Interstitial Cystitis & Bladder Pain Syndrome Treatment
Interstitial Cystitis & Bladder Pain Syndrome Treatment
Interstitial Cystitis & Bladder Pain Syndrome Treatment in New York, NY
If you suffer from Interstitial cystitis and/or bladder pain syndrome, you know how difficult it can be to live with symptoms day in and day out. Thankfully, there are a number of measures that can be taken to treat IC/BPS in mild, moderate, and severe cases. The team at Mitchell Medical Group has experience and a proven record of helping patients who suffer from bladder pain syndrome treatment.
What is IC/BPS?
Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic bladder health issue commonly accompanied by bladder pain syndrome (BPS), a condition characterized by mild to severe symptoms of pain and pressure in the bladder area. Medical experts are still not sure exactly what causes IC/BPS, but there are several theories pointing to the condition arising from a number of sources, including a possible defect in the bladder, the presence of a specific type of inflammatory cell called a mast cell, abnormal urine content, changes in the nervous system and an attack by the body’s immune system on the bladder.
Telehealth New Patient Meeting
You can meet with Dr. Mitchell from anywhere in the country. He personally takes your full medical history — the step he considers most important in understanding a complex case — and you speak with him directly. There is no medical assistant or trainee taking your history and relaying it back to him.
What happens next depends on where you live. If you are in New York State, a virtual visit works the same way an office visit does. If you are outside New York, state licensing rules shape what Dr. Mitchell can provide directly: your consultation is educational, and he will review your history, explain how he thinks about cases like yours, and can speak with your local physician to guide the plan. Many out-of-state patients then travel to our Manhattan or Rockville Centre office for treatment.
These telehealth visits are intended for educational and informational purposes only. My goal is to help provide you with these resources to work with your local healthcare provider to get the best care possible.
Call our office today at 212-397-0157 to schedule your meeting or request an appointment online.
Treatment for IC/BPS
Treatment for IC/BPS is approached on a case-by-case basis depending on the severity of a patient’s symptoms and how he or she responds to certain methods. Typically, treatment is implemented in phases, beginning with the most conservative methods. If these fail to yield results, more intensive procedures will be implemented. Below, you’ll find an outline of the five phases of IC/BPS treatment.
Phase 1: Lifestyle Changes
The first step of IC/BPS treatment is for the patient to implement lifestyle changes. The key is dietary changes that eliminate acidic foods and foods high in sugar- see our blog for examples. Stress can easily trigger attacks so stress management through breathing exercises or meditation is also recommended.
Phase 2: Prescription Drugs
If lifestyle changes fail to yield results, medication may be prescribed to mitigate IC/BPS symptoms. Two drugs—oral pentosan polysulfate and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)—are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat IC/BPS. Other drugs that have shown promising results and may be offered by certain medical providers include hydroxyzine, amitriptyline, and heparin.
Phase 3: Neuromodulation Therapy, Ulcer Cauterization and Injections
If symptoms persist, more intensive treatments may be tried in addition to prescription medications. The first of these is neuromodulation therapy, a group of treatments that deliver harmless electrical impulses to nerves to change how they work. The second is ulcer cauterization. In the event of a bladder ulcer, cauterization under anesthesia may provide long-term relief for up to a year or more. A third treatment option is the injection of Botox or a steroid into the bladder muscle for 6 to 9 months of relief.
Phase 4: Cyclosporine
Beyond the intensive treatments listed above, the immunosuppressant drug cyclosporine may be prescribed. As an immunosuppressant, cyclosporine comes with a host of risks and potential side effects, including heightened blood pressure, nausea/vomiting, heart health issues and others. It is typically only pursued as means of IC/BPS treatment after the aforementioned treatment methods have failed to yield satisfactory results.
Phase 5: Surgery
While surgery is typically not required to treat IC/BPS, it may be used to alter the bladder or surrounding tissue when all other treatment options fail. In these rare cases, meeting with your urologist and surgeon can help you understand the risks and projected benefits of surgical treatment for IC/BPS.
Get Treated at Mitchell Medical Group
At Mitchell Medical Group, we are proud to offer a number of highly effective holistic and prescription-based treatments for IC/BPS. By helping our patients change their lifestyles, we’ve observed marked symptom reduction in IC/BPS patient groups of all ages and demographics.
Schedule your in-person or telehealth Meeting for IC/BPS treatment, call 212-397-0157 today!