I got prostatitis at the age of 20 after having unprotected sex with a woman
that had chronic bladder infections and IC. I was tested and diagnosed as
having Non-Specific Urethritis. Ofcourse nothing would fully clear me up.
While on antibiotics, I was fine, but the minute I went off of them, I was
back to square one. Eventually,  I came up with the same results that you
folks have, i.e, "we can't find any bacteria" and "go home and learn to live
with this."

Eventually, not knowing what to do, and sort of wanting to see what would
happen, I went off of antibiotics and let my pain run its course. It soon
became so unbearable that I went to my uro who did a culture and was
signsoed with a staph infection. I also had yeast in my prostate due to
long-term antibiotic use.

I tried staying on antibiotics  and anti-yeast {*filter*} for years, but
eventually went to a Dr that said, (and I quote) "There is ALWAYS and
answer." He gave me a bladder irrigation with silver nitrate. It burned like
{*filter*}y hell, and made me feel like I had to pee 100 times worse than I ever
had, but when the symptoms subsided, I was totally symptom free.

That lasted for a while, until I tried to catch up on lost beer-drinking time.
Eventually it came back on me. {*filter*} is the bane of my prostate. Even the
tiniest amounts bring on a flare up.

I write this so people will perhaps recognize symptoms similar to my own,
and decide whether or not this fits their same type of problem. The more I
read on this site, the more convinced I become that we're not all fighting
the same battle.

Now, on to DMSO and Silver Nitrate.

DMSO is a diffusing agent that has been used for years to relieve pain and
reduce inflamation. It also has antibacterial properties. However, the
reason I use it is that it helps medicine penetrate into mucous membranes.
It has been used by uros and MD's alike to successfully treat everything
from cystits to prostatitis. (There are several medical web-pages that will
attest to this)
When you mix a known antibacterial such as hydrogen peroxide with DMSO, you're
basically taking it from just a surface treatment and helping it get deep
into the prostate and bladder where it needs to be. It has definitely
improved my results wiht hydrogen peroxide. IMPORTANT NOTE: I ONLY USE
DILUTED DMSO. ANY OTHER KIND WILL BURN YOUR BLADDER. THE KIND I USE IS 70%
DMSO, AND 30% DISTILLED WATER.

Silver nitrate is an old remedy that many MD's shy away from. It burns like
hell, and basically works by "smothering" bacteria. (At least that's how it
was explained to me.) Of all of the treatments I have tried, that one works
the best. However,
it is tough on the system. You can't use it if you have a REALLY bad
infection until you've managed to somewhat contain the it. I would advise
you to take antibiotics first until you feel somewhat better and then try
it. Otherwise, it's just too {*filter*} the membranes and can cause bleeding.
I've had probably about 50 or 60 of them in the last 16 years. When this
treatment is doen properly, it's by far the best. I often wonder if I had
not drank too much way back when whether or not I would even have it now.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this treatment is for everybody. Your
problem may be very different, and maybe not bad enough to warrant these
measures. I'm just passing along some treatments that worked for me, in the
hope that it may help someone. I also suggest you talk to your MD first
before trying any treatments that I've mentioned here.

Good luck!

Regarding the first part of this question, see my reply at the top of the page.
As far as the DMSO goes, no you don't need a prescription, you can get it at
a TRUE health cooking.net">food store (not GNC). Just make sure it's a reputable brand,
and that it is DILUTED to at least 70% strength. Otherwise, it will burn
your bladder.

Also, if you're going to try this, make sure and do Kegel exercies to help
it get into the prostate. The first few times, I would strongly recommend
you let your MD do it for you.  Then if you're like me, you can begin trying
them at home on your own.

Actually, I take melatonin every night, and thought I listed quercetin at
the top of my list. Quercetin had pretty much no effect at all, which once
again, makes me wonder if we are all experiencing the same problem. I mean,
just because you have a pain in your stomach doesn't mean you have an ulcer.
It could be something else.

Haven't tried Elavil, but don't really need it now.

I agree with you, for those of you who can achieve relief from symptoms
without this, good for you. This messaage is only for those who were in my
shoes who
couldn't find anything else that would work for them. This treatment is not
for everyone, but might help some.