Diabetes insipidus can be triggered by a multitude of causes. Overall, Diabetes Insipidus is a disorder related to the kidneys and parts of the brain that signal how much fluid to filter. Someone with the condition has kidneys that filters too much blood, creating too much urine.

This can lead to extreme thirst, very frequent urination, and possibly dehydration. Therefore, it is very important that it is treated correctly when it come about.

So, how does someone treat diabetes insipidus? It depends on the cause of the condition.

For someone with central diabetes insipidus, CDI, there will more than likely be an artificial hormone that is produced. According to Mayo Clinic, the synthetic hormone called desmopressin is used to have the kidneys stop filtering blood as frequently (Mayo Clinic, 2016).

This can be taken as tablets, injection, or a nasal spray (Mayo Clinic, 2016). In most cases, the hormone is effective in preventing frequent urination. However, if CDI is caused by abnormalities to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland, your doctor will have to treat the abnormality first (Mayo Clinic, 2016).

Desmopressin is only taken when needed and doses can change depending on the day. In mild cases, you probably only need to drink a little more water than normal. Talk to your doctor to discuss treatments.

If you have nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, NDI, then your cause is due to a low sensitivity to normal hormones by your kidneys, causing them to filter more blood than needed.

Your doctor might prescribe a low-salt diet and ask you to drink more water in order to keep up with your kidney’s urine production (Mayo Clinic). This will help you to stay hydrated.

Sometimes, certain medications can cause NDI. Talk to your doctor to see if there are different medications that you can take or stop taking, so you can help manage this condition.

You can also take some medications that might be able to help with symptoms of NDI. It is a lot harder to treat, so they are not guarantees. Michael Dansinger states, “Other medicines may improve the symptoms. These include indomethacin (Indocin), and diuretics like hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide) or amiloride (Moduretic 5-50)” (Dansinger, 2016).

Talk to your healthcare provider about some of these medications to see if they would be right for you to take.

With gestational diabetes insipidus, GDI, doctors prescribe desmopressin in most scenarios. However, nothing will be prescribed if it caused by an abnormality with thirst (Mayo Clinic, 2016).

It is very important to manage the amount of fluids you intake into your body. You need to prevent dehydration. If you do not prevent it, this can lead to serious symptoms and possibly death.

If your diabetes insipidus was caused due to a mental disorder, then treating the condition might help lower side effects as well.

Discuss treatments with your doctor, so you can take control of this condition. There is no cure, but there are a lot of treatments to help you mange diabetes insipidus well.

Bibliography

Dansinger, M. (2016). What is diabetes insipidus?. WebMd. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/what-is-diabetes-insipidus#1

Mayo Clinic Staff (2016). Diabetes insipidus. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes-insipidus/diagnosis-treatment/treatment/txc-20182429

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