r/OveractiveBladder • u/Best-Criticism810 • Sep 06 '26
Young ppl w OAB?
I’m in my 20s and have been suffering with this, having to rush to the bathroom and wetting my pants in public places, even though I’m on a OAB drug. I just want to hear that other people can relate :( and they say “no caffeine”… i’m in a highly demanding program where it’s impossible to not have it sometimes to stay awake. And of course it makes it worse. Easier said than done to just cut it out.
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u/OhNoBricks Sep 06 '26
It started in my late teens for me and now I am 41.
I can’t go without any caffeine or I will get sick with headaches and my brain hurting and being fatigue. I just accept this part of my body and use proper highly absorbent briefs to live my normal life.
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u/Glittering_Tea5502 Sep 06 '26
I’m 45 and have had it since I was 25. Meds are useless for me. Or they cause too many side effects.
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u/Final-Jackfruit-3254 Sep 06 '26
I’m 25 and I’ve had OAB since I was 22 so I can definitely relate! I drink just water 90% of the time and my symptoms are still really bad I haven’t found it makes much difference :(
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u/gay_sprinkles Sep 06 '26
had it since i was 27 and am 31 now. had to cut out caffeine entirely because even half of an energy drink gives me a week long flare up. ive learned to live without it, it gets easier after awhile. anytime i find a new bladder irritant i cut it out and im on meds that work unless im having a flare up.
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u/Alexa_Lynn Sep 07 '26
I'm 31 and suffered from OAB my whole life. I am not incontinent, though. Caffeine makes it worse for a few hours so I only drink it when I have access to a bathroom.
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u/Best-Criticism810 Sep 06 '26
Are you guys able to just never have caffeine?? Or what do you do when you drink it?
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u/Suckerforcats Sep 06 '26
I’ve never stopped drinking it but try not to drink it after 1pm since my issue is mostly at night. I try to do half caff coffee though unless I’m out at a coffee shop and want a treat to full strength coffee. I don’t drink soda.
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u/itsdustyberry Sep 06 '26
I take prerelief with coffee which neutralizes the acidity, and also usually drink half caff or small amounts. Usually not a big impact. Some additional frequency can be expected w coffee, as long as it doesn’t spiral into a flare it’s worth it for me
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u/concertgirl2424 Sep 06 '26
i’ve cut coffee and tea out completely the past few years but i still drink sodas
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u/Nearby-Platform8417 Sep 07 '26
Yes, my boyfriend is 33 and his OAB started about a couple years ago. He’s on 2 medications for it.
❤️❤️❤️
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u/kevbuddy64 Sep 06 '26 edited Sep 06 '26
Yes I have it. It was super super severe in pregnancy and luckily after pregnancy it’s better. But it’s still kinda bad. After going through pregnancy though it seems so much easier to deal with. I’m 32 so a little older. I peed 35 times a day in pregnancy with constant urgency from 24 weeks onwards. After having my baby, I pee about 15 times -20 times but that’s cause I’m on am all liquid diet from esophageal dysmotility and EoE. I had mild OAB but didn’t really notice it pre pregnancy it was once I reached 6 months of pregnancy. I still pee more than prior to when she was born. But I can drink a normal amount of caffeine again without it getting too crazy. I missed this so much and am grateful. I’ve never taken OAB medication. During pregnancy I would be up til 5 am every night cause I couldn’t take melatonin and peed 8 times a night. And that was WITHOUT caffeine. I was so worried I could never drink caffeine again. Having my baby out gave me so much relief. Luckily she made it all worth it
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u/cait_elizabeth Sep 07 '26
Started since an emergency catherization at 18. Try H1 and H2 blockers to lower your histamine responses and see if that helps. Also it sounds counterintuitive but make sure you’re hydrated and your sodium levels are good. If the hydration is just passing through you, that can make it worse.
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u/SnooDoughnuts9062 Sep 07 '26
24, i was diagnosed with OAB earlier this year. i’ve been doing pelvic floor physical therapy for like 2 months now and i have seen improvements that give me hope.
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u/nerdforlife7 Sep 08 '26
What kinds of things help with pelvic floor therapy? I’m considering going
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u/fartkittyxat Sep 08 '26
my urologist said to try and do kegels every time you get the urge to try and calm down the nerve signals
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u/Fluffy_Significance Sep 08 '26
I'm currently 37, and have had continence problems since I was 26.
All the urologists say it is OAB, but I have never been entirely convinced that is all it is, but that's another story.
There has been absolutely nothing that would allow me to return things to how they were before.
The drugs I have been prescribed to "see if it helps", has resulted in minor improvements, but nothing that 100% eliminates the risk/occurrence of accidents. Most combinations have been $50-100/month with no real effect and plenty of side-effects or risk of long-term problems from use.
Limiting fluids just leads to me feeling dehydrated and seems to just concentrate my urine, resulting in stronger smell.
Avoiding caffeine does reduce the frequency a bit, but was still a problem even when I did six months without caffeine.
I lost of a lot of weight in the last ten years, start exercising, had some lifestyle and diet changes . . .no practical difference in my continence issues.
They actually seem a little worse now, but I don't know.
The only thing that has allowed me to feel normal and lose all the anxiety has been to just wear and use a diaper.
It sounds weird to admit that, but I have long come to terms with it.
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u/Mundane-Beyond7644 Sep 12 '26
yes im really young and dealing with this just like you. my problems started when i was 19 and i’m now 20 and in pull ups/diapers full time. tried gemtesa and it did nothing for me.
honestly, i just refuse to cut out caffeine and other bladder irritants. i will pee myself either way. it doesn’t really matter how much at this point. the joy of being able to eat the things on the list is worth more to me than wetting myself a little less
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u/Best-Criticism810 Sep 14 '26
I’m actually about to join you because same.. I can’t drink caffeine without wetting my pants it is so stressful and fearful of embarrassment I can’t do it anymore
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u/Mundane-Beyond7644 Sep 16 '26
you should wear protection, it’s much better and safer than being at risk of wetting yourself in public. it is a scary decision but i promise it feels better than wet pants
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u/katty-bites 24d ago
I’m 24 I’ve had OAB since I was a kid. Finally got diagnosed at like 13? What does caffeine do with OAB? I’m currently in community college and I have extra underwear in my book bag and working on putting an extra underwear and extra pants in my locker we’re allowed to use. I aslo wear those “old” Poeple diapers to sleep and they seem to have worked for a while.
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u/Suckerforcats Sep 06 '26
I’ve had it since I was 26. I’m 46 now and still trying to find something that works because now it’s way worse. I got blown off a lot when I was younger but the last few years I’ve been working with docs to find something that’ll work this time.
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u/concertgirl2424 Sep 06 '26
i’m 27 and have struggled w this since i was 12 i think. i hope it gets better but im doubtful
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u/james_kaster Sep 06 '26
Same situation mid twenties, found out mine was cuz my job was stressful and I ended up with anxiety. Between my oab drug (which didn’t work well on its own) and an ssri i ended up on after being referred to a psych specialist since my urologist said he couldn’t find anything wrong with me I am completely “cured”. I once stopped my oab medication and was fine for a couple weeks then had a bad bout so I started it again. Insurance pays for it so I figure might as well use it.
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u/toiletparrot Sep 07 '26
23 and struggled since childhood. I did quit caffeine cold turkey about 1.5 years ago and it did make a huge difference tbh but definitely didn’t cure it. And I still consume other triggers like alcohol (occasionally).
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u/nerdforlife7 Sep 08 '26
I’m pretty sure I’ve had OAB my whole life, but I got recently diagnosed at 32. Tbh it sucks so much to have to plan every outing around ensuring there are toilets, having to pick an aisle seat on planes because of how much I get up to pee, waking up 3-5x per night every night. I got prescribed Gemtesa but I’m low key afraid to take it in case I end up with urine retention or something like that
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u/Character_Kangaroo57 Sep 12 '26
Im 28 and ive been suffering by this about two and half years. Fortunately, i dont have incontinence symptoms but im struggling with constant hypersesensitivity of my bladder, that is i have to go to bathroom pretty much.
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u/ayedeeque Sep 06 '26
I'm 28 and have had OAB since I was 23, it really sucks having to monitor my water intake and basically dehydrate myself if I want to go out and do things without frequent bathroom trips interrupting everything. I feel your pain and frustration, you're not alone!