UTI

UTI while never being pleasant can be remedied relatively easily. While urinary tract infections rarely go away on their own, with medical help and the right treatments your UTI is usually gone in just a few days. So getting good medical advice early is recommended so that treatments for UTI can begin sooner.

UTI treatments come in many forms, over the counter UTI medicines, antibiotics and other holistic type treatments.

Knowing which urinary tract infection treatments will work best for you, is something you should never decide by yourself. Knowing which UTI treatments are best is something licensed medical practitioners are for.

While this wisp guide on UTI and UTI treatments will give you quality information helping you understand both UTIs and UTI treatments, so you can be sure you are getting the best medical advice, always be certain to seek good medical advice. This is true for any medical condition that you experience, UTI or otherwise.

Urinary Tract Infections Knowing Causes And Preventative UTI Treatments Is Worth It

Noting some of the various demographic data on UTIs can help you manage your health better too. Thus helping you avoid needing UTI treatments as much in the future. Maintaining your wellness is important, and wisp believes promoting good health in everyone is core to a good life.

So go through this wisp guide on UTI treatments carefully, consider what action is best for your health, then consult a licensed medical doctor about what UTI treatments truly are best for you.

UTI And UTI Treatments Background And Information On Medications For Your Benefit

Remember, this information on UTI treatments will help you manage your health regarding urinary tract infections. Though getting medical advice from a licensed medical practitioner is always best when it come to using the right UTI treatment for you.

What Is A Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are infections caused by pathogens within the urinary system, commonly UTIs result from build ups of bacteria that commonly require treatment by antibiotics. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can occur anywhere within the urinary tract, which comprises of the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.

Common Urinary Tract Infections

Cystitis is a UTI which occurs in the bladder
Urethritis is a UTI which occurs in the urethra
Kidney infection is a UTI which occurs in the kidneys

UTI Symptoms – Do I Have A UTI?

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms you may have a UTI:

When peeing do you experience pain or a burning sensation (dysuria)?
Do you wake and need to pee more frequently during the night (nocturia)?
Does your pee look cloudy?
At present are you needing to pee suddenly or more urgently?
Do you need to pee more frequently than is normal?
Do you have blood in your pee?
Are you experiencing lower abdomen pain, or pain just under the ribs in your back?
Are you experiencing a high temperature, or feeling hot and shivery?
Do you have a very low temperature below 96.8F/36C?

These are common UTI symptoms, though there are others.

Always Seek Medical Advice If You Think You Have A UTI

Always seek medical advice. It may be a UTI, it may be something else.

Checking if you have a UTI earlier than later is also wise, as it permits earlier use of UTI treatments, thus faster return to good health.

What Causes Urinary Tract Infections?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can result from a variety of pathogens, commonly the following are found to be at cause:

Escherichia coli
Klebsiella pneumoniae
Proteus mirabilis
Enterococcus faecalis
Staphylococcus saprophyticus

Note, when using antibiotics as UTI treatments, different antibiotics cover different types of bacteria. Some UTI treatments work on multiple types of bacteria that cause UTIs. Your medical doctor will know from training and experience which UTI treatment is best for your UTI.

Hence why antibiotics are prescription only in the US, for UTI treatments and all other conditions.

Additional Demographic Factors Notable With UTIs

Different demographics have varying commonalities for UTIs. old and young, male and female all having certain notable factors.

While urinary tract infections occur more often in women, men experience them too. Official statistics place the ratio of UTIs in women to men as 8:1. For women, 50-60% report having a urinary tract infection at some point in their life. Additionally, one in three women are noted as experiencing one or more symptomatic UTI requiring antibiotic treatment before age 24.

Around 30% of women experience recurrent UTIs during their life, thus necessitating multiple UTI treatments.

UTI Risk Differences Men And Women

In terms of risks between men and women, urethras are shorter and closer to the rectum in women than in men. Thus making it easier for bacteria to enter the urinary tract and cause a UTI in women.

UTI Factors Common For Younger Women

For young women, frequency of sexual intercourse along with spermicide use are strong contributory factors towards UTI, with increased urethral and vaginal colonization being common in this age grouping.

UTI Factors Common For Older Women

For older ladies high urinary residue, atrophic vaginitis, along with cystocele form more common issues that cause UTIs.

UTI Treatments

UTI treatments come in various forms.

Naturally, for greatest effect from a medical perspective, antibiotics are best for UTI treatment. Though there are other simpler treatments for less severe UTIs, plus treatments that can reduce risk of developing UTIs.

UTI Treatments Bacterial Resistance To Antibiotics

Worth noting in terms of UTI treatments, is that certain bacteria are resistant to antibiotics. Also, with every use of antibiotics there is risk that bacteria will become resistant to that antibiotic treatment due to bacterial evolution. Hence one reason doctors advise completing your course of treatment when using antibiotics rather than finishing early.

Always Take Your Full Course Of Antibiotic UTI Treatments

Unless those bacteria your UTI resulted from are completed cleared out, they could develop antibiotic resistance, making further UTI treatments more challenging.

Potential Medical Procedures Prior To Prescribing UTI Treatment

Before prescribing UTI treatments, medical practitioners require certainty over how to best treat your condition.

Often your doctor develops that certainty through checking UTI symptoms verbally and/or physically. At other times, depending on personal history of urinary tract infections or symptoms, additional medical procedures and lab checks are required for UTI diagnosis.

What Your Doctor May Do When Diagnosing Your Urinary Tract Infection:

Urine sample analysis. A sample of your urine is taken then analyzed in a lab for white blood cells, red blood cells, plus naturally bacteria. Samples must be taken in sterilized conditions so effective UTI diagnosis can be achieved.

Urinary tract bacteria lab culture. Sometimes growing bacteria from your urinary tract in lab conditions is required in order to understand what bacteria have caused your infection, thus what medications and UTI treatments will have best effect.

Urinary tract imagery. When UTIs are persistent your doctor may request computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or ultrasound scans of your urinary tract. These enable your doctor to check for abnormalities with your urinary tract which are causing the UTI.

Cystoscopy or bladder scope inspection. Sometimes used with recurring UTIs is cystoscopy. During a cystoscopy procedure your doctor uses a lens mounted on a long thin tube to actually look inside your bladder. By doing so they can see internal conditions, and develop a greater understanding of what is causing your UTI.

The first two methods are far more common than the latter when diagnosing UTIs and prescribing UTI treatments.

UTI Treatment At Home

For simple UTIs these following things have proven beneficial as home UTI treatments for many people:

These UTI treatments can also help you prevent UTIs too.

Staying Hydrated

Few people drink enough water. Yet good quality, clean, healthy water is very important for keeping your urinary tract healthy. Thus staying well hydrated forms a key element of any UTI treatment at home.

Notably, especially with reducing need for UTI treatments in the future, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends adequate daily fluid intake to be:

Approximately 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
Approximately 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

From these amounts, around 20% of daily fluid intake is often from food, the rest being from drinks.

Note, your intake of fluids is probably right when:

You rarely feel thirsty
Your urine is colorless or light yellow

While coffee, tea and other caffeinated drinks count towards your fluid intake, it’s worth remembering that caffeine can irritate your urinary tract system. So avoiding caffeine when you have a UTI is beneficial whatever UTI treatments are being used.

Urinating When Feeling The Need

Regular, or frequent, flow of fluids through your urinary tract helps minimize chances of bacteria that cause UTI from adhering to cells within your bladder and other biological structures. Some people hold their pee for long periods of time, putting stress on their bladder, causing themselves discomfort, and increasing chances of bacterial build up which causes UTI, thus also need for UTI treatments.

Frequently Passing Urine Helps Flush Out Bacteria That Cause UTI

By passing urine as you feel the need, rather than waiting for prolonged periods, your urinary tract stays in better health. Helping you avoid uncomfortable urinary tract infections.

While you may feel you have passed urine recently, thus wish to wait longer before going again. There is nothing about your body’s natural function that you should ever be ashamed of, or embarrassed about. When you need to pass urine, take yourself to the toilet and do so. It will help you minimize issues more uncomfortable than embarrassment, such as UTIs.

Drinking Cranberry Juice Or Taking Cranberry Supplements

Cranberry juice and cranberry supplements have been demonstrated good effect as UTI treatments for UTIs such as uncomplicated cystitis, because proanthocyanidins within cranberries reduce bacterial adhesion to uroepithelial cells. Thus reducing risk of bacterial build up that causes urinary tract infections.

While drinking cranberry juice is best for preventing UTI, it also helps with management and treatment of UTIs. Plus, drinking cranberry juice counts towards staying hydrated, helping you promote better urinary tract health two ways.

Note, different brands of cranberry juice have different levels of effectiveness as UTI treatments. Choosing healthier, unsweetened, ideally organic options will help you promote better urinary tract health. Pure juices rather than diluted Cranberry drinks are also better as UTI treatments.

For complicated or severe UTIs, always consult a licensed medical practitioner about the most effective UTI treatments. Though drinking cranberry juice alongside other prescribed UTI treatments will still provide benefit.

Taking Probiotics In Your Diet

Probiotics have a positive health effect on your urinary tract.

Probiotics are however as yet inconsistent in terms of providing total UTI treatments.

While certain cultures, including L rhamnosus GR-1 and L reuteri RC-14, have demonstrated positive effect when used as UTI treatments, they fall short of completely clearing out those bacteria which caused the urinary tract infection. What has been noted is that using these probiotics does help counter issues such as increased antibiotic resistance of bacteria from courses of antibiotic UTI treatments.

While probiotics are short on adequate scientific proof of effectiveness as UTI treatments in their own right, in combination with other home remedies a level of efficacy has been demonstrated.

Principally, one study states combining 120mg cranberries with a minimum proanthocyanidin content of 32mg, along with 1 billion heat-killed L. rhamnosus SGL06, and 750mg vitamin C three times daily for 20 consecutive days, then resting from these supplements for ten days. This cycle of UTI treatments then being repeated three more times.

Patients within this trial who used this course of UTI treatments experienced 72.2% effectiveness at the three month point, then 61.1% effectiveness at the six month point. All without any major side effects being recorded. Leading researchers to conclude this approach provides an effective UTI treatment against recurrent UTIs.

Getting Enough Vitamin C

Ensuring daily adequate vitamin C intake is something many health experts and doctors agree is good for your overall health.

In terms of UTI treatments, studies have shown that taking 100mg per day can be beneficial, with the effect of vitamin C on urine being bacteriostatic. While increased vitamin C can result in higher urinary pH, it reduces urinary nitrites to reactive nitrogen oxides, thus creating positive effect against bacteria within the urinary tract.

Alone vitamin C has limited effect as a UTI treatment, though as one element of wider UTI treatments and when taken to help prevent UTIs, vitamin C provides good benefit.

Wiping Front To Back

Because urethras are shorter and closer to the rectum in women, wiping from front to back helps reduce bacterial transmission that can cause urinary tract infections.

When wiping from back to front, bacteria transmission from around the anus to the urethra can occur easily. While most bacteria remain on the tissue, some are inadvertently spread over the skin during the forward motion, from where they can then spread inwards leading to UTIs.

Hence why wiping from front to back helps guard against future UTIs, whilst also making any UTI treatments being used more effective, as it limits bacterial spread into the urinary tract.

Importantly, always using separate pieces of toilet tissue for genitals and anus when wiping helps further limit bacterial spread that can cause UTIs.

Good Sexual Hygiene

Sexual intercourse can also result in transmission of bacteria that result in UTIs.

Using condoms helps ensure a barrier against bacterial transmission. Ensuring you urinate immediately before and after sexual activity, and wash genitals thoroughly are additional healthy practices worth performing. All these things help minimize bacterial presence that could require future UTI treatments.

Whilst some consider it embarrassing, checking if your partner has, or has had, any urinary tract infections is wise. If your partner has a UTI, refraining from sexual activity is healthier for you both. Which both of you should consider important.

Bacteria responsible for your partner’s UTI could transfer to you, thus causing need of UTI treatments for you too.

Likewise, if you have a urinary tract infection, limit your sexual activity and protect your partner from needing any UTI treatments.

UTI Medications

UTI medications are mainly antibiotic due to the majority of causes being bacterial. Currently there are no vaccinations against UTIs, or permanent UTI treatments due to the variety of bacteria and causes of UTIs. There are some vaccines undergoing trials as permanent UTI treatments, though so far success has been very limited.

Currently UTI medications come within three main groups:

Natural UTI treatments for minor UTIs
Over the counter UTI medicines
Antibiotic UTI medications

Antibiotic UTI medications remain the most effective form of UTI treatments, with natural UTI treatments mainly being beneficial as proactive measures against urinary tract infection.

Urinary Tract Infection Medicines

With antibiotic treatments these urinary tract infection medicines are among the most commonly prescribed:

Amoxicillin/augmentin
Ceftriaxone (Rocephin)
Cephalexin (Keflex)
Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
Fosfomycin (Monurol)
Levofloxacin (Levaquin)
Nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Macrobid)
Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra)

Your doctor will assess your condition during your consultation. Remember, they may indicate that assessing a urine sample or other lab tests are necessary for diagnosis of your particular UTI.

Yes, naturally you want quick action from your doctor when prescribing urinary tract infection medicines, or other UTI treatments.

Being sure of what is causing your particular urinary tract infection can save you both time and discomfort though. If incorrectly diagnosed, further tests will be required after completing your UTI treatment with whatever urinary tract infection medicines you were prescribed.

Selecting the right UTI treatments first time is best for everyone. Especially you.

So, when consulting with your doctor about your UTI, be patient.

Allow your doctor time so they can assess your UTI most effectively, then issue whichever urinary tract infection medicines are best for your individual condition’s treatment.

That way you can clear your UTI and be back to good health more quickly.

Note, you will likely feel comfort return within 2-3 days of starting your urinary tract infection medicines, continuing your UTI treatments for their full course is essential though.

Always Complete Your Full Course Of UTI Treatment

With antibiotic treatments, unless targeted bacteria are completely wiped out they could become resistant to whichever urinary tract medicines you started taking.

By completing your full course of UTI treatments, targeted bacteria will be wiped out properly. So recurrent UTI treatments are less likely to be needed, helping your long term comfort.

When discussing UTI treatments with your doctor, always disclose your history along with any allergies properly. Also, discuss properly any potential side effects from potential urinary tract infection medicines to be used, that way impact on your life from UTI can be minimized as far as possible.

Over The Counter UTI Medicines

There are various over the counter UTI medicines available from pharmacies, made by various companies. With each of those UTI treatments having varying effectiveness on different types of urinary tract infections.

Remember, over the counter UTI medicines, or OTC UTI medicines, are generalized UTI treatments.

Manufacturers of OTC UTI treatments cast their net as wide as possible, while staying within limitations of what is permitted for over the counter medicines. As such OTC UTI medicines may be inappropriate for your particular UTI, or lack enough strength to deal with your particular UTI effectively.

Over the counter UTI medicines usually contain one of two sets of key ingredients:

Phenazopyridine
Methenamine and Sodium Salicylate

These key ingredients commonly in over the counter UTI medicines have specific purposes.

Phenazopyridine In OTC UTI Medicines

Phenazopyridine is an analgesic, helping soothe sensations such as pain, burning, itching while also relieving some of the urgency experienced from a UTI.

Methenamine and Sodium Salicylate In OTC UTI Medicines

Methenamine is an antibacterial which takes the active role within the UTI treatment. It is paired with sodium salicylate which is a nonsteroidal inflammatory drug (NSAID). The methenamine slows the growth rate of bacteria within your urinary tract, while the sodium salicylate stabilizes urine pH.

Both of these types of over the counter UTI medicines come with different cautions.

Cautions For Phenazopyridine UTI Treatments

Patients who have kidney disease or allergies to dye products are advised to refrain from medication containing phenazopyridine. While all patients should be aware that over the counter UTI medicines containing phenazopyridine can cause headaches, dizziness, or upset stomach in terms of adverse effects.

Cautions For Methenamine and Sodium Salicylate UTI Treatments

Patients on low sodium diets, who have allergies to salicylates, are undergoing anticoagulant therapy, or have stomach problems should refrain from using over the counter UTI medicines containing methenamine and sodium salicylate.

Again, as always, consulting your doctor is always best as they will be able to inform you of which UTI treatments will be best for you.

UTI Antibiotics Over The Counter

Antibiotics are not available in the U.S. without a prescription.

For uncomplicated, or minor, urinary tract infections, you can get various UTI treatments over the counter, or even develop simple UTI treatments from within your home or supermarket.

You Can Only Get Antibiotics For Your UTI From A Doctor

Getting antibiotics for more serious urinary tract infections requires consultation with a licensed medical doctor.

Note, checking with your medical doctor is always wise with UTIs, as your doctor can help you deal with the condition more quickly and effectively. Thus limiting potential complications resulting from your UTI.

For ease of UTI treatment, contacting a wisp doctor is advised.

Wisp prescribes UTI antibiotics including the following:

Early treatment is always best, so contact wisp so that you can have a medical consultation with a doctor, then begin your prescribed course of UTI antibiotics quickly.

UTI Treatments Accessing Fast And Discreet Help

With limited options for over the counter UTI medicines and at home UTI treatments, accessing professional medical care, and having a consultation with a licensed medical doctor is always wise.

Waiting times in health clinics are often high, and visiting a clinic for medical help when seeking UTI treatments can lack the discretion that some patients appreciate.

Telemedicine Dealing With UTI Comfortably And Discretely

Wisp has doctors ready to talk with patients in their own homes, or wherever they feel most comfortable within the U.S. Use of telemedicine has had profound impact on patients lives, with higher levels of discretion helping ease uncomfortable situations including urinary tract infections, while also making prescribing effective UTI treatments easy. Contacting wisp regarding UTI treatments is fast, simple, and can increase your comfort in overcoming UTIs.

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