Bed Wetting Questions Answered

Earlier this week we talked about kids and bed wetting and you had some questions about a drug used to stop kids from wetting the bed at night.

"I also would like to know more about the med Desmopressin. Can you get it over the counter or is it a prescribed med? Is it safe?"

Pediatric Urologist Dr. Benjamin Rhee said, "I try it in kids who have already tried everything else. We use it on kids after checking daytime issues, constipation issues and other medical issues." Dr. Rhee said he usually prescribes Desmopressin to older kids because that is when wetting the bed becomes a social issue.

Rhee said, "It is safe to use on little kids, but I don't like to use it until they are older." He said when taking Desmopressin, you can't take in a lot of fluids. "If the child is too young, they may not understand that and it could cause problems. 8-9 years old is when they tend to understand. Desmopressin is an anti-diaretic hormone-so the person doesn't make as much urine. If you take the medication and take in too much water, you will have too much water in the body."

Desmopressin comes in a nasal spray or a pill and is taken before bedtime. There are no major side effects with it besides that they have to cut back on water intake.
Dr. Rhee said, "With Desmopressin, we give it for 6 months and then stop and see if they wet again. If they do, they go on it for 6 months more months. Some parents will only use it on weeks when there is something special going on like a camp or slumber party."

What about the bed wetting alarms? Do they work? Dr. Rhee said studies are showing if the alarm system works, it works for the longest amount of time. "But it doesn't work as well because it tends to wake everyone else in the house, but the child," said Rhee. He said kids who wet the bed are usually heavy sleepers.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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