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Bedwetting and Age
When Parents Should Seek Help By C.J. Johnson
Some families who have exhausted the less radical approaches to treat enuresis may choose to try medications. "I don't like using medications on children under 6 years of age," says Dr. Cummings.
There are currently three recommended medicines on the market.
The use of a type of antidepressant may help a little more than 50 percent of the children. Side effects may include mood changes and nightmares, and according to Dr. Cummings, side effects can be serious, including poor sleep and irritability. "There is also a potential for cardiac arrhyhmias," he says.
A bladder antispasmodic is also effective in half of the children but may cause facial flushing, irritability and even heat exhaustion. While taking this medication, children must drink plenty of water in the summer months.
Doctors may also prescribe a synthetic version of vasopressin, an important regulatory hormone that our bodies normally produce. This drug recycles water from the urine back into the bloodstream so children make less urine at night. Children should be followed carefully when on any of these medications, and dosages should not be increased without careful instructions from the doctor.
Dr. Vera Loening-Baucke of the Pediatric Clinic at the University of Iowa Hospital cautions parents about medications. "None of these drugs are effective in all patients," she says.
Dr. Loening-Baucke believes parents are better off trying changes in routine before giving their children medications.
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