My poor DS - Bed wetting alarm - how long before any progress?

[Kooza]

Has anyone used one of these? My DS is 6.5 and still wet most nights.
He's really embarrassed and sad about it so we decided to really attack the problem and start using the pants with the alarm that goes off when he wees in the night.

So far we are nearly 4 weeks in and I'm not seeing any difference at all. He's had one or two dry nights but that would happen occasionally anyway. Other than that it's any time between 2 and 5:30am every night that the alarm goes off. We get him do do a wee every night around 10-10:30pm and limit drinks after 6pm.

We are both utterly exhausted and I'm so upset for him. I know that this process can take months but I was hoping for some or any small signs of improvement. I know the docs won't usually start any treatment until 7 but wondered if anyone had any experiences or tips they could share?

He was recently invited to a sleepover but although he was desperate to go he was too embarrassed about his night time pants.

[Kooza]

Bumping

[vjg13]

I used one with my daughter, it was different because she has learning difficulties and was older. She was about 8. We had been to the bed wetting clinic and used it in conjunction with the desmo melts medication that suppress urine production. I found the nurse at the bed wetting clinic useless but she could get my GP to prescribe the medication. I had bought my own alarm.

I then cut down the level of the medication from the maximum by about 60 mg each night and just used the alarm. The process took about 2/3 weeks, it started with the alarm going off as she started to wee and quickly progressed to her getting to the toilet in time. It is exhausting and I use to wake up with my heart pounding when the alarm went off!

Good luck, maybe see if your GP can help

[SauvignonBlanche]

My DS tried the alarm at aged 7, he was dry by the age of 14 - sorry.
Sometimes the hormone vasopressin which controls nighttime diuresis doesn't kick in until puberty.
Desmopressin tablets helped but he mostly needed time.

[GibberTheMonkey]

Ds used to sleep through the alarm or unplug it in his sleep

[CairoPrankster]

We used one for a while but had to stop as the battery that was attached to the pants gave him the most horrendous bruises. He is dry 99.9% of the time now aged 13

[Kooza]

I had read some depressing statistic recently that stated that most children who are not dry by 5.5 are usually still having some bedwetting problems until around 11-13 before it sorts itself out.

I may take him to the GP to see if we can look at other options. I have explained all the science to him (in small words!) so that he knows it isn't his fault and we have never made a big deal of it. He's just so sad about it all and it's being made worse that little brother is 3.5 and dry most nights now.

[SauvignonBlanche]

You sound like you're doing all the right things.
Don't be depressed about it, he'll be a teenager before you know it!
I put one of those bedpads under the sheet and just stripped the bed every morning. It's not a big deal if you've got a washing machine.

[Kooza]

I know, I just feel so bad for him. He is so aware of it and every time he has a dry night he thinks it's the start of something and then it regresses again.

So at what point should we give up with the alarm? No improvement after maybe a month to 6 weeks or something?

[SauvignonBlanche]

We gave up after a couple of months as DS was just undoing it in his sleep, the enuresis nurse suggested having a break so as not to get DS stressed about it all.

[beautifulgirls]

DD used one just before she turned 7 and within 3 weeks she was dry at night. We haven't had one accident since then with her in over 3 months off the alarm since then. (we used it until dry for over 2 weeks in a row)

[Gilbertwasthebestcat]

DS2 didn't get an alarm but we were told to increase his day time drinks. Dry by 7.5. 1 accident in 6 months. It will happen..