Belgian Tripel Beer may have benefited my overactive bladder

Beer for an Overactive bladder sounds insane

This article is my personal story. It is not promoting alcohol as a cure for any illness. I am only sharing one of the strange things that have happened to me. As a rule, alcoholic beverages work as diuretics and increase urine production, but recently the opposite has happened to me.

I am not a drinker, but on occasion, if offered one, I will accept. Earlier in the year, a family member was in a 5K race. When it was over, the runner received tickets for a free beer. There were many to choose from, and when he offered to buy me one for supporting him, something in me said to choose the Belgian Tripel.

I don't recall the brand, but I noticed it had a red color. The next day, I realized that I had slept all night without having to pee once. I also recalled that after returning home, I had not made trips to the bathroom every few hours as often happens. Trying to find a restroom in public places often becomes a necessity that I don't care for.

An overactive bladder can be a nightmare

Any female with an overactive bladder understands the misery of having to pee frequently, whether you have been drinking a lot of water or not. When you feel like you are living just to make it to the toilet without wetting yourself, it can be maddening.

During the past three or four years, I might have had two or three days where this did not happen, and then it would start again without rhyme or reason. Every day for two weeks, I was making trips to the toilet on average every hour and a half from about 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m.or midnight.

I was tired of days where I was washing my privates and or changing underclothes, or pull-ups multiple times a day. I have spoken with other older women who are dealing with the same. Someone reading knows exactly what I am talking about.

A reverse effect appears to have happened

This past Tuesday, my oldest son, my middle grandson, and I participated in a one-and-a-half-mile run sponsored by the local Fleet Street. When we returned to the starting point, Big Lick Brewery offered a dollar off drinks. My son offered to purchase me one, and I noticed they had the Belgian Tripel, so I got one.

The next day, I noticed I had slept all night and was not going to pee as often in the morning. Every website I checked stated that beer can cause inflammation, cause an overactive bladder, and is bad for the kidneys. At least eight websites warned against drinking beer if you pee a lot.

I thought about how Ritalin is a stimulant in adults, but is given to children with ADHD because it calms them. I assume that for me, Belgian Tripel Beer has the opposite effect. In thinking back, I don't ever recall any alcoholic beverage I drank causing me to pee a lot.

Can beer decrease frequent urination?

I woke up this morning and found I was going to the bathroom about every two hours so I decided to test my theory. The local Kroger had a brand called Golden Monkey Belgian Style Beer.

I was disappointed that it was not red like the Belgian Tripel I previously drank, but guess what? After half a can (Six ounces) I did not go to the bathroom to pee for four hours. Since then, it has now been five hours, and I am elated.

This can't be a coincidence, so I continued searching until I found a website that said research shows Belgian Tripel Beer has probiotics and may be beneficial because it is fermented twice. Regular beer is fermented once, so Belgian Tripel has properties like Kombucha. Perhaps the properties removed any bacteria, causing me to pee so much.

Some things to consider

If you are a heavy drinker or are already consuming a lot of beer, what I have shared probably will not benefit you. The website said a Belgian Tripel Beer daily will keep the doctor away. I am not going to test that theory, but I will keep some on hand and drink it perhaps once a week to see if it prevents my bladder from being overactive again.

Please note I was not having symptoms of a UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), which may require antibiotics. If you are experiencing pain, fatigue, fever, or seeing blood in your urine, please consult your healthcare provider. Again, I am not suggesting that Belgian Tripel Beer will stop anyone's OAB. I am saying that in my case, it did when usually beer causes people to pee.