If you suffer from a chronic condition, maintaining quality of life is not a “nice to have” – it should be a priority when determining the appropriate therapy. Suffering from chronic bladder conditions means you might be dependent on medical personnel for therapy administration, spending a significant portion of your life in a hospital or a clinic.
In order to change this and allow patients to live a more fulfilling life independent of medical facilities, NICE guidelines published in 2012 include a section on Patient independence, stating:
...Give patients using adult NHS services the support they need to maintain their independence as far as possible.
...When patients in hospital are taking medicines for long-term conditions, assess and discuss with them whether they are able and would prefer to manage these medicines themselves.
Suzanne Evans, spokesperson for charity support group Bladder Health UK:
Increasingly, people use self-catheterisation to administer their treatment as this affords greater flexibility and freedom.
I thought I’d never manage it. Then, the third time I tried it, I relaxed and breathed calmly and it was fine. Every area of my life is better with this treatment, and I feel much more in control now.
There are many teenagers and young people trying to live their lives round this, so being able to self-medicate and get good results is very encouraging. When they are diagnosed, we talk about treatment options and they can make dietary changes and take tablets, but doing the Gepan themselves is very freeing, as there is a sense of being in control and they can manage the condition more effectively.
Gepan allows you to apply your medication without assistance from medical personnel, in comfort and privacy of your own home, without having to take time out of your busy life to attend clinics.
Gepan is clinically proven treatment for all types of chronic cystitis:
- Bladder Pain Syndrome / Interstitial cystitis
- Overactive Bladder Syndrome
- Recurrent UTIs
- Radiation or chemotherapy induced cystitis.
These conditions are often associated with a damage of the glycosaminoglycan or GAG layer of the bladder.
Gepan is my go to treatment of choice for patients with BPS/IC. I have transferred the majority of my patients onto Gepan and have had consistently good results over the last three years.
Administration
Gepan comes in a pre-filled syringe, designed for ease of use:
The sterile solution of 0.2% chondroitin sulphate is injected into the bladder via a catheter. Gepan syringe has a universal tip which easily connects to most catheters. If you are having difficulty attaching your preferred catheter, please do let us know and we will provide you with an adapter.
Once Gepan is instilled into the bladder, it replenishes the damaged protective GAG layer. For this to take effect, you must hold Gepan in the bladder for at least half an hour (the longer, the better).
In the video below April Smile Rabacal, Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist working in the NHS, shows you how to self-catheterise and use Gepan instill for bladder instillations in the comfort of your own home, after being trained by your urology team.
How often should you use Gepan?
How often and how long Gepan should be used depends on the severity of your symptoms. Most patients need 4 weekly treatments as an initial therapy.
Based on your needs, your doctor may subsequently proceed to a treatment of one application per month. However, for some patients it may take longer to feel improvement, so it is important to be persistent.
A recent study found 100% success rate in BPS/IC patients after one year of therapy, proving that Gepan is both effective and safe to use long term. Gepan acts locally and is generally very well tolerated without any side effects.
Treatment regime:
Start of treatment
In the 1st month depending on severity, one instillation per week for 4 weeks.
Maintenance treatment
From the 2nd month onwards one instillation per month.
Weekly instillations can be continued if needed, until symptoms are under control.
When should you expect improvement
This will depend on your condition and severity of symptoms. Some patients report a cooling sensation and instant relief; while others may take longer to feel improvement. Clinical data shows that for some patients it may take up to 12 weeks of weekly instillations to achieve sustained relief from symptoms.*
Gepan is available on prescription. If you would like to self-instil, you can by order Gepan directly from us emailing us at gepan@purpleorchidhealth.co.uk or give us a call at 0844 415 2420.
Please note: patients must be instructed by a nurse or doctor on how, when and for how long to use Gepan, and must be shown how to self-catheterise by authorised medical professionals.
sBelow you will find support materials containing information and instruction about using Gepan at home. There is also plenty of material available online to help you when self-instilling, as support to the information and training you have received in clinic.
