Over The Counter Antibiotics For UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)

updated June, 23, 2023

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The urinary tract infection treatment is done by doctors if one or more parts of the urinary system (urethra, bladder, ureters, and kidneys) have a urinary tract infection. If the bladder is infected, it is called bladder infection or cystitis. For kidneys, it is a kidney infection or pyelonephritis. An infected urethra is called urethritis. However, the ureters which are the tubes that transport urine from the two kidneys to the bladder are hardly the location of the infection.

If you are experiencing the symptoms of urinary tract infection, consult with your doctor or health care provider for immediate treatment and to avoid further complications. Normally, doctors have to determine whether the infection is the mild or simple bladder, or kidney infection, or more serious. The treatment should be based on the patient’s sex, pregnant or not, child or adult, hospitalized or not hospitalized, having diabetes or not.

Antibiotics are the key treatments used for all kinds of urinary tract infections (UTI). Doctors typically recommend antibiotics to be taken orally to avoid the risk of infection reaching the kidneys.

Once a female patient has a simple bladder infection, she needs to take the antibiotics for 3 consecutive days. If it is a male patient, 7 to 14 consecutive days are required. A pregnant female patient and patients with diabetes usually take antibiotics for 7 to 14 consecutive days. The same goes for patients with a mild kidney infection.

Patients who are taking antibiotics should continue treatment despite feeling better. In case a patient does not take in all the antibiotics, there is a high possibility that the infection will recur. Generally, doctors recommend antibiotics like Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, Augmentin, and fluoroquinolones. Female patients who are diagnosed with UTI should inform the doctor if they are pregnant.

Since UTI causes burning pain and the insistent need to urinate all the time, doctors suggest drugs that can relieve the patients of those symptoms. The most common drug is Phenazopyridine hydrochloride (Pyridium). But antibiotics must also be taken, Most importantly, patients with UTI should drink plenty of water.

For more severe kidney infection it is highly recommended not to take oral antibiotics but to receive fluids and antibiotics intravenously at a hospital under strict medical observation.

For Chronic UTIs, taking in of stronger antibiotics for several months is recommended. Surgery is also needed for those who have an anatomical problem that causes the infection.

Indeed, the urinary tract infection treatment requires patients to follow the treatments until the end to avoid recurrence.

What Is The Best Antibiotic To Treat UTI?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can all be cured and this has made the diseases become a normal case of infection or bacterial attack. UTI’s can easily be cured at home or by any person without any medical education. Some of the antibiotics for urinary tract infections can be purchased over the counter by any person. Let’s have a look at the best antibiotics for UTI.

A well-known home remedy to cure urinary tract infections is sugar-free cranberry juice. This juice has acidifying properties that make urine very acidic thus killing bacteria. It is recommended that you avoid eating sugary foods as they promote the multiplication of the bacteria.

The most common treatment for UTI’s involves the use of antibiotics that can make their way to the urinary tract. These drugs can only be prescribed by doctors and are only bought in pharmaceutical stores.

The cure for urinary tract infections involves a complete course of antibiotics. The antibiotics are prescribed at various stages through the process of treatment. Once the antibiotic treatment has started, one has to ensure that he takes the full course of the drugs to ensure that no traces of antibiotics remain in the bloodstream or bladder. If the course is not completed there are high chances that the bacteria may still be present in the urinary tract or urinary system.

The use and the administration of these antibiotics depend upon the nature of the infection. Antibiotics such as Pyridium are used to lessen the agonizing and burning sensation caused by cystitis. These antibiotics also prevent bacteria from sticking on the walls of the urinary tract and they can easily be flushed out of the urinary system.

Other UTI Treatment Options

Urinary tract infections can be treated in many ways. The first option will be to go for antibiotic drugs. You can buy some antibiotics over the counter without a need for a prescription while some of them can only be obtained with a doctor’s prescription. The best way to treat urinary tract infections is to first make some changes to your hygiene so that once you treat it will not recur.

There are many treatment options available for urinary tract infections all of which depend on the incidence of infection. If the infection is mild a person can undergo an antibiotic course treatment. Antibiotics such as trimethoprim, fluoroquinolone, and nitrofurantoin can be prescribed to persons suffering from urinary tract infections. These drugs are to be taken over a period of about a week (7 days) and it is encouraged that you take the drugs before going to sleep as they work more effectively then.

You can be treated for urinary tract infections by using sulfur drugs, sulfur drugs have some antiseptic properties which are effective at destroying certain bacteria. Sulfur drugs do however have some limitations in that they can cause some allergenic responses. Therefore doctors have to take extra care when prescribing sulfur drugs to patients.

If the urinary tract infections are severe there may be a need to treat them with a combination of aminoglycosides and beta-lactam that will be administered intravenously for two days. After the two days, the person can then switch to oral antibiotics for the next five days to complete the week course.

Women that have reached menopause can be treated for urinary tract infections by topical applications of estrogens. This type of treatment has proven effective in the fight against recurrent cystitis. Another treatment for urinary tract infections is acupuncture. Acupuncture reduces the incidences of recurrent cystitis by as much as 50%. Acupuncture, however, has some drawbacks one of them being the fact that it reduces the amount of urine that remains in the bladder after urination.

Then there are other treatments for urinary tract infections that have not yet been fully researched on but do have some benefits. These include cranberry juice, blueberry juice, and D-mannose supplements. Cranberry and blueberry juice supplements have been discovered to contain some tannins that have some antibacterial properties and thus prevent certain bacteria like E-coli from clinging on the walls of the bladder thus reducing the incidences of urinary tract infections.

Then there are natural ways of treating urinary tract infections. This is by supplementing the diet with vitamin supplements that help boost the immune system. You can drink some herbal teas, herbal tea helps flush out toxins, improves the immune system, and helps fight certain bacteria e.g. E-coli. You can take the herb Echinacea which helps fight bacteria that invade the urinary tract. Herbal treatments for urinary tract infections are an advantage for you can do it on your own at home and not only can they be used to treat the disease they can also be used to prevent it.

Side Effects

In case you experience one or several side effects listed above contact your doctor immediately.

UTI Prevention

Urinary Tract Infection Prevention – Did you know that HALF of all women experience urinary tract infections? Young men normally have almost NO infections! Unfortunately, female anatomy does bring the opening for the urethra into close proximity with the very area that causes most UTI’s – the anus. Women who are sexually active have a lot of activity in this area and tend to move E.coli bacteria from the bowels into the urethra (the tube leading up to the bladder). It happens as a result of all the commotion going on in the area. So what can you do to treat this aggravating condition? Well, as the old saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” So, the first in our list of urinary tract infection prevention ideas is to “keep it clean.”

UTI PREVENTION – HONEY, DID YOU SHOWER?

Urinary Tract Infection Prevention relies heavily on cleanliness. E. coli is a bacterium that naturally lives in the lower intestine and hangs out around your anus. If you’re showered before making love (both of you) there will be far fewer E. Coli hanging around looking for a way into your urinary tract. Just keeping clean, overall, is very helpful in preventing UTIs. Next, after making love you both want to run for the bathroom to pee and flush out your urinary tract. Usually, young men don’t have a problem with UTIs. But women do, and the more sex you have, the more likely you will have a UTI. Urinary Tract Infection Prevention involves cleanliness and lots of peeing.

PREVENTION UTI IN MEN

Urinary Tract Infection in Men – And if you’re a celibate Buddhist Monk or if you ARE practicing safe sex – what went wrong? Well, you might have an enlarged prostate. Why would this cause a urinary tract infection? It’s because of the enlarged prostate squeezes on the tubing that releases urine from your bladder when you urinate. This causes some urine to remain behind. The longer your urine ages, the more time bacteria have to grow and cause infection.

Enlarged prostrates usually affect men over the age of 50. If you are a young man practicing safe sex (or no sex) and do not have an enlarged prostate, your doctor will likely explore the cause of your infection. Urinary tract infection in young men rarely occurs so your doctor may perform additional tests to see if you have abnormalities impeding the flow of urine.

Urinary Tract Infection in Men doesn’t always provide symptoms to alert you to the presence of infection. However, usually, you will get “siren blasting” signals from your body that something is wrong. Such as? Well, if you suddenly start wetting the bed, “you have been warned.” What else? Classic symptoms are a pain while urinating, frequent urination and an intense need to urinate. Also, beware of cloudy or smelly urine. As the infection travels up your urinary tract, the symptoms will get worse and you need to see a doctor, immediately.

What kinds of symptoms? Well, pain or tenderness in the area of the bladder (the bladder is below your belly button). Signs of a worsening infection (that has entered your kidneys) are fever, nausea and vomiting, or pain in your side or upper back. Do NOT delay in getting immediate medical help. A kidney infection can kill you, fast. Don’t play around with a urinary tract infection in men!

Men’s Urinary Tract Infection, in the early stages, can be treated with over the counter antibiotics and herbal supplements. There is a very nifty product, called “urinary infection” test strips, which you can use to test your own urine at home. These strips are able to check for the presence of white blood cells (which herald infection) and nitrite. Nitrite in your urine indicates the presence of bacteria. What else can you do? For the early stages of urinary tract infection in men, you can also treat with All Natural Cranberry Tablets or a variety of other OTC products.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?

UTI Prevention involves wearing nice, white cotton underwear. Your mother would approve and the cotton keeps your private area “breathing” with less moisture. Those bacteria love moisture and warmth. Any chance they get they will hover around the opening to your urinary tract, growing and waiting for an opportunity to, “Move Up!” So, in conclusion, UTI prevention involves urinating, cleanliness, more urinating and wearing nice cotton underwear your mother would approve of – Oh, and practicing safe sex is a great prevention tool, too!