and am sleeping better. Maybe because you sleep better you don’t need to get up?
REPORT ABUSEJune 21, 2011 at 2:49 pm #105184
AnonymousInactiveJune 21, 2011 at 2:49 pmPost count: 14413although i don’t have the issue with urinating, i do have a (tangentially) related question to nellie (or anyone else)- i am not on medication, although i do indeed believe i must be add (as MD suggested). HOWEVER i am wondering about the role of caffeine: i know it is a stimulant, but i cannot drink it (it makes me very anxious!!). would this be a rule-out factor for add? (or potentially medication that may help my scattered brain?) i will say that NICOTINE calms my mind and allows me to focus . . . any thoughts? thanks in advance!!
REPORT ABUSEJune 21, 2011 at 3:51 pm #105185
AnonymousInactiveJune 21, 2011 at 3:51 pmPost count: 14413Nellie:
I don’t drink coffee or coke. I do drink tea, but only about 1 large tea in the morning, and I know tea does go through me fairly quickly. That’s why I don’t drink it at all in the evening.
I am thinking I’m sleeping better because of the Ritalin and don’t feel the need (or my crazy brain doesn’t keep telling me to get up and pee), but it doesn’t explain the daytime lack of need, or the lack of urgency in the daytime when I do need to pee. Sometimes I come in the door from errands (only an hour out) and I can’t get to the bathroom fast enough! But on the Ritalin, no urgency.
smftwo:
Caffeine is a stimulant.
Nicotine is a stimulant. It’s also addictive. Very bad for your health.
Why don’t you get a formal diagnosis?
REPORT ABUSEJune 21, 2011 at 4:18 pm #105186no-dopamine,
not sure if there;s a connection, what about age related issues – lots of women in their 50’s have to take the so-called ( at least by my friends) “pee pill.” I wonder if the Ritalin can somehow regulate that. Not sure what hormones are involved here and a random ADD brain transmission so just a big guess there ! maybe worth a google?
REPORT ABUSEJune 21, 2011 at 4:22 pm #105187
AnonymousInactiveJune 21, 2011 at 4:22 pmPost count: 14413Thanks, nellie. I’ll do that. But what is interesting is that this has been a problem for my whole life. We always thought it was a small weak bladder.
REPORT ABUSEJune 21, 2011 at 9:57 pm #105188no_dopamine – I can never resist the opportunity for a good google so found the following which may explain you urination issue:
Excerpt for the impatient:
Vasopressin (Diapid)
Vasopressin (anti-diuretic hormone) is a hormone secreted by the posterior portion of the pituitary gland. It is approved for treatment of diabetes insipidus because it prevents the frequent urination that occurs in this disease. Vasopressin has also been used to treat memory deficits due to aging, senile dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Korsaoff’s Syndrome and amnesia. It improves attention, concentration, memory retention, and recall (both short‑term and long‑term). Vaso pressin is necessary for imprinting new information in your memory.
Cocaine, LSD, amphetamines, Ritalin, and Cylert (pemoline) cause your pituitary gland to release natural vasopressin at a faster rate. Frequent use of these drugs can cause depleted levels of vasopressin with resultant slowness and dopiness. A whiff of vasopressin can transform stimulant burnout experience in about 10 seconds, because it is rapidly absorbed by the nasal mucosa, and immediately replaces the vasopressin that has been depleted.
Conversely, marijuana and alcohol suppress the release of vasopressin. A whiff of vasopressin when using these drugs will compensate for much of the dopiness caused by them.
Vasopressin is very useful when learning large amounts of new information. It can increase your ability to memorize and recall.
Many people have very strong and positive reactions to vasopressin. We include a number of testimonials in Appendix D (see page 179).
Precautions: Vasopressin occasionally produces the following side effects: nasal congestion, runny nose, itch or irritation of the nasal passages, abdominal cramps, headache, and increased bowel movements. Vasopressin has not been proven to be safe for use during pregnancy. It should also be used cautiously in cases of hypertension or epilepsy.
Dosage: Vasopressin usually comes in a nasal spray bottle. Most studies showing memory improvement have been done with a dose of 12 to 16 USP units per day, or about two whiffs three or four times per day. Vasopressin produces a notice able effect within seconds.
Sources: Vasopressin is available in the U.S.A. You can buy it with a doctor’s prescription. Again, keep in mind that most physicians may not be familiar with the uses we discuss here. It can also be purchased over the counter in Mexico or by mail order from the sources listed in Appendix A (see page 165).
Vasopressin comes in three forms: lysine‑vasopressin (Diapid, LVP, Lypressin, Postacton, Syntopressin), l‑desamino‑8‑D‑arginine (Adiuretin SD, DAV Ritter, DDAVP, Desmopressin, Desmospray, Minirin), and arginine‑vasopressin (argipressin, AVP, rinder‑vasopressin). All forms have very similar or identical effects.
REPORT ABUSEJune 22, 2011 at 3:38 am #105189
AnonymousInactiveJune 22, 2011 at 3:38 amPost count: 14413is nicotine bad for your health?
REPORT ABUSEJune 22, 2011 at 10:39 am #105190
AnonymousInactiveJune 22, 2011 at 10:39 amPost count: 14413LOL! I love the article title: How to Improve Your Memory and Increase Your Intelligence Using the Latest Discoveries In Neuroscience
I looked up diabetes insipidus and printed off the info so I’ll have it next time I see my doctor.
REPORT ABUSEJune 22, 2011 at 10:42 am #105191
AnonymousInactiveJune 22, 2011 at 10:42 amPost count: 14413smftwo: I started a new thread about nicotine here: http://totallyadd.com/forum/topic.php?id=1561&replies=1#post-12472
REPORT ABUSEJune 22, 2011 at 12:46 pm #105192no-Dopamine,
didn’t actually look at the title! We can all use some of that I think!
but did you see the part about the hormone vascopressin and RItalin
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? I found the mention of Ritalin causing the body to release it naturally interesting. What made me think of it is that they give it to kids for bed wetting.
June 24, 2011 at 2:33 am #105193
AnonymousInactiveJune 24, 2011 at 2:33 amPost count: 14413Yes, I caught the reference to ritalin and vasopressin. I wet the bed until I was 10 years old, still remember my mom getting me up at midnight or thereabouts and sitting me on the toilet so I could go, half asleep.
REPORT ABUSEJune 24, 2011 at 4:25 am #105194Yikes – me too! Till age 12. My daughter too – poor kid! Of course being an ADD mom never got it together enough to get her to the clinic and get meds. Mind you they didn’t have drugs for that when I was a kid so who knew. By the time I figured it out for her she was over it!
REPORT ABUSEJune 24, 2011 at 1:49 pm #105195
AnonymousInactiveJune 24, 2011 at 1:49 pmPost count: 14413My dreams were always very vivid, I was in the bathroom on the toilet when I wet the bed. Later in life, the dreams changed to going into public bathrooms that were too dirty to use, so I kept looking, and eventually woke up and went to the bathroom. I suppose my therapist could have a hey-day with that info!
It’s been 2 weeks now on the Ritalin 10 mg 3x day and most nights I sleep right through, or only wake up once, only once actually got up to go to the bathroom but that’s because I forgot to go before I went to bed. So I am feeling more rested. Not totally, there still might be some sleep issues, but I’m doing way better.
Nellie, did you find that your sleep improved at all on meds, if it was ever a problem?
REPORT ABUSEJune 25, 2011 at 10:00 am #105196
AnonymousInactiveJune 25, 2011 at 10:00 amPost count: 14413I read that lots of people with ADHD have a history of bedwetting. I remember wetting the bed. And both my kids did (one ADHD, one not). And my almost-certainly-ADHD brother was a bedwetter too. Maybe there’s a connection there somewhere with your frequent toilet visits during the night. I have nights when I seem to have to go frequently, regardless of what I have had to drink.
I often have those “searching for a toilet” dreams. I hate them. I never feel rested when I have spent half the night (feels like it at least!) roaming my dreamland for useable toilets (I seem to find dirty clogged ones, or ones without doors, or men’s urinals instead of ladies’ loos)!!
Vasopressin spray is one of the bedwetting treatments we looked into for my kids, but there are restrictions for prescribing here in Australia. They have to have tried all other measures first, or there has to be strong psychological need for trying it before other measures (such as an older child, who wets most nights, with huge anxiety issues, and about to go on school camp at a new school). There were some things to be careful of too. Something about watching they did not drink too much before taking the vasopressin, because it reduces the urge to urinate and they can “explode” their bladder (or damage it somewhat) by having it too full but not feeling the natural urge to wee. Not pleasant!! Anyway, a dry bed clinic was the answer for my kids. It was basically behavioural therapy, using reward systems, monitoring urine output and encouraging them to increase it to an age specified amount by holding on as long as they could once a day, increasing fluids, setting up bedtime “behaviour patterning”, and using a bedwetting alarm. It was quite effective, though my daughter regressed after a year or so, probably due to her incresing anxiety (not wanting to get out of bed to go to the loo because of her fears). It stopped again as she approached a major two week camp away from home and has not occurred since.
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