How to Treat Interstitial Cystitis with Heparin

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a painful bladder condition that, according to the Mayo Clinic, may affect up to one million people in the United States. The condition is characterized by bladder and pelvic pain, pain with urination, and a frequent and urgent need to urinate. Oral medications are usually used to treat interstitial cystitis, but for some people, these measures are not enough. Severe cases of the bladder disease may be treated with the direct introduction of the blood-thinning drug heparin into the bladder.

Things You'll Need

• Heparin
• Catheter
• Blood tests

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Instructions

• 1

  Discuss your medical history with your doctor before using heparin to relieve your bladder pain. Heparin should not be used by people who have disorders that lead to uncontrolled bleeding. Drugs.com states that pregnant women, nursing mothers and people with high blood pressure or heart disease may require additional testing before beginning heparin treatment.

• 2

  Schedule appointments two to three times weekly for your administration of heparin. As reported in a 1994 issue of the "British Journal of Urology," patients with interstitial cystitis experienced pain relief after receiving intravesical therapy with 10,000 international units (IU) of heparin three times a week for three months. Intravesical therapy is a procedure that delivers the medication to your bladder through a catheter. Some patients require a medical professional to administer heparin, whereas others may be taught to catheterize themselves at home.

• 3

  Hold the heparin in your bladder for 15 minutes, then void into a toilet after your catheter has been removed. The drug, along with anesthetics it may have been mixed with, requires at least 15 minutes to reduce inflammation that is causing your pain.

• 4

  Get your liver enzymes checked through blood tests if your doctor gives you a "cocktail" of heparin and another drug called "dimethyl sulfoxide" (DMSO) to treat your interstitial cystitis. The Mayo Clinic reports that the combination of these two medications is a common treatment for severe interstitial cystitis, but that DMSO could alter your liver enzyme levels.