How long on desmopressin (bed wetting)?

[DaisyheadMayzie]

The GP prescribed desmopressin for DS (9) saying it was for short term use only and not to use it for more than a week or it will lose its effectiveness. This contradicts what I've read on the web, and when I queried it with the pharmacist he said he'd never heard about only using it for a week. Even on his database, he could not find any information to tie in with what the GP said.

How long were your children on desmopressin? Did it stop the bed wetting long term? DS wets about 2/3 nights, and it's hereditary, so prime candidate for desmopressin it seems.

Hi Daisy! My ds took desmopressin for two-three years! So it definitely doesn't lose its effectiveness! Don't know where your GP got that from.

My ds was 9 and had been bedwetting nearly every night for all that time. We'd tried all the usual things including alarms and no good. His cousin had wet the bed til 13 so it was hereditary in his case too. He's now 12 and he's stopped and doesn't need to take the desmopressin anymore, but it did feel as if it would go on forever!

Our GP said to take it every night for three months, then have a week's break to see if the body had caught up with the hormone production needed to reduce urine production at night. If it hadn't, then just keep repeating it til it does.

They give a low dose to start with, to see if it's enough and then they increase it if not. The low dose seemed to be enough for my ds mostly, although there was still the odd accident.

It enabled him to go on residential school trips without worrying. The teachers were very good at keeping it discreet. We did have to tell them to watch his fluid intake in the evening when he was still quite young.

Hope it works for your boy. It's very nice not to have sopping wet sheets all the time!