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Otc Uti Treatment Options
UTIs are typically treated with a course of antibiotics that may run for a single day or a course of 7 days but usually lasts at an average of 1-3 days for uncomplicated urinary tract infections. However, some infections might not even need a course of antibiotics and may cease to exist. But, while treatment of UTIs without antibiotics may be a possible prospect in the future, for now, only a few equally effective OTC UTI treatments are available that can help a patient manage their symptoms. These include:
Hydration: Although not exactly an OTC UTI treatment method, hydration is still the key to treating a UTI quickly. If youve contracted a UTI, it is important to have fluids as frequently as possible so that you urinate more frequently and the harmful bacteria are flushed out of your urinary tract through natural means. This option means curing your symptoms without the use of medication.
- Probiotics: Probiotics serve as an excellent OTC UTI treatment option that helps promote digestion and immunity in your body. Probiotics restore the good bacteria present in your gut and reduce the chances of reinfection.
- Ascorbic Acid: Increasing your Vitamin C intake not only strengthens your immune system but is also a greater OTC UTI treatment option since it helps acidify the urine which may reduce the chance of reinfection.
What Causes The Infection
The E. coli bacteria cause UTIs in 85% of cases, with other bacteria making up the remaining 15%. There are several reasons bacteria enter the urinary system. These include pregnancy, menopause, and sexual intercourse. Urinary catheters invite bacteria into the urethra and bring a high risk of a UTI. Other reasons include bladder stones and urinary tract malformation.
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What Does Azo Urinary Tract Defense Do
Azo Urinary Tract Defense contains two key ingredients:
- Methenamine belongs to the anti-infective class of drugs. It works in two ways. First, it inhibits the growth of bacteria in urine to slow down the spread of the infection. At the same time, it lowers the pH of urine, making it more acidic so bacteria cant thrive.
- Sodium salicylate belongs to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class of medications. It interferes with the bodys ability to produce certain chemicals that play a role in inflammation and pain sensation. As a result, it alleviates pain associated with urinary tract infections.
Why Uti Pain Happens At Night
According to Eilber, UTI pain and other symptoms arent worse at night. They are just more bothersome because people arent as distracted by their daily activities and the symptoms of frequency and urgency are forcing you to get out of bed.
UTI discomfort may also seem worse because youre not emptying your bladder as much as you would during the day. The pressure from collecting urine then creates discomfort against the inflamed walls of your infected bladder.
To reduce your risk of getting a UTI, there are specific lifestyle steps you can take, including:
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially water.
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See A Doctor About Your Urinary Tract Infection
UTIs are bacterial infections, and that means that you need an antibiotic. Some bacterial infections will go away on their own, but this one will just get worse and worse until you want to die. Really, the pain can be quite bad. And the infection can get backed up into your kidneys and become quite serious if you wait too long. So, go and visit your doctor. Your doctor will also be able to properly diagnose you and eliminate other serious illnesses that can cause similar symptoms, such as a sexually transmitted disease or kidney infection.
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Azo Urinary Pain Relief Value Size Fast Relief Tablets 30ct
HSA/FSA Eligible
UTI pain doesnt feel like common pain. So dont waste your time with common pain relievers. AZO Urinary Pain Relief relieves pain, burning and urgency fast. It is specially formulated to go directly to the site of the UTI discomfort and provides relief right where it hurts, unlike general pain relievers. Phenazopyridine Hydrochloride is the #1 ingredient prescribed by doctors and recommended by pharmacists specifically for urinary discomfort. It directly targets the site of discomfort, so you can experience relief in as little as 20 minutes something you won’t get with general pain relievers.
- FAST OVER-THE-COUNTER UTI SYMPTOM RELIEF AZO Urinary Pain Relief relieves pain, burning and urgency in as little as 20 minutes. Unlike general pain relievers, it is specifically formulated to address UTI pain and discomfort
- #1 CHOICE OF HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS Phenazopyridine Hydrochloride is the #1 ingredient prescribed by doctors and recommended by pharmacists specifically for urinary discomfort
- #1 MOST TRUSTED BRAND. Before you can see a doctor or until the antibiotic starts to work, relieve painful UTI symptoms FAST with over-the-counter urinary pain reliever AZO Urinary Pain Relief
- DIRECTLY TARGETS SITE OF DISCOMFORT, so you can experience relief right where it hurts something you won’t get with general pain relievers. AZO Urinary Pain Relief soothes the urinary tract.
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How Should I Take Azo Urinary Pain Relief
Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.
Take AZO Urinary Pain Relief after meals.
Drink plenty of liquids while you are taking AZO Urinary Pain Relief.
AZO Urinary Pain Relief will most likely darken the color of your urine to an orange or red color. This is a normal effect and is not harmful. Darkened urine may also cause stains to your underwear that may be permanent.
AZO Urinary Pain Relief can also permanently stain soft contact lenses, and you should not wear them while taking this medicine.
Do not use AZO Urinary Pain Relief for longer than 2 days unless your doctor has told you to.
This medication can cause unusual results with urine tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using AZO Urinary Pain Relief.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
Can A Uti Go Away On Its Own
While most patients with a UTI will be prescribed antibiotics, the truth is, uncomplicated urinary tract infections are often self-limiting, meaning they can potentially run their course sans antibiotic treatment, noted a 2018 report in PLoS Medicine.
In fact, that same report found that more than one-half of the women studied experienced a UTI resolution without the use antibiotics. However, since kidney infections occurred in 7 out of 181 women using ibuprofen, the researchers concluded that, at this time, they cannot recommend ibuprofen alone as initial treatment to women with uncomplicated UTIs.
A better idea, for now: Simply wait until a positive urine culture comes back before treating with antibiotics.
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Can Sex Make A Uti Worse
If you already have a UTI, having sex can make the infection feel worse, exacerbating the symptoms. Using spermicides can increase discomfort because it can cause irritation. Using non-lubricated latex condoms can also increase friction leading to irritation. Using a water-based lubricant or lubricated condoms will help avoid making your UTI feel more irritated. After and before sex, be sure to urinate immediately to flush out the bacteria.
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Exactly What Is A Uti
A UTI happens when some portion of your urinary tract gets infected with bacteria. Your bladder is the part of your urinary tract thats usually infected when you have a UTI. Normally, bladder infections arent serious and can be treated easily with prescription medications.
Sometimes your kidney, another part of your urinary tract, can become infected. A kidney infection can be more serious. Even if your UTI starts off as a minor bladder infection, not treating it could cause the infection to spread to your kidneys.
We already know that UTIs affect women more often than men, but any of the following risk factors can increase your risk of getting a UTI even more:
- Using diaphragms or spermicides as birth control
- Catheter placement
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Editorial Sources And Fact
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The Status Of Phenazopyridine
In 1983, the FDA published a Drug Efficacy StudyImplementation notice with conditions for approval and marketingof all phenazopyridine products.7 These includedsulfameth-oxazole/phenazopyridine combinations ,similar combination products, and single-entity phenazopyridineproducts. The FDA presented newlyrequired statements for all phenazopyridine products intended to relievesymptoms associated with a UTI. One of the statements was critical indetermining the length of dosing: Treatment of a urinary tractinfection with phenazopyridine HCl or a combination drug productcontaining phenazopyridine HCl should not exceed 2 days because there isa lack of evidence that the combined administration of phenazopyridineHCl and an antibacterial provides greater benefit than administration ofthe anti-bacterial alone after 2 days.7
The FDA also required the following carcinogenicitystatement on all phenazopyridine labels: Long-term administration ofphenazopyridine hydrochloride has induced neoplasia in rats and mice . Although no association betweenphenazopyridine hydrochloride and human neoplasia has been reported,adequate epidemiological studies along these lines have not beenconducted.7
The best known phenazopyridine nonprescription product is Azo Standard.9Azo Standard contains 95 mg of phenazopyridine per tablet and AzoStandard Maximum Strength contains 97.5 mg of phenazopyridine.10 The dosage of both is 2 tablets 3 times daily with or after meals as needed.
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Recommend Azo Urinary Pain Relief
AZO Urinary Pain Relief® contains phenazopyridine hydrochloride in either 95 mg or 97.5 mg tablets for fast, targeted, over-the-counter relief. When UTIs strike your patients, AZO Urinary Pain Relief® is a nonprescription option that can help ease suffering while they wait to see you and while waiting for their antibiotics to take effect.
Phenazopyridine HCl has been proven effective for the symptomatic relief of the pain, burning, urgency and frequency typically experienced with UTIs.1 Phenazopyridine HCl is excreted in the urine and exerts a topical analgesic effect on the mucosa of the urinary tract.2,3
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Azo Urinary Pain Relief Maximum Strength
Active Ingredients:
Helps inhibit the progression of infection until you see a health care professional. AZO is not intended to replace medical care.
©i-Health, Inc. 2022. All rights reserved.
The AZO brand portfolio of products is the #1 Most Trusted Brand per Nielsen data through 8/6/16 and the 2016 Pharmacy Times Survey .
Biological activity of 10oz cranberry juice cocktail.
AZO Urinary Pain Relief®, AZO Urinary Tract DefenseTM, AZO Cranberry®, AZO Test Strips®, AZO Yeast®, and AZO Bladder Control® are trademarks of DSM.
Pacran® is a trademark of Naturex.
Go-Less® is a registered trademark of Frutarom.
Synetrim® CQ is a trademark of Icon Group, LLC and is protected under U.S. Patent 7,175,859.
Why Does Azo Make Pee Orange
Symptoms of a UTI and how to treat them However, there is a caveat: one of the major chemicals in AZO Urinary Pain Relief®, which is responsible for alleviating your UTI symptoms so swiftly, has also been linked to the discoloration of urine and clothes. Phenazopyridine hydrochloride is the active component in this formulation.
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How Home Tests For Urinary Tract Infections Wor
UTI may involve the lower or upper urinary tract and may be uncomplicated or complicated. The emphasis of this chapter is uncomplicated UTI. The diagnosis of uncomplicated cystitis and pyelonephritis is usually easily made based on the clinical presentation, whereas the diagnosis in patients with complicated UTI is often more complex Online access to UTItreatment.com is available 24/7 from the comfort of your home, office, or even on-the-go. Studies have shown that a physician can correctly diagnosis an uncomplicated UTI and provide antibiotic treatment in more than 95% of cases by using the patients medical history and symptoms alone Antibiotics can treat UTIs, but they may take at least 1-2 days to provide relief. In the meantime, home care strategies can help alleviate pain and discomfort. It is crucial to finish the full. Seven methods for treating UTIs without antibiotics. While scientific research supports some at-home or natural UTI remedies, others have been a part of traditional medicine systems for thousands. There are several over-the-counter yeast infection tests that you can buy to test for yeast infections at home, says Gaten. Popular OTC yeast infection tests include the Monistat Complete Care Vaginal Health Test , as well as drugstore brands that you can pick up in places like CVS or Walmart
How Do You Know If You Have A Uti
You cant treat something if you dont know what it is, so how do you know if you have a UTI?
Some of the most common UTI symptoms are:
- Painful, burning urination
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Smelly, cloudy, or red-colored, blood-tinged urine
- Pain in the abdominal area, near your back or your side below the ribs
- Tiredness or weakness
- Shakiness or confusion
Fever and pain in your back may be signs that the infection has reached your kidneys.
To confirm a UTI diagnosis, your doctor may also run a urine test. The results of your test can help confirm whether you have a UTI. While a urine test is one way to know whether you have a UTI, medical evidence also has shown that your doctor can be pretty confident about your diagnosis based on your answers to the questions about symptoms.
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What Is The Most Important Information I Should Know About Azo
You should not use phenazopyridine if you are allergic to it, or if you have kidney disease.
To make sure phenazopyridine is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
- a genetic enzyme deficiency called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.
FDA pregnancy category B. Phenazopyridine is not expected to harm an unborn baby. Do not use this medicine without a doctors advice if you are pregnant.
It is not known whether phenazopyridine passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medicine without a doctors advice if you are breast-feeding a baby.
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Azo Urinary Tract Defense
This is a new AZO product. It is an analgesic and an antibacterial that can help control the progression of a UTI until you see a doctor or a healthcare professional. It contains the active ingredients methenamine and sodium salicylate, which is an NSAID. It provides temporary relief when it comes to urinary urgency or frequency and burning or painful sensations while urinating.
Methenamine is said to be a powerful antibacterial agent that can help slow down the growth of bacteria along the urinary tract lining. It also helps control the infection. The other ingredient called sodium salicylate helps in providing relief from pain.
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What Women Should Know
When it comes to self-diagnosis, Chapa advises women to be smart and use discretion. Many women are familiar with the symptoms of UTIs and yeast infections, but if you are unsure, you should contact your health care provider to determine the cause of your symptoms.
Additionally, although these two particular conditions are not sexually transmitted, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that all sexually active men and women under the age of 26 should be screened for sexually transmitted infections at least once a year.
At the very least, visiting your physician can help put your mind at ease. Its human nature to jump to worst-case scenario conclusions, Chapa said, but these infections are very common and treatable. The best course of action to relieve uncomfortable symptoms from each of these infections is to seek treatment as soon as symptoms arise.
Article written by Ava English
Christina Sumners
About bladder infections
Bladder infections are the most common type of urinary tract infection . They can develop when bacteria enter the urethra and travel into the bladder.
The urethra is the tube that takes urine out of the body. Once bacteria go into the urethra, they can attach to the walls of the bladder and multiply quickly.
The resulting infection can cause uncomfortable symptoms, such as the sudden urge to urinate. It may also cause pain while urinating and abdominal cramping.
Here are seven effective bladder infection remedies.