urinary tract infection (UTI) is a disease that can be treated easily nowadays. the advancement in the drug industry has made it possible to do so.
when you go to the doctor and he or she diagnosis you with a UTI, then in most cases his or her treatment regimen will be based on antibiotics.
some painkillers can be prescribed if there was pain accompanying the UTI.
phenazopyridine which is a drug used to relieve the pain of the UTI may also be prescribed in conjugation with the antibiotics.
in addition to the treatment prescribed by your doctor, you can do some home remedies for UTI researches, and use some of them to help in the treatment or prevention of the UTI.
home remedies are usually used by people who have recurrent UTI, which means that they treat their UTI but it keeps coming back.
be sure about to consult your doctor about the home remedies that you are using. and here is our article on the best home remedies that you can use to treat your uti in case you wanted to check it out.
UTI is not just one type, in fact, it has many types to it and every type of UTI needs to be treated a little differently than the other.
there are mainly two types of uti, these types are
1)the uncomplicated UTI or the simple UTI:
this type of UTI usually occurs in the lower part of the urinary tract where the bladder and the urethra is.
this type of uti affects both men and women, but it happens with women in a greater frequency due to the anatomy of the female body.
this type of UTI is the most occurring type, so most people who suffer from UTI, are most likely to have a simple UTI.
a simple UTI can be treated with short courses of antibiotics and maybe even healed with just using home remedies and some lifestyle changes.
2) severe UTI or complicated UTI:
a severe UTI is most likely to occur in the upper parts of the urinary tract where the kidneys are.
a severe UTI has some signs and symptoms that distinguish it from simple UTI, like high fever and chills and vomiting… etc.
it can happen more in the elderly people group and the children people group, basically people with compromised immune systems.
if a person has diabetes and complains from the symptoms of UTI then it’s directly considered a severe UTI.
a severe UTI is treated with long courses of antibiotics with higher doses higher than that used for simple UTI.
pain killers will also be prescribed because a severe UTI usually causes some great deal of flank pain.
phenazopyridine is also used in the beginning of the treatment to ease the burning sensation during urination.
if you think you have a severe UTI, you must report to the doctor immediately or go to a hospital as soon as possible.
a third type of UTI which can be added to those two earlier types is the recurrent UTI.
the reason that I didn’t put it with them was because that the UTI when it reoccurs it either gonna be a simple UTI or a severe UTI.
in most cases, it’s gonna be a simple UTI which is what happens with many women around the world. a recurrent uti is most likely to happen with women more than men because of the anatomy of their bodies.
so the treatment of UTI will vary depending on the type of UTI and also depending on the person suffering from it, like what is his or her gender, age, does he or she have another kind of disease and do they use other medication and like so.
so let’s now begin discussing each type of treatment that might be given to you if you have a UTI, what are it’s pros and cons and how should it be used and more, so tune in.
antibiotics
antibiotics are essential in the treatment of UTI, in fact, it’s the most essential UTI treatment. why is that?
because uti is an infection, what is an infection?
an infection is the invasion of harmful bacteria or microorganisms to a region or an organ of the body. in the case of uti, it’s the invasion of bacteria to the urinary tract.
ps: in rare cases, viruses and fungi can be involved.
when harmful bacteria invade the urinary tract it will be hard if not impossible to remove them out of the urinary tract.
because in most cases the bacteria that cause the UTI will have some sort of claws or hinges which they shove them into the inside walls of the urinary tract.
this will make the bacteria stick too hard to the inner walls of the urinary tract which will make it almost impossible to remove them by drinking lots of water or using other simple strategies.
unless if the UTI is at it very beginning then drinking a lot of water or drinking lemon juice or using other home remedies can help.
but in most cases you are gonna notice the symptoms of UTI only after the infection has established itself, you may have had the infection before two days but the symptoms didn’t appear until now.
so by the time you are gonna notice that you have a UTI simple strategies won’t work and you are gonna need some antibiotics to kill the bacteria in your urinary tract.
so for some people, they might have cured there UTI by using some home remedies or doing some lifestyle changes, but as I have told you, their uti might be at it’s very beginning or they may have a very strong immune system but for most people, they are gonna need some antibiotics.
so go to the doctor let him or her check you out, if he or she thinks that have a uti that needs antibiotics to be treated then he will give it to you.
while if you don’t need antibiotics then he or she gonna tell to do some lifestyle changes and use some home remedies which you can check them in our home remedies article.
in some countries doctors like to give antibiotics, they sometimes give it to people that do not need them, so if your doctor gives you an antibiotic, you can ask him if it’s possible to cure your UTI without antibiotics.
and if your condition is not too dangerous he will tell you o.k. go ahead use your home remedies and to report to him back.
the best-case scenario is to treat your UTI without the use of antibiotics, but in most cases, antibiotics will be necessary.
make sure to finish the whole regimen of the antibiotic prescribed by your doctor even if your symptoms get better and disappear, finish the whole course so that the infection won’t come again.
because if you continue with your antibiotic regimen till the end the bacteria in your urinary tract will not be killed completely down to the last every single one of them.
so the bacteria that have been left not killed no matter how few of them you leave they will grow and reproduce again, but this time they will be stronger.
so you might think you have gotten rid of the UTI but after that in a short amount of time, you will see that the UTI has come back again. and this time you may need even a bigger dose of the antibiotic or even a stronger antibiotic.
so finish your whole antibiotic regimen to the end to avoid this kind of problem.
antibiotics are prescribed to almost every type of UTI, whether it was simple UTI or a severe UTI or a recurrent UTI, whether you are a man or a woman, a child, or an elderly person if you have a UTI most likely you are gonna be treated with antibiotics.
unless, you want to treat yourself without going to the doctor, which might work by the way, but with most people, it’s gonna fail and maybe your UTI condition will get worse.
so with a simple uti condition the doctor might give you some normal antibiotics for a short period of time and that will be enough to kill the bacteria in your urinary tract and get rid of the infection.
the antibiotics that might be given for people with a simple urinary tract infection are
_ nitrofurantoin (macrobid):
the dose of nitrofurantoin for the treatment of simple UTI is 100 mg orally twice daily for 7 days or as prescribed by your doctor.
this antibiotic is used especially for people with a simple (uncomplicated) UTI and it’s very effective in treating it. it has a little side effect profile
_amoxicillin and clavulanic (augmentin):
the dose of augmentin for the treatment of simple UTI is 625 mg orally 3 times daily for 10 days or as prescribed by your doctor.
amoxicillin alone is not enough to treat UTI but amoxicillin with clavulanic acid can be a good combination for the treatment of UTI. people with penicillin allergy should not take augmentin.
_fosfomycin (monurol):
it usually comes as a single dose sachet, dissolve the contents of the sachet into 3 or 4 ounces of cold water and then stir it and then drink it just once or as prescribed by your doctor.
_trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim):
this is a strong antibiotic that might be given to some simple UTI cases for a short period of time. usually, it’s given for people with simple UTI as an oral tablet twice daily for just 3 days.
this antibiotic might have some strong side effects stronger than that of the previous antibiotics so you might wanna ask your doctor to change it for if possible.
the doses that we have given are specific for the uncomplicated UTI and the doctor might change it depending on your case.
so now what about the antibiotics that are used for the treatment of the upper UTI or the severe UTI or the kidney infection?
well for people with a kidney infection, larger doses or stronger antibiotics are gonna be required. because the kidney infection is a serious thing and needs to be treated immediately and efficiently.
so the antibiotics that are mostly used for the severe UTI or kidney infection are
_ciprofloxacin (ciprodar):
this is an antibiotic that belongs to the quinolones antibiotic family.
it’s a strong antibiotic but some strains of bacteria have developed resistance to it.
also, it cannot be given to people lesser than 21 years of age.
do not take this antibiotic with pain killers like Voltaren and ibuprofen because they will cause a very serious interaction in the brain.
ciprofloxacin is taken twice daily
_ levofloxacin (tavanic):
this antibiotic belongs to the same family of the ciprofloxacin. this antibiotic requires to be given only once daily unlike ciprofloxacin which requires to be given twice daily so this is an advantage for the levo.
also, it’s newer and stronger somewhat than the Cipro with lesser cases of bacterial resistance to it. also, levofloxacin has fewer side effects than Cipro but still do not take it with pain killers like Voltaren and ibuprofen.
_ ceftriaxone:
this is an antibiotic that can be given only through intramuscular or intravenous injections.
this antibiotic is given to the person who suffers from kidney infection in case treatment with ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin has failed.
it can kill almost every single type of bacteria that can cause the UTI. also, it has fewer side effects than levo and Cipro.
_ amoxicillin/clavulanate:
this antibiotic combination is also used for the treatment of kidney infection, but this time it will be given in a higher dose in a longer period of time.
the treatment regimen of amoxicillin/clavulanate for kidney infection might continue for 14 days.
_ Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole:
this antibiotics combination can be used for the treatment of kidney infection but it must be given in larger doses over longer periods of time.
for the treatment of kidney infections, Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole must be given to the patient for about 14 days.
the use of Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole in long periods of time is associated with a handful of side effects so be on the watch out for them and report to your doctor.
nausea, vomiting, severe allergic reactions, and diarrhea are among the side effects of Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole.
so what about the recurrent UTI.
in the case of a recurrent UTI, the effectiveness of antibiotics gradually decreases each time you get infected with UTI again.
because you may treat your UTI with antibiotics but there will still be some bacteria that remain hidden and dormant out of the antibiotics reach.
these bacteria hide inside the cells of your urinary tract so it will be hard for most antibiotics to reach them and kill them.
so they remain inside the cells of the urinary tract dormant for some amount of time and when there are no more antibiotics in the urinary tract or circulating in the blood they will go out and attack.
and when they attack they will reproduce and grow fast but this time they will be stronger because they have interacted with antibiotics before and made it out alive.
so you will need a larger dose of the antibiotic you have previously used or you will need another stronger antibiotic. many studies conducted on this subject have reached a conclusion that continuing the use of antibiotics after the UTI has been treated will not protect the patient from having another episode of UTI.
only it will worsen the problem of recurrent UTI by increasing bacterial resistance.
also using low doses of any antibiotic for the purpose of preventing the UTI from happening again will only worsen the problem.
antibiotics will not prevent you from getting a UTI in the future.
so if antibiotics are not helpful for people with recurrent UTI what can they do?
well, their solution will be to use some home remedies and do some lifestyle changes, this has been found to be a better solution than the use of antibiotics for preventing recurrent UTI.
that doesn’t mean that if the episode of UTI has already occurred that you should not use antibiotics, no, but only for the purpose of preventing that episode you should no use them.
so you should kill the bacteria first with antibiotics and then prevent them from returning by the home remedies.
phenazopyridine
this is a drug that is used for the purpose of analgesia. meaning that it’s used to ease the pain especially the burning sensation that comes with the UTI.
phenazopyridine is given within the first two days of the treatment of the urinary tract infection. phenazopyridine is usually given in conjunction with an antibiotic.
so after two days, doctors usually will tell the patient to patient to discontinue phenazopyridine because at that time the antibiotic will have worked its effect on the UTI and the burning sensation will be most likely gone.
the most infamous characteristics of phenazopyridine are that it changes the urine color from yellow to dark orange or reddish color.
this is a harmless side effect of this drug and it will be gone soon after the treatment discontinuation.
phenazopyridine does not help in the treatment of UTI only it helps in easing the symptoms of the UTI.
when it passes through the urinary tract, phenazopyridine produces an analgesic effect to the inside walls of the urinary tract which they are called the mucosal lining of the urinary tract.
so by producing its analgesic effect, phenazopyridine gives the patient a temporary relief from the symptoms of UTI.
so if you use it only, phenazopyridine will only mask the symptoms without dealing with the cause of the problem which is bacteria.
so you might not have any symptoms but your condition is getting worse and the bacteria is spreading throughout your urinary tract.
that’s why phenazopyridine should not be used for more than two days, that is to know if your UTI has been healed truly or not.
phenazopyridine can be given to all types of UTI. whether it was a simple lower UTI or a severe kidney infection or a recurrent UTI.
but you should know that it will only mask the symptoms not treat the condition.
it’s very effective when it comes to getting rid of that UTI pain fast while you can get your hands on a doctor.
phenazopyridine is available under many brand names with AZO Urinary Pain Relief Maximum Strength being the most trusted one.
pain killers
some people with simple UTI will experience a lower back or abdominal pain. while other people with an upper UTI (kidney infection) may experience a flank pain or an upper back pain.
now this pain is different from the burning sensation during urination. now this pain could be due to a kidney stone (especially if it’s in the upper back or flank area), and we know that kidney stones have the ability to cause UTI so in this case, the pain will be more severe and intense.
so in this case, the patient who suffers from UTI will definitely need some pain killers like Voltaren, ibuprofen, Celebrex, and Mobic to ease the pain.
these pain killers all of them belong to the family of drugs called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
these drugs are used to relieve all sorts of pains including the pain accompanying the UTI.
of course, they will not treat the UTI but will only give a temporary relief from the pain that is accompanying the UTI.
in the case of the lower uti the patient may feel some sort of pain in the form of pressure around the bladder area, NSAID’s are able to relieve that sort of pain also.
in the case of kidney stones, the pain will be so severe that large doses of NSAIDs will be required.
Of course, continued intake of these drugs will not solve the problem but will only make you forget about the bacteria that is spreading through your urinary tract so it’s best to use them for a short amount of time.
when bacteria are introduced to the urinary tract, the urinary tract will get inflamed as a response for the bacterial invasion.
this is called an inflammation reaction.
also, the body will send white blood cells to the urinary tract in order to kill the invading bacteria, so the white blood cells will cluster around the bacteria.
so the walls of the urinary tract will be inflamed and swelled and the white blood cells will be clustered ( not necessarily around the bacteria because they might miss their target) all of these events are called an inflammation reaction.
this inflammation reaction can damage your urinary tract. now the NSAID pain killers drugs (Voltaren, ibuprofen, and the others) have an anti-inflammatory effect in addition to there painkilling effect.
ibuprofen is available as over the counter medicine under many brand names check ibuprofen price on amazon.
so NSAIDs can actually help in treating the UTI by reducing this harmful inflammatory response. do not use NSAIDs along with antibiotics from the quinolones family like levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin as they can interact with each other and cause somewhat dangerous side effects.
home remedies and lifestyle changes
the best use for home remedies and lifestyle changes comes from two ways.
one: is to use them in conjunction with the original treatment prescribed by your doctor. usually, they will not interact with the treatment but on the contrary, they will help in the treatment process and make it faster and more efficient.
but just in case you should tell your doctor about the home remedies that you are using.
two: is to use the home remedies after you have finished the treatment and you have gotten rid of the UTI. in that way the home remedies will help you in preventing the UTI from happening again.
in some rare cases, the home remedies can treat the UTI alone without having to go to the doctor but that must be in the case of a very weak uti and it’s very early stages.
in all cases, I don’t recommend that you use home remedies only for the treatment of a serious UTI case.
in the end, I invite you to check out our home remedies article, in it, you will find many of the best home remedies and lifestyle changes that can help in treating your UTI.
also, check out our site because it is the best site on the internet for people who suffer from the UTI. so let us help you.
thank you and goodbye.