An alternative to Pyridium/Azo type bladder pain killers?

5 years 9 months ago #55414 by wordartist
I agree, sara.ann, that many things are talked about in various circles as possible carcinogens. But in this case, it is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services who are saying it, and I believe they are usually pretty conservative. As dta60 pointed out, even the AZO insert warns about the rat study. The fact that phenazopyridine hydrochloride is a dye is, in itself, kind of a tipoff. As we all probably know, a risk factor for bladder cancer is exposure to dyes, specifically aromatic amines. And when I check Wikipedia for a list of aromatic amines , phenazopyridine is listed.

Anyway, I'm not trying to cause a scare. I'm just asking if there are alternatives for relieving bladder pain. I haven't yet found anything online.
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5 years 9 months ago #55412 by sara.anne
Just remember that there are very few things that do not cause cancer in rats and mice! I do not want to open a panic session here so I won’t list all the things, including common foods, that are reported somehow or another to cause cancer in experimental animals or tissue culture.

Just use common sense.

Sara Anne

Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
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5 years 9 months ago #55411 by dtat60
Wow, who would have thought? I have taken this for both of my TURBTs and even a couple of times after BCG. I goggled the drug and found some interesting info. I opened a box of AZO and they don't mention it on the package but do on the insert (inside the box).

From wiki - Phenazopyridine is an azo dye. Other azo dyes, which were previously used in textiles, printing, and plastic manufacturing, have been implicated as carcinogens that can cause bladder cancer. While phenazopyridine has never been shown to cause cancer in humans, evidence from animal models suggests that it is potentially carcinogenic.

Not sure what to think. I don't like the stuff because of the orange staining - but I do think? it helped my burning.

Curious what everyone has to say about the matter.

08/16 Blood in Urine;09/16 CT Scan, RPG, Cysto;10/16 TURBT;12/08 BL TURBT;01/17 6X BCG;05/17 NED, 3X BCG, 9/17 NED, 3X BCG,1/18 NED, 3X BCG,7/18 NED, 3X BCG

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5 years 9 months ago #55410 by wordartist
Does anyone know of an alternative to bladder pain relievers that contain phenazopyridine hydrochloride?

The reason I ask is that I found that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Report on Carcinogens lists phenazopyridine hydrochloride as, "Reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" (link to pdf file) . This is the active ingredient of various prescription and over-the-counter medications such as the several strengths of Azo, Baridium, Phenazo, Prodium, Pyridiate, Pyridium, Uricalm, and Uristat. Urologists commonly either prescribe these or recommend patient's buy them over-the-counter to relieve bladder pain after TURBT procedures to remove bladder tumors.

I know that this isn't saying that these medications have been proven to be carcinogens, but I still find it disturbing that the medication I and many others have been taking while we are trying to fight bladder cancer is "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen." As far as I am concerned, they would now have to be proven to not be carcinogens for me to feel safe taking them. So, I would like to know what alternatives there are.
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