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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffDoctors typically use antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections. Which drugs are prescribed and for how long depend on your health condition and the type of bacterium found in your urine.
Simple infection
Drugs commonly recommended for simple UTIs include:
- Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra, others)
- Amoxicillin (Amoxil, Augmentin, others)
- Nitrofurantoin (Furadantin, Macrodantin, others)
- Ampicillin
- Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
- Levofloxacin (Levaquin)
Usually, symptoms clear up within a few days of treatment. But you may need to continue antibiotics for a week or more. Take the entire course of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor to ensure that the infection is completely gone.
For an uncomplicated UTI that occurs when you're otherwise healthy, your doctor may recommend a shorter course of treatment, such as taking an antibiotic for one to three days. But whether this short course of treatment is adequate to treat your infection depends on your particular symptoms and medical history.
Your doctor may also prescribe a pain medication (analgesic) that numbs your bladder and urethra to relieve burning while urinating. One common side effect of urinary tract analgesics is discolored urine — orange or red.
Frequent infections
If you experience frequent UTIs, your doctor may make certain treatment recommendations, such as:
- Longer course of antibiotic treatment or a program with short courses of antibiotics at the start of your urinary symptoms
- Home urine tests, in which you dip a test stick into a urine sample, to check for infection
- A single dose of antibiotic after sexual intercourse if your infections are related to sexual activity
- Vaginal estrogen therapy if you're postmenopausal, to minimize your chance of recurrent UTIs
Severe infection
For a severe UTI, you may need treatment with intravenous antibiotics in a hospital.
- Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1445/0.html. Accessed July 19, 2012.
- Urinary tract infection in adults. National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/KUDiseases/pubs/utiadult/index.aspx. Accessed July 19, 2012.
- Lentz GM, et al. Comprehensive Gynecology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/linkTo?type=bookPage&isbn=978-0-323-06986-1&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-06986-1..C2009-0-48752-X--TOP. Accessed July 19, 2012.
- Urinary tract infections in children. American Urological Association Foundation. http://www.urologyhealth.org/urology/index.cfm?article=46. Accessed July 19, 2012.
- McPherson RA, et al. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1393/0.html. Accessed July 19, 2012.
- Hooton TM. Recurrent urinary tract infection in women. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed July 19, 2012.
- Wang CH, et al. Cranberry-containing products for prevention of urinary tract infections in susceptible populations. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2012;172:988.
- Cranberry. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed July 19, 2012.
- Jepson RG, et al. Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001321.pub4/abstract. Accessed July 31, 2012.
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