Hi Dominic, while it is certainly possible that your son will outgrow bedwetting on his own, the chances of children doing this reduce, as they get older. Minirin is a man-made form of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) that works by substituting for the natural hormone. It helps the child’s body make less urine at night, reducing the risk of children’s bladder filling-up overnight. If however your son’s bedwetting is not a result of lower levels of ADH then it is unlikely to work. Even for these children Minirin is typically seen as a form of management rather than treatment as children commonly return to wetting once they stop taking the medication. The best approach to treatment is the conditioning alarm. Bedwetting alarms work by setting off an alarm when the child starts to wet, waking them up so that they get up and go to the toilet. Over a period of time this conditions the body (and child) learns to wake without the need for the alarm. It is not unusual for the alarm not to work at first and may take up to 6 months of constant use. Children may experience one or two relapses, when this occurs you need to reintroduce and repeat the process. It may be helpful to get your son to practice setting the alarm off during the day (with a drop of water) so that way he will become familiar to the sound of the alarm. In the meantime reassure him that this is in no way his fault and that with time (and perhaps a little bit of help) he will become dry!

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

Ask Dr Cathrine a question