Dr Catherine
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Girl
8-15 years

Hi Dr.Cathrine i am mahmood that i asked you two questions and the last one was in 01/2014 it is 7 month that i start to wet my bed and it now very shameful for me. at first me and my parents went to a doctor and they have took me some experiments but the problem was not physical. i start to setting alarm as you said to do and i set it for 3 month i have some dry nights but bed wetting start a few nights later. i start to using them for another 3 month but was exactly the same. it is 10 night i wear diaper for night and it is very embarassing for me to wear them as grown man. now i am going to go to university and i should stay in dormitory and it would be very embarassing when my friend in dorm find out my shamful secret. what should i do? i am totaly mixed up. thanks for your helping

Dear Mahmood, lovely to hear from you again. Bedwetting can be incredibly frustrating particularly when you feel like you have tried it all and still you continue to wet at night. Unfortunately when it comes to the conditioning alarm the success rate sits around 75% meaning it does not work with everyone. About 10-15% individuals experience some relapse after the first cycle of use – when this happens you need to reintroduce the alarm treatment although you will find that you become dry much quicker the second time around. For some people it can take up to 3 cycles of treatment so it is important not to give up if it at first it does not seem to work. The success of the alarm is also dependent on the level of support you receive from an experienced professional so it is important that you do not try to manage this on your own. I am aware that you were seen by a doctor initially but it would be good if you could be referred to a continence specialist who could support you during this treatment phase. There are certainly some more alternative methods that have met with different degrees of success. Please keep in mind however that these have not received the same level of research support as conditioning alarms or medications. Hypnotherapy has been successfully used to help individuals either hold their urine overnight or wake up and go to the toilet. This can be used on its own or in combination with the conditioning alarm. Your best point of contact for hypnotherapy is the Australian Hypnotherapists’ Association http://www.ahahypnotherapy.org.au/, which has branches in each state. Sometimes dietary control can help reduce the amount you wet at night – if this is something you would like to explore further your best contact is the Australian Naturopathic Practioners Association (1800 422 885) who will be able to recommend someone in your area. There are also medication's available to help reduce nighttime wetting, this may be particularly suitable during session time when you are sharing a dorm. It would be a good idea to raise this with your doctor at your next appointment. All the best! Regards, Dr Cathrine