Anyone on Vesicare?

[Everglades]

Hi there,
I'm one of the oldies on here and have been posting on the "Posterior/Anterior Repairs, TVT" thread. Had a TVT operation 9 weeks ago tomorrow and been left with awful frequency/urgency incontinence problem :( Has totally cured the stress one but this last couple of months has been miserable as I'm having to stay home most of the time due to the feeling of needing the loo pretty constantly.

The uro/gynae who did the op prescribed me Vesicare at my 6 week check up and have been on it 2 weeks now and still no relief. Have had a few occasions, an afternoon or an evening when things seem calm and I have thought the drug has started to work but then it all starts up again.
I think that I have read of others being on this drug and just wondered how they have found it?

Hi, I've been on it since having TVT, (abut 3 years) what dose are you on? I take 5mg in the morning but sometimes will take another during the day. If you see no improvement in the next few weeks you should go back. I was awful after my op but was much better within a few months, though I still would wear a small tenalady! Good luck.

Oh thank you so much for reply :) 3 years though :( Was sort of hoping that this would be a temporary thing. I was on 5mg for two weeks and have been on 10mg for the last week, so been on it three weeks in total. My urogynae surgeon said that it would work pretty immediately but everything I read both on the Vesicare literature and on other forums seems to say it can take up to 4 weeks. I am due to go back to see surgeon in another ten days. He says I have been very unlucky as less than 2 per cent of his patients have this problem, which is no help to me!
It has been ten weeks since the op and it's been a rubbish summer, I have been able to do so little, so been really fed up as it's taken me ages to pluck up courage to have this op, due to all the bad stuff you read, and I really thought all would be well.

I am now managing approx 2 hrs between loo visits but I feel the 'urge to go' still a lot of the time.
Thanks again, will plod on taking it for a bit longer :)

Maybe you could see an incontinence nurse? Years before I had TVT op I went because I was going to the loo constantly, I had to retrain my bladder and leave longer before each trip to the loo, it really helped. I had stopped the vesicare for a few months and was fine but I stated taking because I felt I needed too.

Hi, I had tvt then got dreadful frequency. It is a side effect of tvt. Vesicare and Tropsium did work - BUT I could tolerate the side effect.

Have you looked at botox? This has had very good results. You need it every six to nine months but it calms down urgency brilliantly. I've had it after similar issues.

Sorry though - I think they should be more upfront aoout the urgency issue after tvt.

Thanks again for replies.
I have been seeing an incontinence nurse/physiotherapist, who is brilliant but in her experience Vesicare can take a few weeks to work so am still hoping. The side effects haven't been too bad for me btw.

And I'm scared of botox, Sunshinenow due to knowing a retired nurse who had it two years ago for this problem. She had it twice and it worked brilliantly then the third time she landed up with having to self catherise every day and this continued for 18 months, she has now had the Interstim device implanted.

I can't say I didn't know that urgency was possible after TVT but the majority don't get it, so convinced myself that I was being pessimistic :(

I can understand your worry about the catheterising...(I need to but got used to it now, not because of the botox but prior to that).

If vesicare doesn't work I think there are 2 other newish drugs in this family worth giving a try. trospium is one of them

Hope it goes well for you - it is bloody miserable when going from one treatment to another.

Thanks a a lot for the sympathy, have to admit I do feel very sorry for myself at the moment :) Will keep trying with Vesicare for another week or so then will have to try something else if no improvement. Trouble is I keep convincing myself that it's improving if I have a good morning or afternoon but then it all kicks off again, so I'm up and down.
Will shut up now, told you I was feeling sorry for myself!