Q. At eleven, my daughter was still wetting the bed. Alarms and waking her up before we went to bed were completely ineffective.
The doctor explained that she was lacking a particular hormone and prescribed DDAVP nasal spray. This has been a godsend and allows her to sleep through the night without accidents.
A. Your daughter may have diabetes insipidus, which is quite different from diabetes mellitus. If she lacks arginine vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone), the result is excessive thirst and frequent urination.
Not all bedwetting is caused by diabetes insipidus, but DDAVP (desmopressin, a synthetic substitute for vasopressin) is prescribed for this condition.
Alarms and other behavioral treatments seem to work quite well when there is not a significant hormonal disturbance.
