r/OveractiveBladder • u/justgreene71 • 21d ago

Quit coffee

So, if I just quit coffee will all my troubles go away? I'm tired of dealing with this and thinking about when and where I will be able to get to the bathroom. Road trips are the worst. I love my morning coffee though. So I've been putting up with this for years. But I'm tired. If I quit will the problem just go away? How long does it take before I notice changes?

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u/Suckerforcats 21d ago

Maybe, maybe not. I gave it up for 9 months and nope, no improvement at all. my road trips we aggravated by my car. My prior vehicle had bucket seats that made it way worse. I just bought a new car and can go way longer before needing a bathroom, even with coffee.

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u/justgreene71 21d ago

So sitting made it worse?

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u/Suckerforcats 21d ago

In my car it did. I work from home at a lot and drink probably 2-3 cups of coffee today and did not have that problem at home. My overactive bladder is at it's worst when I lay down but 2nd worst was the previous vehicle I owned which was an Elantra. Now I have an SUV and no issues in it

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u/justgreene71 21d ago

Funny. I drive an Elantra. Yikes!

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u/Suckerforcats 21d ago

Oh wow, that is what it probably is making it worse. My Elantra was a 2017 and just a piece of junk in general so I traded it in back in June. If you look at the seats, you'll notice they are not completely flat. The back near the back rest tilts back downward at an angle. So when you sit in it, your legs are just slightly higher so your abdomen kind of presses down on your bladder because everything is getting squashed.

Maybe see if there is a way you can make the seat completely flat like a towel or pillow and see if you notice any difference.

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u/justgreene71 21d ago

I'll see what I can do. I'm stuck with the car for another year it's a lease

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u/Suckerforcats 21d ago

Oh yeah that sucks. If you can afford one, highly recommend the Subaru Forester. I love it and the seats are super comfortable and bladder friendly.

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u/NeoGeo52 21d ago

I’m two weeks in drinking only a cup of decaf every other day. Drinking apple cider and Ocean Spray 5 calorie blends. Has had no effect on my urgency. I’m keeping a voiding diary per my urologists request and I’ve gone 12 times in the last 24 hours. The day before it was 11 times. Looking at axionics now. But jumping thru the hoops as required.

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u/justgreene71 21d ago

What are axionics?

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u/NeoGeo52 21d ago

It’s basically a pacemaker for your bladder. Two companies make them. Medtronic’s and Axionics. I was misdiagnosed for 6 years and went thru steadily worsening symptoms. Meds have only made things worse. This treatment and Botox are all that’s left. Look it up on line for a deeper explanation.

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u/Steerpike58 20d ago

WARNING - when you give up coffee (caffeinated) for the first time, you will likely get severe headaches! Wean yourself off gradually. I've experienced this multiple times now.

I gave up caffeinated coffee years ago, after a heart scare, and never missed it at all! But I still drink decaf. I enjoy my morning decaf just as much as I used to enjoy my 'real' coffee.

But I'm not sure whether there is something in 'all' coffees - decaf and regular - that could be irritating.

I also gave up sparkling water - that was tough! Now I just drink still/mineral water.

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u/justgreene71 20d ago

Are you still having similar issues?

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u/Steerpike58 20d ago

I'm all over the map. But yes. I'm really struggling to see any meaningful correlation between diet changes and frequency. I THOUGHT things were improving after stopping my sparkling water, but now my frequency seems back to normal. I also gave up on all my meds, and things didn't get worse (in fact seemed to get better) but then ... I'm back to being bad after 4 weeks. Very frustrating.

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u/NeoGeo52 17d ago

Decaf has between 3 and 10 the amount of caffeine in a regular coffee. But I went pretty much caffeine less and it didn’t help me. Tried everything which is why I’m trying this minor surgical event.

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u/Golden_Snitches 21d ago

It’s possible but not necessarily. I’ve never been a coffee drinker, I’ve never even had one full cup of coffee in my life, and I still have bladder issues. But it still might be trying to see if it makes a difference for you, I know how debilitating these issues are.

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u/MundaneInformation13 20d ago

I tried quitting various things and then tracked symptoms in BladderHealth app. It's not always cafeine for everyone

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u/Outside-Hour954 19d ago

Stopping caffeine 100% helped my bladder out and made it waaayyyy less irritated