MyCat wrote that he received URAL after his BCG treatments to help normalize the urine. Has anyone else been given this? It seems like it might help with any burning side effects.
The only information I have been able to find about it comes from Australia and New Zealand, so maybe it isn't available in the United States, or am I missing something? I HAVE heard of people using baking soda for the burning of Interstitial Cystitis and getting some immediate help from it.
Here is the description of URAL. -Jan
"Ural is a pleasantly flavoured effervescent drink which provides relief from painful burning symptoms of Urinary Tract Infections. Ural helps to neutralize the acid in the urinary tract while assisting in eliminating organisms that cause infection.
Each sachet contains:
sodium bicarbonate 1.76g
tartaric acid 890mg
citric acid anhydrous 720mg
sodium citrate anhydrous 630mg.
Also contains saccharin."
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URAL after BCG treatments?
- By SilverGrizzly
- Posted September 12, 2009 at 9:47 am · 9 replies
- In Living with non-invasive bladder cancer
- Shared with the public
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Detrol Interstitial cystitis Pain Falls Paralysis Urinary tract infections
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- By Cheyenne
- Posted September 12, 2009 at 10:50 am
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I have not heard of this myself, however I prefer to stay with U.S. FDA approved drugs and my Doc had given me Detrol which virtually eliminated all burning and bladder spasms. There are other meds that also do this, but I stayed with Detrol because it worked so well. There are benefits to all natural substances of course that can help with a variety of symptoms and/or illnesses but the compounding of ingredients can be problematic and even dangerous. The problem of course is that in many cases all natural substances are compounded without reliable or valid testing so there is no way to know how or if it works. So I prefer to stay with meds that have been tested and approved, knowing of course there is a risk with anything. As far as natural products I like nuts, all natural sugar free yogurt, broccoli, berries and other things. There are many foods that have great value so a good nutrition program is important. Of course a person's own health status must be considered, for example one who is on blood thinners should not eat any lettuce as it can cause clotting. So I always recommend that a physician and or nutritionist be involved to ensure good nutrition. It's the unknown ingredients I question, not all of course, and the compounding of the substances can be a big problem. Some things just don;t mix well with other things. Peaches, as an example, are great, good food, good nutrition. But they contain arsenic. Not in the fruit but in the little nut inside the big nut. If you broke open that big center nut of a peach you would find an almond size nut. It has large amounts of arsenic in it. Even eating a few of those could kill a person. So I would be concerned about something using peaches in the compounding, not because I am suspect of peaches, I am suspect of what PART of the peaches is used. Like dog food or cat food: "made only with chicken, no fillers added". OK great, what parts of the chicken? Well all this is subject to debate of course, but in brief I advise people stay with things that are known to be safe and of course safety in never a guarantee with anything. But I feel there is a better chance of staying out of trouble with things that are known to be safe and effective and with any possible side effects known. I would add only that sometimes in the compounding of "all natural" things that there may be things in there that one is allergic to. If I took something that had even a little Kiwi fruit, I would be dead in five minutes. I love all natural food, no artificial anything, made or raised with no fillers, or chemicals, etc. These things are not always know in some unapproved products.
- By lsh
- Posted September 12, 2009 at 1:52 pm
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My doc at MDA gave me a script for darcalma 81.6mg. It is a generic for utira c. It is an anti spasmodic and it numbs the bladder. You take it once every 6 hours. I took it with aleeve and it at least took the edge off of the pain. Hope this helps.
Lynda
- By Moonerj
- Posted September 12, 2009 at 2:23 pm
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My Uro prescribed Phenazo 100 mg, the little brown pill that turns your urine orange. It certainly helped me with the burning issue. I took 2 tablets, 3 times a day for 3 days after each treatment.
Jack
- By 15yrsurvivor
- Posted September 12, 2009 at 3:54 pm
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Although the jury is still out on a link with saccharin and bc, it has been implicated in studies involving rats and large doses of saccharin. I would approach that cautiously.
As for sodium bicarbonate, the website Drugs.com
says "Sodium bicarbonate is used to make the blood and urine less acidic in certain conditions...Sodium bicarbonate contains a large amount of sodium. If you are on a restricted diet or have high blood pressure, talk to your health care professional..."
Tartaric acid is "a muscle toxin which works by inhibiting the production of malic acid, and in high doses causes paralysis and death." My guess is that the intended use here is to control muscle spasms.
The word anhydrous means "without or low in water", so that is not particularly relevant.
The site that discusses sodium bicarbonate also lists some other conditions under which this should be
further scrutinized. If you want to access it, here is the address:
http://www.drugs.com/mtm/sodium-bicarbonate.html
I am generally enthusiastic about natural remedies
but I have some reservations about this particular one! It is ultimately your decision.
- By SilverGrizzly
- Posted September 12, 2009 at 7:58 pm
- Report post
Thanks for your input everybody! What a wealth of brains we have here to analyze everything and make really good suggestions.
- By Leslie45
- Posted September 13, 2009 at 12:59 am
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Hello,
I am wondering if MYCAT is referring to Urelle.
My urologist prescribes Urelle which is used to help relieve painful and irritating symptoms of the urinary tract due to infections or diagnostic procedures. It has really helped me with the spasms and pain from BCG treatments. Urelle is a blue pill and I take it every 6 hours as needed after a treatment. I have tried 4 different bladder analgesic medications and have had the best success with Urelle. It turns my pee a lovely shade of blue.
I will warn you that it is pricey.....it falls under my top prescription tier on my insurance plan & I pay a $50 copay. Ask your urologist for a couple of free samples; that is how I tested out the prescriptions initially.
Hope it provides you as much relief as has helped me out.
Leslie
- By SilverGrizzly
- Posted September 13, 2009 at 7:31 am
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Leslie,
This is one I haven't heard of before. Thanks for the tip. I'll ask for some free samples. -Jan
- By pmathias
- Posted September 13, 2009 at 5:42 pm
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HI:
Prescription VESIcare(solifenacin succinate) 5mg is good for controlling painful bladder spasms. You need to take it several hours prior to BCG treatment as it takes a while to work.
PYRIDIUM 200 mg once a day helps for painful urination. It also turns urine orange/red! The generic is PHENAZOPYRIDINE 200MG.
Do check with your doctor that these medications are safe for you personally to take.
I read that ALKA SELTZER cures urinary tract infections but have never tried it! Might not be a good idea for someone with bc.
I hope you find a remedy that works for you. BC is bad enough, you should not have to put up with unnecessary discomfort.
All the best to you.
pm
- By jax919
- Posted October 28, 2009 at 12:46 am
- Report post
Hi SilverGrizzly,
I hope this helps you. Yeh I am using Ural at the moment after my cystoscopy- I am from Australia. I've been told it's to help ease the burning sensation when you urinate and lower acidity of urine stored in your bladder to reduce possible infections- just as you described. I take three a day.
Because I refrain from drinking water at night but I'm suppose to drink lots of water, I just drink a cup of Ural before I go to bed to lessen possible infections.
As for Cheyenne, you mentioned that you would only stick with 'U.S. FDA approved drugs'. This is more of a mild urinary alkalinizer which can be purchased from a pharmacy/chemist without prescription and so don't worry, it won't hurt you. Our medication here is pretty heavily regulated as well.
Anyway SilverGrizzly, I hope the Ural information helps. You probably don't need it anymore but I hope this adds to your knowledge. It has certainly helped me after my tumor removal just last week.
Thanks
Jax
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