How to Use DMSO Liquid

DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) has a variety of uses in medicine but is only approved by the FDA for the treatment of interstitial cystitis (IC). This disease affects the urinary bladder and is characterized by painful urination. If you have IC, you will usually receive a DMSO instillation at your doctor's office. You can, however, learn to perform the process at home

Things You'll Need

• DMSO
• Catheter

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Instructions

• 1

  Wait three to four weeks after receiving a cystoscopy before beginning an instillation therapy using DMSO. A cystoscopy involves the removal of small tissue samples from your bladder, and your bladder will need time to heal.

• 2

  Receive a urine culture test before starting the DMSO therapy. You need a urinalysis to ensure you don't have an infection of the urinary tract.

• 3

  Prepare a liquid solution of 50 percent DMSO and introduce it through a catheter that goes directly into your bladder. Hold the solution in your bladder for a maximum of 15 minutes before urinating it out.

• 4

  Administer a DMSO instillation every one or two weeks. The length of the therapy will depend on your response, but four to eight weeks is a typical duration. DMSO therapy may not affect IC until the third or fourth treatment.

• 5

  Provide additional treatments with DMSO in the event your IC recurs. After receiving the initial instillation series, some patients only require a single instillation of DMSO to treat a flare-up of IC. You should receive this treatment as soon as the symptoms recur.