Research

[Valentinesstuff]

I'm about to do some research. I'm trying to find out which plastic backed medical diapers are worth it.

 

I've contacted LL Medico, Healthwick, and Carewell asking what they carry. The list is:

 

Tranquility ATN

Tranquility Slimline

NorthShore MegaMax, Lite, and Supreme 

Abena Abriform L4

BetterDry

Mega Inspire+

InControl BeDry Premium

Seni Super Quatro

Wellness (the NASA brief)

 

Of these, I've used recently the NorthShore brands. In the past I've used the Tranquility ATN, tried the SlimLine, Wellness, and used Abenas. I think I have tried the BetterDry too. I'm pretty sure I have not used the Senior, InControl or Mega Inspire. 

 

I'm sure that there are others, Forsite for example (which I've also tried). 

 

Does anyone have any further suggestions, for either retailers or plastic medical diapers, please no AB diapers?

 

 

It's kind of sad the list is so short.

[Slomo]

NO medical grade diaper is worth using. Just stay away from Tranquality and Wellness, and get something better. 

If you really want something a mid-range diaper, I'd recommend Abena XPlus, Seni Quatro or Northshore Supreme.

For premium I'd recommend Betterdry (a favorite of mine). There's also Megamax or Sunkiss S/M (which is basically a Megamax copy but sized between Medium and Large).

[Valentinesstuff]

Technically the NorthShore are medical diapers, and a few others.

 

My problem is with bowel incontinence, so I don't need the massive absorbency. I need something that will stay on, and contain the mess. 

[Slomo]

On 11/26/2025 at 6:48 PM, Valentinesstuff said:

Technically the NorthShore are medical diapers, and a few others.

 

My problem is with bowel incontinence, so I don't need the massive absorbency. I need something that will stay on, and contain the mess. 

Yeah.... No they aren't. You are literally and seriously trying to convince me you can find Northshore diapers being distributed to patients in a hospital. Prove it, then I will believe they are medical diapers. 

Or are you again confusing plain white with medical grade? If that's the case, I have a brand new 1-ton pickup I'd like to sell to you for just $40K. It's make is Ford Escort. Don't worry, it's white so that alone proves its towing and off road capability.

 

And FYI, I deal with occasional IBS-D, so I know how important it is to use a capable diaper. That's why you will never find me wearing that medical grade crap they have to offer- in medical facilities. Those diapers are so bad I bring my own with me whenever I need to go to the hospital. But hey, if you insist on medical grade only, that's all you. Just no Northshore.

[Valentinesstuff]

On 12/1/2025 at 10:35 AM, Slomo said:

Yeah.... No they aren't. You are literally and seriously trying to convince me you can find Northshore diapers being distributed to patients in a hospital. Prove it, then I will believe they are medical diapers. 

Or are you again confusing plain white with medical grade? If that's the case, I have a brand new 1-ton pickup I'd like to sell to you for just $40K. It's make is Ford Escort. Don't worry, it's white so that alone proves its towing and off road capability.

 

And FYI, I deal with occasional IBS-D, so I know how important it is to use a capable diaper. That's why you will never find me wearing that medical grade crap they have to offer- in medical facilities. Those diapers are so bad I bring my own with me whenever I need to go to the hospital. But hey, if you insist on medical grade only, that's all you. Just no Northshore.

You are confusing Institutional diapers with medical diapers. Institutional diapers are those sold to Nursing Homes, Hospitals, and other long term care businesses. Medical diapers are designed and sold to the public for incontinence. ABDL diapers designed for the ABDL market. Until Bambino came around there were no ABDL diapers, and The Bottom Half Group sold a plain white diaper identical to the Bambino, except for decoration, as a medical diaper. 

 

MegaMax may blur the line between ABDL and Medical Diapers, it was designed for a medical purpose first. Whereas Little for Big, Rearz, Tykables, ABU, and others were designed for the ABDL market.

 

Perhaps a better term would be Incontinence Diapers, as opposed to ABDL Diapers. But the ones used in hospitals and nursing homes are Institutional Diapers. 

So MegaMax is an A grade Medical diaper, NorthShore Supreme would be B grade. Abena C grade, Tranquility D grade, and Depends F. Attends are Institutional F grade, at least the ones I got.

 

[Slomo]

33 minutes ago, Valentinesstuff said:

You are confusing Institutional diapers with medical diapers. Institutional diapers are those sold to Nursing Homes, Hospitals, and other long term care businesses. Medical diapers are designed and sold to the public for incontinence. ABDL diapers designed for the ABDL market. Until Bambino came around there were no ABDL diapers, and The Bottom Half Group sold a plain white diaper identical to the Bambino, except for decoration, as a medical diaper. 

 

MegaMax may blur the line between ABDL and Medical Diapers, it was designed for a medical purpose first. Whereas Little for Big, Rearz, Tykables, ABU, and others were designed for the ABDL market.

 

Perhaps a better term would be Incontinence Diapers, as opposed to ABDL Diapers. But the ones used in hospitals and nursing homes are Institutional Diapers. 

So MegaMax is an A grade Medical diaper, NorthShore Supreme would be B grade. Abena C grade, Tranquility D grade, and Depends F. Attends are Institutional F grade, at least the ones I got.

 

We've already been over this. Agree to disagree.

[Valentinesstuff]

Well this is what I have.

 

I didn't look for the lowest price for these. So you might find them cheaper, nor is any sale or discount applied. So shop around.

I received two diapers from Wellness; one blue, one white, but nothing to indicate exactly what they are. 

The mass is dry in grams, total mass. The NorthShore Supreme is their oldest design and I believe uses a thicker, this heavier backing, which is why it is heavier. I believe that the BetterDry is also a bit heavier in the backing

Sadly from what I remember, the Molicare, Abena, and Tranquility diapers haven't changed for years, if not decades.

For the most part you get what you pay for. A few are overpriced, but a couple are better than the cost would indicate. The Why Worry sold on Amazon seems surprisingly good. The BeDry and BetterDry would be worth trying too.

 

And yes the XXL Goodnite is heavier than the adult Attends pullup.

Edited January 6 by Valentinesstuff
Updated chart

[Slomo]

On 12/30/2025 at 6:27 PM, Valentinesstuff said:

Well this is what I have.

 

I didn't look for the lowest price for these. So you might find them cheaper, nor is any sale or discount applied. So shop around.

I received two diapers from Wellness; one blue, one white, but nothing to indicate exactly what they are. 

The mass is dry in grams, total mass. The NorthShore Supreme is their oldest design and I believe uses a thicker, this heavier backing, which is why it is heavier. I believe that the BetterDry is also a bit heavier in the backing

Sadly from what I remember, the Molicare, Abena, and Tranquility diapers haven't changed for years, if not decades.

For the most part you get what you pay for. A few are overpriced, but a couple are better than the cost would indicate. The Why Worry sold on Amazon seems surprisingly good. The BeDry and BetterDry would be worth trying too.

 

And yes the XXL Goodnite is heavier than the adult Attends pullup.

Uugh. NEVER look at the cost per unit! You need to look at it as a cost per day!

Take the 1st and last as example. Trest @ $3.40 each versus Attends @ $0.84 each. Trest can easily handle 12 hours without any signs of leaking or discomfort. Attends can barely make it 2 hours (which is being very generous), and will already be leaking and feel wet.

So. In 24 hours you use 2 Trest @ $6.80. Or 12 Attends @ $10.08. As you can see, Attends as a MUCH higher cost. Not to mention having to wake up every 2 hours at night so you can go change. Or dealing with extra leaks, time wasted changing, feeling and smelling worse, and on and on.

[Slomo]

It funny here too. I requested decent diapers through the VA (Megamax or equal). And they sent me 15 bags of Attends pullups and another 9 bags of Tranquality pullups. 

These things are so cheap and horrible you couldn't pay me to wear them (and the VA does pay me). There so bad I decided to save everyone else and NOT donate them to charity. They're all going straight to the trash.

[Valentinesstuff]

6 hours ago, Slomo said:

Uugh. NEVER look at the cost per unit! You need to look at it as a cost per day!

Take the 1st and last as example. Trest @ $3.40 each versus Attends @ $0.84 each. Trest can easily handle 12 hours without any signs of leaking or discomfort. Attends can barely make it 2 hours (which is being very generous), and will already be leaking and feel wet.

So. In 24 hours you use 2 Trest @ $6.80. Or 12 Attends @ $10.08. As you can see, Attends as a MUCH higher cost. Not to mention having to wake up every 2 hours at night so you can go change. Or dealing with extra leaks, time wasted changing, feeling and smelling worse, and on and on.

My situation is generally different than others. I have intermittent bowel incontinence. So on some days the diaper will last all day, on others I go through several in a matter of hours. Admittedly the super poor quality of Attends means it's only going to last a few hours whether you use it or not, the same with the Cardinal Health and some of the others. They just will not stay on, used or not.

 

I currently have a prescription for the Tranquility SmartCore, but I'm using 5 or 6 just because they no longer stay on. If you don't mind clothbacked, try the Why Worry , I was surprised by them. Not the top of the line, but certainly much better than the price would indicate.

 

Someone from the local VA Pharmacy is supposed to get in contact with me. I'm hoping I can get either NS MegaMax Lite, BetterDry or BeDry. Those will last until I use them. 

[Slomo]

12 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

Someone from the local VA Pharmacy is supposed to get in contact with me. I'm hoping I can get either NS MegaMax Lite, BetterDry or BeDry. Those will last until I use them. 

I'm going through this same thing. Been trying to get a decently thick enough diaper, like Megamax. Except they keep sending me pullups. They're so far from what I need all I can do is throw them out as soon as I get them. 

[Valentinesstuff]

1 hour ago, Slomo said:

I'm going through this same thing. Been trying to get a decently thick enough diaper, like Megamax. Except they keep sending me pullups. They're so far from what I need all I can do is throw them out as soon as I get them. 

Have you tried talking to a Patient Advocate? They found me someone that knew about incontinence products, or at least what was available.

[Slomo]

15 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

Have you tried talking to a Patient Advocate? They found me someone that knew about incontinence products, or at least what was available.

Yup. I have a case number assigned but haven't talked to the advocate yet.

[Valentinesstuff]

I just got off the phone with Ashley from the VA Illiana Pharmacy. She is the person looking into this matter for me. She received a message from my Senator after I wrote her. They are looking into what products they can get. I'll try to keep you informed.

7 hours ago, Slomo said:

Yup. I have a case number assigned but haven't talked to the advocate yet.

 

[Slomo]

17 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

I just got off the phone with Ashley from the VA Illiana Pharmacy. She is the person looking into this matter for me. She received a message from my Senator after I wrote her. They are looking into what products they can get. I'll try to keep you informed.

 

Thanks, I plan to do the same. I also sent a letter to my senator but it doesn't seem to have done anything.

I did also put in a formal complaint with the VA advocate. The day after I got assigned a case number my urologist assistant called me. She said they were able to move forward with a Prior Authorization Dispensation (PAD). If approved I'd be able to get what I need.

 

And FYI. CptKirk on SPANDI is also a veteran. He lives in Pensinvania and has been getting Northshore Megamax for years now. He says he had to go through EVERY pad, pullup, and diaper the VA has in formulary stock (which as you know is all crap). Only then were they able to approve them. So at least we know for sure the East coast VA can and does supply them.

 

[Slomo]

All of this seems so stupid though. And here is what I intend to tell the advocate as my complaint. 

If I need glasses I'm not limited to off the shelf reading glasses. The VA is happy to give me custom prescription lenses mounted in really good frames. 

If I need a knee brace, I'm not limited to cheap elastic sport braces you can get anywhere. Without delay or problem, I'm given high quality braces with metal hinges and strong velcro straps.

But if I need diapers, I am only limited to the thinnest possible stuff you can get in most food stores or pharmacies. Or worse, I'm not even given a diaper, but pullups which are even thinner and have a lesser capability. It's easier to have them pull my teeth than it is to get a good quality diaper that actually works for my legitimate and service connected disability.

But to really hammer this in, my urologist wants to get me the Megamax diapers. Yet the pharmacy is being allowed to dictate what a doctor can and cannot do. They have literally been allowed to set a gate-keeping policy whih limits the care we can receive. It is this discrepency I want addressed. Not just for me, but for every veteran that needs them. 

[Valentinesstuff]

4 hours ago, Slomo said:

f I need glasses I'm not limited to off the shelf reading glasses. The VA is happy to give me custom prescription lenses mounted in really good frames. 

If I need a knee brace, I'm not limited to cheap elastic sport braces you can get anywhere. Without delay or problem, I'm given high quality braces with metal hinges and strong velcro straps.

I have the glasses, two pair actually one for distance, one for reading. No problems with getting them. I have a knee brace too. I even have a Rollator, the Physical Therapist just grabbed one out of storage and gave it to me. No prescription, no doctor's note. Just grabbed one.

 

5 hours ago, Slomo said:

But if I need diapers, I am only limited to the thinnest possible stuff you can get in most food stores or pharmacies. Or worse, I'm not even given a diaper, but pullups which are even thinner and have a lesser capability. It's easier to have them pull my teeth than it is to get a good quality diaper that actually works for my legitimate and service connected disability.

Yep, and I explained it to the Pharmacist. I even explained that the first Attends pullup I got wasn't even as effective as a Goodnite made for kids. She agreed. I actually talked to the pharmacist for a decent amount of time, explaining the problems with what I received. She seemed a bit embarrassed to ask some of the questions she did.

 

Fortunately my Senator is a Vet and on the Veterans Affairs Committee. I'm hoping she can push something through to improve the situation.

[Valentinesstuff]

@Slomo

I heard back from the Pharmacist. She explained that she is limited from ordering from a certain group of "medical suppliers," and can't just order from a website. She did find a cloth backed Molicare, but I'm afraid it won't be as good as the Tranquility. She is going to continue searching. I joined Spandi and DMed CptKirk and mentioned you, please vouch for me if he asks.

 

The Pharmacist mentioned that all their computers got flagged for inappropriate websites while searching for adult diapers. 

[Slomo]

5 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

@Slomo

I heard back from the Pharmacist. She explained that she is limited from ordering from a certain group of "medical suppliers," and can't just order from a website. She did find a cloth backed Molicare, but I'm afraid it won't be as good as the Tranquility. She is going to continue searching. I joined Spandi and DMed CptKirk and mentioned you, please vouch for me if he asks.

 

The Pharmacist mentioned that all their computers got flagged for inappropriate websites while searching for adult diapers. 

Ok, that's just funny. But I do know of other east coast veterans who are already getting Northshore Megamax from the VA. So at least you CAN get those.

[Valentinesstuff]

7 minutes ago, Slomo said:

Ok, that's just funny. But I do know of other east coast veterans who are already getting Northshore Megamax from the VA. So at least you CAN get those.

I got in touch with CptKirk, thanks, he gave me some information, including the VA hosptial that he gets them through. I called the VA back and the Pharmacist told me that when she attempted to get NorthShore added to the National list it was rejected within a minute. Also other pharmacies have had the same thing happen.