Common Urinary Tract Infection Drugs Overcome Symptoms
Urinary tract infections are caused by bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli) that develops in the urethra. In order to avoid these risks, you must immediately initiate treatment. What are the drugs to treat urinary tract infections?
Medicines to treat urinary tract infections
After the patient knows the cause of the urinary tract infection and has been completely diagnosed, generally the treatment that the patient must take is to take the medication that has been prescribed.
However, in some cases accompanied by other conditions, the doctor may recommend surgery as a cure. Here are a variety of medical options for urinary tract infection drugs.
1. Antibiotics
Because the disease is caused by bacteria, antibiotics are usually the first choice of medication for urinary tract infections. However, the type of antibiotic along with the dosage and duration of use will be determined by the doctor based on the severity of the infection you are experiencing.
In general, antibiotics for urinary tract infections are taken for 3 – 7 days. For less severe infections, your doctor may recommend a shorter duration of treatment of about one to three days.
In more severe cases, the doctor will advise hospitalization and give antibiotics intravenously.
Commonly prescribed antibiotics for minor urinary tract infections include:
- Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra)
- Minocycline
- Fosfomycin (Monurol)
- Nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin, Macrobid)
- Antipyretics
- Penicillin (Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Ertapenem, Erythromycin, Vancomycin, Doxycycline, Aztreonam, Rifampicin)
- Cephalexin (Keflex)
In cases with severe infection, fluoroquinolone class drugs may be used.
Especially in cases of infections that do not go away after being given other types of antibiotics or complications of urinary tract infections such as kidney infections (pyelonephritis), fluoroquinolone drugs are often the choice.
Your doctor may prescribe a lower dose of antibiotics to be used for a longer period of time to help prevent recurrent infections. Often times, symptoms can go away within a few days of treatment.
However, you usually have to keep taking the medication for more than a week or as recommended by your doctor.
In addition to oral antibiotics, another option is antibiotics that are given by intravenous infusion. Usually this treatment is given to patients with complicated UTIs who are pregnant, have a fever, or are unable to hold onto fluids or food.
The treatment will be carried out in the hospital, later the patient will still be given oral medication to continue treatment after returning home.
If the patient has a more severe kidney infection or is allergic to fluoroquinolone, other drug options may include Ceftriaxone, Gentamicin, and Tobramycin.
2. Anti-pain medication
Sometimes, urinary tract infections can also cause symptoms in the form of painful urination. To deal with the pain, there are several painkillers that can be used. OTC painkillers such as acetaminophen (paracetamol) or ibuprofen, and analgesics are some of the options.
Phenazopyridine, for example, is a type of analgesic drug that can help relieve pain caused by urinary tract infections.
Phenazopyridine will reduce the intensity of pain around the bladder, the sensation of heat, irritation, and reduce the urge to urinate continuously.
This medicine can be a capsule or tablet, usually taken about three times a day after meals. The medicine should not be taken long-term and should only be used for 48 hours.
Please note, this drug also cannot be used to replace antibiotics, so its function is only as a complementary medicine. If you want to use it, consult your doctor first.
3. Hormone therapy
Another drug that can be chosen to treat urinary tract infections is hormone therapy. However, hormone therapy is usually performed on female patients who have entered menopause.
Keep in mind, when a woman has menopause, the vaginal pH increases or becomes more alkaline, causing the proliferation of bad bacteria to also increase.
Thus, the hormone estrogen is needed to rebalance the pH in the vagina. Given the decreased production of the hormone estrogen, menopausal women also need estrogen hormone therapy.
Treatment is in the form of synthetic estrogen hormone therapy, which is prescribed to treat urinary tract infection symptoms. Hormone therapy is available in the form of a cream (Premarin, Estrace), a small tablet (Vagifem), or a flexible ring that is inserted into the vagina and worn for three months (Estring).
Each drug above has different dosage requirements, how to use it, and the risk of side effects. So, consult with your doctor about which drug is suitable for your condition.
Are there any surgical procedures for urinary tract infections?
Patients may undergo surgical procedures as treatment if their urinary tract infection is accompanied by other conditions. Some of them are as follows.
- UTI patients who have prostate disease conditions, such as prostatitis that obstructs the bladder neck, prostate stones, or recurrent prostatitis. This only occurred in male patients.
- Epididymitis which makes the sperm ducts become tangled.
- Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN), a severe infection of the renal parenchyma that causes gas to build up in the tissues.
The operation carried out of course depends on the conditions that accompany it. In prostate problems, for example, if there are stones blocking the urine, the doctor may perform a tissue removal or cutting procedure.
Then in EPN patients, patients need immediate nephrectomy to remove the damaged part.
An easy way to speed up the healing process at home
The success of urinary tract infection treatment is of course inseparable from how you live your daily life.
This disease can be caused by several unhealthy habits such as rarely drinking water and often missing the health and hygiene of the genitals.
There are natural urinary tract infection remedies that you can take easily, such as eating cranberries and vitamin C fruits. To make the healing process smoother, here are some things you can do at home besides taking medication.
1. Drink plenty of water
Increasing your fluid intake can help your body excrete more urine to flush out bacteria.
Water is your best bet, but you can also drink real fruit juice or eat fresh fruit and vegetables that contain lots of water, such as watermelon and cucumber, to help increase urine production.
This also helps reduce the chances of bacteria sticking to cells in the walls of the urinary tract that can cause infection.
2. Take vitamin C
Apart from increasing stamina and immunity, vitamin C supplements also help increase the acidity of the urine which will speed up the healing process.
3. Get plenty of rest
Get complete rest and avoid certain activities that can trap heat and moisture in the groin area. Humid temperatures can make bacteria more fertile.
Your doctor may recommend that you abstain from sex until the infection is completely cured so as not to infect your partner.
4. Maintain personal hygiene
Always pay attention to personal hygiene, not only when you are sick but also before and after recovering. Maintain vaginal hygiene to prevent germs from the surrounding skin from entering the urinary tract.
When taking a shower, it is better to use shower than soaking inbathtub. Use a neutral, unscented soap.
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