Re: Doctor insists bladder problems not Zoloft

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

This story sounds very familiar, but with a different medication. My

son Skyler began taking Risperdal in December and on the very first

day began having urine accidents. As we increased the dosage, the

accidents went from once a day (or night) to sometimes three times a

day. There was no rhyme or reason. The doctor insisted that this

could not be med related as he has never heard of this with

Risperdal. He suggested that it was " behavioral " which was

irritating to say the least! We agreed to give the Risperdal a trial

so we just reminded him often to go and sent a change of clothes

wherever he went (which is embarassing when you are in third grade!)

Well, after almost three months on Risperdal, he saw the doc

yesterday and I mentioned that I would like to try a " drug holiday "

over Spring Break and reminded him of the accidents that began with

the Risperdal. He said, " Oh, of course they are related if they

started the day he began the Risperdal " . I couldn't beleive it! I

just think every human body is different when it comes to

medication. Doctors don't know everything! So I wouldn't at all be

surprised if the zoloft is causing the accidents. Just had to put in

my two cents worth!

Robin

Mother to Skyler 9 yrs

[Guest guest]

Hi , my daughter had various urinary side effects while taking different

SSRIs. On Prozac she couldn't get her stream started--this was among the

reasons she was taken off this SSRI at the three-month point. During the

first few months of taking Zoloft she couldn't seem to feel that she needed

to go. She'd often say she didn't--I'd insist, it had been hours and we

were going to be in the car for awhile, or whatever--and then she'd go like

gangbusters, a big surprise to her. She's taken Zoloft for several years

now, and still doesn't seem to get the sensation of needing to urinate until

her bladder is *very* full. She hasn't actually had accidents (some close

calls that first few months) so we have just lived with this side effect.

It did diminish somewhat after a few months but has never disappeared.

I believe all the SSRIs list urinary problems of one sort or another as

possible side effects. I know Zoloft specifically was found to cause

" urgency " among study participants in one of its pre-release trials. I

don't have a link but you might find this document on the Web by searching

+Zoloft + " side effect " +urinary

From reading this list, I know urinary side effects with various SSRIs are

not too unusual in kids. You can search the archives to pull up posts that

discuss this if you are interested.

I wanted to mention too that urinary frequency is among the symptoms Dr.

Swedo has noticed among children at PANDAS onset.

Sleep disturbances (insomnia, frequent waking, requiring more sleep than

usual, vivid dreams, etc.) especially early on when beginning an SSRI is a

common side effect of all the meds, I'm surprised your doctor is not aware

of that one. I wonder if this may be a factor in her accidents, she may be

sleeping more deeply than usual and not perceiving the signal that she needs

to use the bathroom until " too late. "

How long has your daughter taken Zoloft? If it's early weeks yet, you might

ride it out to see if her side effects diminish. My daughter was seven too

when she started this med but as I said, she wasn't having actual

accidents--I can imagine this is very distressing for your child.

Have you tried limiting liquids at bedtime, or getting her up to use the

bathroom before you go to bed? It's possible either of these could help.

Re: the doctor, the urinary side effect will probably be listed on the

package insert for Zoloft. You may have to ask your pharmacist for this

(the long version, not the shorter one that they often include with

medications) and show it to the doctor. It may be listed under " rare " but

since many or all of the drug trials were done on adults, it may be that my

impression that this is not uncommon in kids is possible. Adults have

bigger bladders :-)

Good luck,

Kathy R. in Indiana

----- Original Message -----

> Hi all-

>

> As I posted recently, one of the side effects that my 7 year old

> daughter has with the Zoloft has been having " accidents " at night where

> she can't quite make it to the bathroom -- ie she gets up to go to the

> bathroom but ends up having an 'accident' in her bedroom or the

> bathroom.

>

> Her pdoc is insisting that this must be unrelated, that he is

> unfamiliar with this side effect from Zoloft, etc. But she's never had

> a problem like this before, and I just find it incredibly hard to

> believe that going from " no problems " to " accidents several times a

> week " is not coincidental.

>

> Thoughts? References? I keep getting the impression that he just

> thinks I'm trying to make connections where there aren't any, both with

> the 'accidents' and with her increase in insomnia.

>

> lisa

[Guest guest]

,

Since my daughter had been having the same problem (bladder control

on Zoloft) I had checked on the internet and on differing lists of

side effects, and did not find much documenting the problem.

However, when I mentioned it on this site, a number of folks (like

you) said their child is or did experience similar problems.

As embarrassing as it was for my daughter, I might have kept on with

the zoloft, except that her therapist said it was not a problem my

daughter should have to deal with (on top of OCD) and she thought I

should call the pdoc and discuss it. My pdoc also seemed surprised

to hear my daughter was having accidents and that I thought it was

due to the zoloft. She did not know of that side effect. However,

I did mention this group and the fact that three others (at that

time) gave very similar accounts with their children on zoloft.

The pdoc did change her med, but she is probably beginning to think

I am one of " THOSE " parents, because I called her back and said I

was concerned about the dizziness (my dd still tries to play

volleyball and dance) and more importantly the possibility of heart

damage on Clomipramine (anafranil). So (after getting a few

recommendations and checking the internet), I asked if she used or

if there were reasons not to try Effexor as a med for my daughter.

At first the pdoc was a little defensive, but then she said if I

would feel better about trying that one she was not opposed to it.

You know your daughter, how bothersome the side effect is, and have

other's experiences to back up your believe that the uninary

problems are from zoloft. Perhaps at your next meeting with pdoc

you can again review your concern and state how it affects your

daughter, and ask your pdoc to either explain why he feels zoloft is

still the best choice or prescribe something else.

Good luck to you and your daughter. I will let you know if my dd's

bladder control problem goes away as soon as she is off her zoloft,

but it will be about ten days, as she is reducing the dosage

gradually.

> Hi all-

>

> As I posted recently, one of the side effects that my 7 year old

> daughter has with the Zoloft has been having " accidents " at night

where

> she can't quite make it to the bathroom -- ie she gets up to go to

the

> bathroom but ends up having an 'accident' in her bedroom or the

> bathroom.

>

> Her pdoc is insisting that this must be unrelated, that he is

> unfamiliar with this side effect from Zoloft, etc. But she's

never had

> a problem like this before, and I just find it incredibly hard to

> believe that going from " no problems " to " accidents several times

a

> week " is not coincidental.

>

> Thoughts? References? I keep getting the impression that he just

> thinks I'm trying to make connections where there aren't any, both

with

> the 'accidents' and with her increase in insomnia.

>

> lisa

[Guest guest]

http://ipatalk.org/stories/art.php?rec=65

http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-z02.html#Head_6

,

I found at least 2 links regarding Zoloft and urinary incontinence. Those were

just two of many that there are. Yes, they are infrequent, but they happen.

Read under the 2nd link toward the very bottom under " urinary system disorders " .

As a previous psych nurse, I know everyone has different side effects of these

medications, and you know your daughter better than the MD. I know, from

personal experience, they don't personally remember every side effect associated

with every drug. Many go to the PDR (physician's desk reference) when they have

time and feel it's important enough to research. Sometimes they get frustrated

when they feel a medication is helping something, but causing other problems,

and perhaps that is why he's so steadfast on the Zoloft not causing this. If

you do an internet search of " Zoloft and urinary incontinence " , you could find

voluminous information about this problem and print it out and give it to him.

Anyway, good luck with that. I share with you in this frustration we have in

getting the meds just right for our little guys and gals.

Take care,

in Illinois

Doctor insists bladder problems not Zoloft

Hi all-

As I posted recently, one of the side effects that my 7 year old

daughter has with the Zoloft has been having " accidents " at night where

she can't quite make it to the bathroom -- ie she gets up to go to the

bathroom but ends up having an 'accident' in her bedroom or the

bathroom.

Her pdoc is insisting that this must be unrelated, that he is

unfamiliar with this side effect from Zoloft, etc. But she's never had

a problem like this before, and I just find it incredibly hard to

believe that going from " no problems " to " accidents several times a

week " is not coincidental.

Thoughts? References? I keep getting the impression that he just

thinks I'm trying to make connections where there aren't any, both with

the 'accidents' and with her increase in insomnia.

lisa

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