Anxiety and bed wetting

petey · ‎24-04-2015

Hi everyone does anyone else have this prob of bed wetting with there anxiety ????

Zeal · ‎24-04-2015

Hi Petey,

I don't personally have this problem, but you definitely wouldn't be alone. Bedwetting can happen to anyone of any age. Certain medications can actually cause or increase the likelihood of bedwetting. Make sure you tell your GP next time you see them (if you haven't already). You could wear absorbent adult underwear to bed- these are widely available now because of the large proportion of aged people in Australia. Bladder problems and dementia can cause this problem in older people.

I hope you're able to resolve this at some stage.

Take care,

SM

Doolhof · ‎24-04-2015

Hi Petey,

Welcome to Beyond Blue and to the community here.

I guess your question could be an awkward one to ask your Dr. if you feel embarrassed by this condition.

If I have something I can't actually say to my Dr. then I write it down.

When I am really stressed out, I have a tendency to wet myself, so if I know I am going out somewhere I will wear protection or try not to drink too much and also find out where the toilets are along the way.

At night I try not to drink too much after say 6.00 p.m. that helps as well. I still have to get up in the night and go to the loo.

Hope some of this helps. I too suggest you go to see your Dr.

Let us know how you get on. Is there anything else you would like to chat about? Feel free to do so. Someone here might have a suggestion for you.

Cheers, from Mrs. Dools

pipsy · ‎25-04-2015

Hi Petey. I'm curious about your problem. My first question is your age. I wet the bed until I was about 12. I'm wondering if it is a medical problem or an emotional one. If it is an emotional one, do you have any problems in your home life? If it is medical you need to consult a specialist (a G.P can refer you). With me it was emotional and (apparently) inherited. I do have my doubts about it being inherited, though. You have probably been told by well meaning friends and relations, not to drink too much after a certain time, or, if you feel yourself 'wetting', just wake up. Talk about mission impossible. If you are in a deep sleep, how do you just wake up? Not to drink after a certain time didn't work with me, it may with you. With me I 'grew out' of it. I know where you're coming from about being embarrassed. I think you need to try and overcome your embarrassment and ask for a specialists appointment through your G.P. You may simply have a weak bladder, in which case a specialist will know what to do. If it is inherited, hopefully you will grow out of it, depending on your age. It could be incontinence - again a specialist is your best bet.

Good luck.

Morph · ‎21-11-2015

Hello Petey,

I have just came across you post. Although I am a frequent visitor to sites like Beyond Blue, I tend not to join as I don't feel I can give much advice, I just read enjoy reading the posts. So this is my first post!

I was a chronic bedwetter as a kid but unlike Pipsy, never completely grew out of it as they said I would. I went through all the treatment processes but with little success. I was prescribed a desmopressin at about age 15 which did work and I still use sometimes today but I have some side effects if used long term. Your Dr can prescribe this for you.

I tend to be very conscious of my condition and with basic controls like limiting fluid intake and using the bathroom before going to bed, I can limit the amount of accidents to maybe only once per week.

Unfortunately I started and still do drink far too much alcohol due to what I know now is my depression and the number of night time accidents have increased. Quite simply for me, alcohol intake =bedwetting. Maybe this is something you could consider for your anxiety?

As SM suggests, there are products available to assist (like Depends etc.) and although a little embarrassing at first do tend to be help, especially if you share a bed.

I hope this helps you. I'm at a serious stage now where I have to really take some action for my condition, I know I have to limit my drinking.

All the best!

pipsy · ‎21-11-2015

Hi Morph. Just read your post re: bedwetting. You stated that mostly your problem is due to excessive alcohol intake, due to depression. If you're having a problem with alcohol abuse, can I suggest AA. People who have alcohol problems quite often think they can 'handle' it. Alcohol abuse, coupled with depression is double-barrelled. AA have (I think) 12 steps of recovery, I think you just ring them and they advise how you join. Years ago I had a bf with an alcohol problem, he eventually joined AA and I think he is now 'clean'. Once your alcohol problem is addressed, then look at your bedwetting situation. The bedwetting is possibly because of depression. Do you live alone, if you do, try and join something that would get you out of the house.

Morph · ‎22-11-2015

Hello Pipsy,

Very much appreciate your reply. I will do a proper introduction in the near future, but basically my situation is that I am living overseas with my wife and children but am from Australia and will be returning when my project is complete. Interestingly, I did a little training course recently that was designed to train people to identify depression and anxiety, not for the sole purpose of giving advise, but how to handle if a situation arose, to provide support and to get assistance if required.

During the training session I said to myself "Hey, this is me- I'm the one with the problem (symptoms)". Apart from the other classic symptoms is the alcohol abuse, not drinking due to addiction or dependency, but to dull the pain. I now realise this and did 'dry out' while my family was away recently and I felt so good. But have started up again, as you might be able to tell, due to relationship issues. I know I shouldn't but it is a hard cycle to break and I do need to speak to someone about it but difficult given my current situation.

As for the PNE (Primary Nocturnal Enuresis), I have many scans & tests (including invasive bladder tests) over the years and am quite the expert on the subject, thus my interest in replying to the original post. Alcohol is not the cause of my bedwetting but is definitely a confounding factor, definitely makes it worse.

Thanks again and I'm looking forward to reading other threads/posts and may even contribute in hopefully a positive way. Maybe I can help make a difference.