Frequent Urination problems for past 2 months. Male 21

[MobileChicane]

Hi guys, i'm in a pretty bad situation as far as my physical and mental well-being is concerned.

A bit of history, I had a big bout of tummy/abdominal pain and symptoms which I stressed over in December 2015 and early January 2016 with frequent trips to the doctor which eventually lead to me getting the boot from work. I was a nervous wreck for that time and after so many visits and tests with seemingly nothing wrong with me the doctor diagnosed me with depression/anxiety and prescribed me 50mg Sertraline.

At first I was hesitant as all these symptoms I had like the crazy pain all around my abdominal area made me truly believe I had some form of stomach/colon cancer. Eventually after 2/3 weeks of Sertraline I was starting to feel the benefit and for the next 5/6 months up until July I was feeling great. I moved from the UK to the Czech Republic in Febuary to temporarily live with my boyfriend, I was in a great moment in my life. Then things started to change...

Now for the past 4 or so months I did notice that I was dribbling quite a bit after urinating, probably noticed it around May, but I wasn't too bothered about it as it didn't get in the way of my life and it took a few wipes of tissue paper to solve the issue. (sorry if tmi). Come July I started to get some bad groin/testicle pain (not caused by anxiety, i certainly wasn't anxious when it started), eventually I went to the Czech docs and they did and ultrasound and xray and couldn't find anything wrong with me. At this point I was in a bad state of anxiety.

After a week or 2 the pain subsided but this was when my frequent urination kicked in out of nowhere, I started having to go every 20 minutes and while I was hoping this would be a short phase it's now extended to 2 months of non-stop peeing. Some days are worse than others. I did go to the docs between the transition of when the constant peeing started and the pain dying down, he did an ultrasound of my bladder before and after urinating and he said everything seemed normal, he prescribed me 2 weeks worth of Vesicare but all this seem to do was cause me to strain while peeing. I haven't been since.

What the question is basically, is can it really 2 months worth of frequent urination be caused by anxiety or could the be something the docs are missing? Thank you guys in advance and sorry for the wall of text, this thing really does seem to be taking control of my life. Sometimes I can hold on for an hour or so depending if it's a good or bad day, but it's still something I really need sorting. I should also mention I need to go once every middle of the night, on the odd occasion twice but it's rare.

Something I should note; I did stop taking Sertraline around April time and didn't feel anxious after stopping, and I did start to take it again around July when the groin pain started in case it was anxiety, could the Sertraline be causing the frequent urination?

[jessieblue]

Hi there and sorry to hear of your worries. I am very different to you in every way....I am female....53.......so completely different demographic but I share your symptoms. I had this about 10 years ago and was put on amitriptyline 10mg which settled it after a few months, but now its back, suddenly. I am very very anxious at the moment and this is pushing me over the edge. Of course I fear all the worst things. Have you been checked for interstitial cystitis? Thats a condition where the symptoms are like infection but with no bacteria. I know how debillitating this can be, the worst thing being the immediate intense need to go again having just been! It really messes my head up. Hope you feel better. Just wanted to post for support. xx

[MobileChicane]

Thank you for posting Jessie, it's at least reassuring to know others have gone through this. No I haven't checked regarding IC, I have heard about it though and it's on the long list of possible causes I am worrying about. I am not in too much pain really but the frequent need to pee is very debilitating mentally.

Did you ever get a diagnosis on what exactly it was or could be from your doctor?

As for me, I will moving back to the UK in late October with my boyfriend, one of the first things I plan to do is go to my GP and tell them everything that's happened, and basically list every cause I am really worried about;

Multiple Sclorosis
Interstitial cystitis
Some form of prostate problem - BPH/Chronic prostitis
Diabetes
Some form of muscle degrading disease - I am pretty weak and scrawny
Urethral stricture
Overactive bladder

Hopefully he will be able to finally pin what exactly it is giving me the urge to urinate non-stop. Still, I'm going to be anxious either way. If he can't find the reason I'll be worried about what it is. If I get put in for something like an MRI test I will be pretty darn anxious if I have something like MS.

[MobileChicane]

Eh not feeling too well at the moment. Last night was probably the worst night I've had in a while regarding peeing. Had to get up every 5/10 minutes for about 2 hours before I could finally get to sleep. I can still manage to get about 5 hours of sleep before waking up to go again but it's still not good enough imo. It's without a doubt increasing my anxiety and stress.

I have a new worry now in addition to the possible causes above, some form of bladder neck obstruction, though this would probably go hand in hand with BPH. Still whenever I have to pee in short mini bursts with nothing much coming out my biggest worries are if it's a big physical problem.

Prostate problems restricting the bladder/neck?
A urethral stricture causing extra pressure on the bladder?

I think a stricture could be likely, I have had some bad after dribble for the past 4 months or so before this frequent urination, and about a month before the frequency started my bladder always felt like it was going to explode every morning when I just woke up, even though peeing would relax it. Just everything seems to point to my bladder/prostate gradually degrading in some form which scares me. Sorry for the rambling.

[MobileChicane]

Shameless bump.

What are the chances this is diabetes even though I may not necessarily be outputting that much more urine than I used to?

[heyitsmeyou]

I get this when I'm stressed. It's especially bad at night. As you've said, sometimes you have to go almost every 5 minutes. However this has been happening to me for years and I'm healthy in the bladder/kidney department. Frequent urination is a very common symptom of stress/anxiety.

[MobileChicane]

Bumping, it's still here and is bothering me more than it used to. Really worried about it possibly being MS since it hasn't subsided at all.

I am doing a urination chart for a few days and will go to my GP this week, the results i've been writing down are worrying, I can only hold around 100-200ml before bursting, sometimes even less.

Any ideas?

[Dayvid]

If it's effecting your life then a trip to the GP like you mentioned is best.

At 21 serious prostate problems aren't common. But it may be an infection of the prostate. Which can usually be cleared with antibiotics. If symptoms haven't worsened however, that might be ruled out. From reading, if still seems unlikely. But I of course cannot diagnose!

I had something kinda similar some years ago. The feeling of needing to urinate was in my penis and not my bladder. I could check if I really "had to go" by gently pressing my lower abdomen. See if i really had to go or it was just that feeling I was having.

It eventually stopped. It's worth mentioning I was suffering from bad anxiety at the time. And even if it wasn't the cause (God knows what was) it certainly made the feeling more obvious and constant. The mind is a funny thing. And with not much coming out when you go suggests you don't really have to. Similar to what I had. I'd think I had to go because that feeling was there. But it wasn't in my bladder. It was more, as I said, in the penis. It's hard to explain!

Get it checked up. It's probably nothing! 5 hours of sleep and not needing to go... could you last 5 hours awake and not go? So if you can sleep for 5 hours and not have to go.... To me that means, maybe there is a slight issue but your over active, anxiety driven mind is making it worse. When you're sleeping you're not constantly worrying! You might be able to go longer and maybe you're subconsciously waking yourself up to "check"

My guess? Anxiety. Even if youre not consciously anxious, much of it can be subconscious.

Let us know how you get on!

[MobileChicane]

I had something kinda similar some years ago. The feeling of needing to urinate was in my penis and not my bladder. I could check if I really "had to go" by gently pressing my lower abdomen. See if i really had to go or it was just that feeling I was having.



Funnily enough, this is kind of similar to what I have I think, though to be honest it's been over a year of not urinating normally that I'm not sure what "normal" peeing feels like. Do you have any conditions?



Get it checked up. It's probably nothing! 5 hours of sleep and not needing to go... could you last 5 hours awake and not go? So if you can sleep for 5 hours and not have to go.... To me that means, maybe there is a slight issue but your over active, anxiety driven mind is making it worse. When you're sleeping you're not constantly worrying! You might be able to go longer and maybe you're subconsciously waking yourself up to "check"

My guess? Anxiety. Even if youre not consciously anxious, much of it can be subconscious.



I've attached a pee chart from two of my days, on one of the 3 nights I lasted a bit longer than this, around 5 hours. I am honestly pretty anxious at the moment, I know I am, but I've had this constant urge for over a year now; can it really just be anxiety?

I've also got a ton of other worries too regarding the frequent peeing; such as if it is something more sinister like MS. What if I get refered to a neurologist if a urologist can't diagnose it and I end up having MS. :(

Thank you for your comment though David.

[Dayvid]

Funnily enough, this is kind of similar to what I have I think, though to be honest it's been over a year of not urinating normally that I'm not sure what "normal" peeing feels like. Do you have any conditions?



I've attached a pee chart from two of my days, on one of the 3 nights I lasted a bit longer than this, around 5 hours. I am honestly pretty anxious at the moment, I know I am, but I've had this constant urge for over a year now; can it really just be anxiety?

I've also got a ton of other worries too regarding the frequent peeing; such as if it is something more sinister like MS. What if I get refered to a neurologist if a urologist can't diagnose it and I end up having MS. :(

Thank you for your comment though David.

No worries! Happy to be of any help.

First of all, you're making charts. So that tells me instantly how focused your mind is on the issue. This will make your symptoms more obvious. I'll be honest, I've looked at it's entirety and you do seem to be going a lot. In regards to the amounts, im not sure what the normal "human" amount is if im being honest. Some of your "trips" seem quite small amounts though. Which indicated perhaps you didn't really need to go. And that "feeling" was not from your bladder, rather, like mine, from the "other" area. Haha.

My issue just went. I didn't take anything or get diagnosed with anything. And had no other issues at the time. So I hope the same happens for you.

Secondly with MS fears, after a year, I think you would have other notable problems. I think MS is a common fear for many of the symptoms us anxiety sufferers get. I know I have worried about MS in the past for a range of issues.

When do you see your GP? If they can't find any issue (And im struggling to think of an issue myself... outside of anxiety) you may just have to try mentally get over it. As tough as it will be. Mind over matter is hard for non-anxious people, but for us guys, it takes a lot more effort.

Let us know how you get on. Pursue the docs. Even if just to put your mind at rest. Let us know how you get on.

[MobileChicane]

No worries! Happy to be of any help.

First of all, you're making charts. So that tells me instantly how focused your mind is on the issue. This will make your symptoms more obvious. I'll be honest, I've looked at it's entirety and you do seem to be going a lot. In regards to the amounts, im not sure what the normal "human" amount is if im being honest. Some of your "trips" seem quite small amounts though. Which indicated perhaps you didn't really need to go. And that "feeling" was not from your bladder, rather, like mine, from the "other" area. Haha.

My issue just went. I didn't take anything or get diagnosed with anything. And had no other issues at the time. So I hope the same happens for you.

Secondly with MS fears, after a year, I think you would have other notable problems. I think MS is a common fear for many of the symptoms us anxiety sufferers get. I know I have worried about MS in the past for a range of issues.

When do you see your GP? If they can't find any issue (And im struggling to think of an issue myself... outside of anxiety) you may just have to try mentally get over it. As tough as it will be. Mind over matter is hard for non-anxious people, but for us guys, it takes a lot more effort.

Let us know how you get on. Pursue the docs. Even if just to put your mind at rest. Let us know how you get on.

Thank you David, I have booked in to see a GP on Thursday (not my usual one but it's a "new" problem so it shouldn't be a problem). I plan to just give him the history of my past anxiety and how the frequent urination came and has stayed with me for a year.

I will try to push for a referral to see a urologist if it's possible and will also ask about possibly changing or increasing my 50mg of Sertraline I'm currently on because it doesn't seem to be working anymore.

I think the worry about MS also relates to what you mentioned though, I haven't had any other serious issues other than frequent urination (which is an early sign of MS), so why would anxiety only affect this one particular part of my body?

Will update after I see him, thank you very much for your words of support David, it is good to just be able to rant sometimes lol.

[MobileChicane]

Update: I've been to my GP, I will get an ultrasound before and after urinating to see how well my bladder empties, we will take it from there. I assume I'll eventually be referred to a urologist. I'm really hoping a urologist will find something, I'm dreading it's something sinister like MS.

In the meantime my Sertraline has been increased from 50mg to 100mg which could help with anxiety. The ultrasound will hopefully be done either next week or the week after, once the GP has seen the results, hopefully he will refer me to the urologist quickly after, I have to get through a lot of medical bureaucracy.

[Dayvid]

Hey man, good to see you're booked in. I know it's scary but what's worse? Sitting on it and wondering the worst?

I've actually heard people complain that sertraline makes you urinate more. I was on it for a little while back in 2014 and it rings a bell even for me. Have you considered that it might be your meds?

It's highly unlikely that it's MS after so long with no other symptoms. But you're doing the right thing!

Stay in touch, rant to me all you like haha. I'm well aware of how therapeutic it can be to just write all your worries down on a forum post!

[MobileChicane]

Hi David,

I was originally thinking it could be related to Sertraline, but it continued even when I stopped taking it so I don't think it is. If the Sertraline doesn't work after a few weeks or so I will see if I can change to a different drug.

I know MS itself is unlikely as I'm not getting any other neurological symptoms, though I think my head is trying to make me believe I have it. Sometimes I get stressed and anxious when thinking about what the cause of it is and along with that comes the common symptoms associated with anxiety (and also MS) but nothing as serious as difficulty walking, eye problems, etc. Then again, maybe the MS has just started... :S

Ah we'll see...

[MobileChicane]

Got an ultrasound of my abdominal area/urinal tract and everything seems fine physically. He said it could be something causing an irritable bladder.

I'm still dreading I have MS... :unsure:

[Fishmanpa]

With your high anxiety levels, this could very well be a normal "fight or flight" (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms#Kidneys_urgency_to_urinate_frequent_urina tion_sudden_urge_to_go_to_the_toilet)response. The remedy would be treating your anxiety.

Positive thoughts

[alexstefan95]

21 years old male here. I have the exact same problem for 6 months now, and at its peak it was like you described it: the feeling came from the penis, not bladder. I observed that it really became a problem when I was away from a bathroom, so I concluded that it was anxiety and went to a psychologist, which prescribed me a SSRI and Lorazepam for extreme situations, which helped take the edge off.

[Jason74]

Got an ultrasound of my abdominal area/urinal tract and everything seems fine physically. He said it could be something causing an irritable bladder.

I'm still dreading I have MS... :unsure:

Hi Mobile Chicane. I need to stress that I'm not an expert, but I'm going through a similar loop of symptoms (including the frequent urination) and from what you've said, it seems that MS is unlikely in your case. From the neuro I've seen, it sounds that the most common form of MS (relapsing remitting) tends to come in the form of a serious attack that would present with more extreme symptoms than you are experiencing. The other main type (primary progressive) would from what he said be very unlikely in someone your age.

Like I say, this isn't in any way expert advice / knowledge, but based on what you are saying it seems that your chances of MS are very very low.