Is there anything that I can take to stop frequent urination?

[Newstart9753]

Even as a child i needed the toilet often. I have to use the toilet everywhere I go , multiple times.
As im getting older (mid 40s) its getting worse to the point it controls my life. I dont have leaks or any incontinence. My kidney function is good. I really don't want any embarrassing invasive tests.
Im at the stage now that I have to get up every 2 hours during the night and need to use a toilet at least once every hour during the day. The output is a normal amount each time.
Sometimes when I've been, I can feel my bladder refill instantly within a few minutes.
I am very overweight and have a large apron stomach which I think presses on my bladder causing pressure too. I am trying to address this.
When I get up in the morning, I have to go to the toilet 4 times in the first hour.

Im currently in a situation where I am spending quite a lot of time in my car (5 hours a day). During that 5 hours I have to find different places I can use the toilet, a cafe, a supermarket, McDonald's. It really does rule my life and its really getting me down. Can anything be done about this? Ibe even tried not drinking anything and I still produce a large amount of urine

I would look into pelvic floor therapy. Sympathy because this is no way to live.

The primary thing you can self manage, and I say this as someone who has recently been around 21 stone, is the weight and pressure on your bladder. I've lost 6 stone in the last year and am planning to get down to around 11.

The thing you don't want to hear though is you need to speak to a specialist - in my county there is a self-referral option to speak to the bladder service which is brilliant and I had a long chat with the nurse specialist about my mild incontinence which was ultimately hugely exacerbated by my weight and my massive tea habit.... I've also switched to decaf for 90% of my drinks now. That's helped a lot.

By way of example:
www.cornwallft.nhs.uk/bladder-bowel-service/

Are you fully
emptying your bladder each time you use the loo? Might be worth looking into double voiding technique. It takes way longer to empty than you would think.
Also might me worth getting some pelvic physiotherapy

Vaginal oestrogen might help a little bit op. I was also getting up several times a night in early 40s. I started using estriol cream and no longer wake for a wee ever.

I would second pp and advice to look into pelvic floor therapy. It seems you have tight pelvic muscles and need some relaxation therapy.
You can do some diaphragm breathing to see if it helps.

There was a thread on here recently where a poster took pumpkin seed oil and found that helped. I can’t remember how much you need to take, but apparently it works!

Have you tried training yourself out of it?

I managed to a while ago when I was constantly waking up at night. Basically if you always go at the first urge your brain always thinks it’s urgent. How about during the day, if you feel the need to go, tell yourself you will wait 20 minutes.

Don’t hold till you burst but try not going for longer periods.

Is your bladder actually full when hou feel you need to go? If not then you can get bladder relaxing meds like solifenicin. My ds was prescribed this for an overactive bladder.

No dont believe my bladder is full when I need to go. I'd say its about 1/4 to 1/2 full.
The only time I dont need to go is if we are on holiday in a hot country and I am sweating .
I definitely have a tight pelvic floor. I struggle with sex (always have) and when I go for a smear test that is also a struggle and I have actually snapped and broken a few of the plastic speculum. I will look into this further thank you

D-mannose tablets are your friend here!

I was like that too OP...used to have to go every hour or so, but small amounts. Such a nuisance on a day out etc.

I cut back on UPFs and one of the benefits I was not expecting was fixing this! So needing to go less often, and having a proper volume when I do go.

When I start eating crap again...I start needing the bathroom more frequently again.

I have this issue and have been bombarded on socials with ads for “Jude” for months. I finally caved (without holding out much hope) and they have made a significant impact already. I’m shocked as I generally find supplement-y stuff useless. My GP had suggested surgery and made a referral but after several ops in recent years, I’m hoping to avoid that. I’m also looking into trying the Emsella chairs.

I take medication for an over active bladder, also have to avoid fizzy drinks and caffeine. For medication you will need to speak to GP. Good luck.

Have you had a HbA1C (blood glucose) test done recently to test for diabetes?

General symptoms

• Increased thirst: Feeling very thirsty all the time.
• Frequent urination: Needing to urinate more often, particularly at night.
• Fatigue: Feeling unusually tired.
• Unexplained weight loss: Losing weight without trying.
• Blurred vision: Vision that becomes blurry and may worsen.
• Slow-healing sores: Cuts, scrapes, or other wounds that take longer to heal.

Symptoms more specific to women

• Thrush: Frequent vaginal or oral yeast infections, as yeast thrives in high-sugar environments.
• Acanthosis nigricans: Dark, velvety patches of skin, often in body folds like the neck, armpits, or groin. This is linked to insulin resistance.
• skin tags: Particularly around neck, armpits or groin.

Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and lose weight.

Get your blood tested, too.

Bloods are all fine , had them done a couple of weeks ago. Its definitely tight pelvic floor coupled with being overweight.
I will have a look into the supplements recommended above

Caffeine is bad, even if you think it isn’t. I was sure it wasn’t caffeine. It irritates the bladder so cutting it out for a couple of days doesn’t make a difference. You have to reduce it longer term so your bladder calms. Ditto some stuff in energy drinks.

I went to a nurse re the same. The tests weren’t invasive. I had to measure the volumes of my wee. As I managed a 1L wee they knew the size of my bladder wasn’t the issue.

Lots of us don’t fully empty, so standing up then sitting again sometimes helps you finish your wee properly.

Do you suffer constipation? That impacts it as well. You need to work at keeping clear there, too.

Apparently I have an over active bladder too. I was told to avoid tomatoes.

With respect supplements aren't going to manage your pelvic floor. Please see a specialist nurse or physiotherapist at the very least. This is a medical issue and you deserve help.

Overactive bladders are pretty common, if that's what you suffer from then a urinary doctor can prescribe medicine to help. But you do need to see a specialist.