Interstitial cystitis and elmiron

Have any of you guys taken elmiron for interstitial cystitis for longer than 3 months? It's very expensive but I decided to try it for 3 months about 4 years ago and noticed no difference at all. My doctor says that really isn't long enough to gain any benefit from it. He says 6 months to a year is necessary for some people. I can't decide if I want to afford it for that long with a chance of it not working at all. Plus, IC flares anyway, so after a year how would decipher if it was the elmiron or just happenstance that it got better on its own?! If it wasn't such an expensive medication I'd be more inclined to do it.. ugh.. decisions decisions..

Yes, it did wonders for me. I was miserable. If you really have IC, take it for six months.

I was to the point where I was either giving myself lidocaine (I think it was) catheters, or going to the ob-gyn twice a week for the catheters.

I remember the number six, but I can't remember if it was six weeks or six months, but it did indeed take that long for the medicine to work.

margaret