Go to a drugstore and buy the tablets (UriStat is a good brand). The kill the pain/burning and you can get them at ANY hour of the day. They always hold me over until I can get to a doctor. They'll turn your pee a vivid orange color, but they WORK.
Yep. They're a lower dosage than what you get in prescrip form from the doctor, but its the same stuff. It is a livesaver if you come down with a UTI on a Friday evening and have a whole weekend worth of misery to look forward to.
Obviously, you might still need an antibiotic, but for temporary relief, go buy some Uristat.
Yes! I was going to recommend a product I buy called Prodium. The non-name-brand name is phenazopyridine, I think. It is pain relief, but not a cure. I think you're not supposed to use it for more than 2 days at a time, so get into the doctor ASAP anyway.
I have had several bad UTI's (to the point of having blood in the urine) and I've had great success using D-Mannose, which is a non-prescription supplement recommended by my naturopath. It works by attaching to e-coli bacteria (the most common cause of UTI's) in your bladder. Instead of attaching to the bladder walls, the bacteria attaches to the mannose and is passed out in the urine. I take D-Mannose at the first sign of UTI symptoms and it clears right up. I always get a follow up urinalysis to make sure the infection has gone away.
Also, drink lots of water - my doctor said this is probably the most effective way to prevent UTI's in the first place.
You should also drink LOTS of water (or better yet, cranberry juice). I know it seems counter-intuitive because peeing is the last thing you want to do right now, but you will honestly feel better if you drink a big glass of cranberry juice (or water, if you don't have any cranberry juice). It washes out the bacteria causing the infection. The pain medication that has been recommended will work much better if you take it with lots of water. I used to get UTI's about once every three months, so I became something of an expert on getting through them. Whatever you do, don't drink carbonated beverages.
BTW - If you get UTI's frequently (say, more than once a year), have your doctor refer you to a urologist. For years I suffered through UTIs every three months, then I finally saw a urologist (it got so bad, I basically never stopped feeling like I had to pee). Turns out, I had a completely treatable condition that was causing them. Once I finished the treatment, my UTIs went away. I haven't had one in over six years (knock on wood).
The other great thing about seeing a urologist is that he might be willing to give you a refillable prescription for antibiotics. Having that meant I was no longer ever in the position you are in now. I would get the prescription filled and just keep bottle on hand. If I woke up on a Saturday with a UTI (seemed like all my UTIs started on a Saturday and you know that insurance does not consider a UTI an emergency), I already had antibiotics on hand that I could take, I didn't need to see a doctor.
Oooh! I've got a tip for you!! I used to get UTI's ALL the time. But, then I started peeing right after I would have sex, EVERY TIME. And, *poof*, I haven't had a UTI in years!!
It's not the best tasting stuff in the world, but mixing a little bit of baking soda into a warm glass of water will clear it up too. I've had bladder and kidney problems since I was in diapers (mom found blood in my diapers), so yeah...I feel your pain!
The baking soda will work overnight, at least until you get to a doctor. Like I said, it's not tasty, but for as fast as it works, it's well, well worth the taste!
Oooh! I've got a tip for you!! I used to get UTI's ALL the time. But, then I started peeing right after I would have sex, EVERY TIME. And, *poof*, I haven't had a UTI in years!!
Obviously, this wouldn't always apply but I'll second the notion. I used to have one about every 2-3 months but once I became "strict" about this I haven't had another problem.
I also started going to a gyn who is willing to give me an open antibiotic script. Definitely beats the walk in clinic that didn't want to keep giving me new prescriptions every other month (What? Was I going to sell it on the black market? Perhaps, instead of antibiotics, I should get a job that will allow me to sit on the toilet all day long.). Another stupid clinic tried to give me an antibiotic that makes you super-sensitive to sunlight even though I asked for an anti-malarial in the same visit because I was going to SE Asia the next day. I guess they didn't realize that lots of sunlight and visiting places prone to malaria sort of go hand in hand...
I called my gyn first at 8:30, about a half hour before her office was open, to make sure I could get in for a pee test. No problem, I was in at 9:30.
So, I wait and wait and wait. No call. I finally call at 3PM. They say there was a mixup, and promptly hang up on me. Huh? I call against at 4:30, answering machine, and again at 5:15. Apparently, the office that used to be open until 5:30 now closes at 5. I'm pissy now, so I have them page the doctor. (It very quickly progressed from hurting to pee, to being sore, to being a stinging pain to the touch - even my pants were hurting) She calls me back, and, for some reason, my phone doesn't ring. She leaves this god aweful message about how I have to be by my phone. Not, I'll call in the Rx to the drug store, but how I can't waste her time.
I call her back, no response.
I call again this morning, and have to wait until 4PM to find out that, yes, I do have a UTI, and yes, it is bad, and yes, I do need antibiotics. They call it in, and I take them, and now my pee is orange.
Just wanted you to know, Altari, I that I just joined you in the ranks of UTI suffering. This is a monster case, too. Two hours after the first sting, I was seeing blood.
I've got the antibiotics and the doctor gave me a refillable prescription this time. He said to go ahead and refill it now, and if I keep it in the freezer, it will be good for 20-30 years! Yay. I hope I never have to use it.
edit: Thanks for starting this thread, or I'd have never known refillable prescriptions were possible for UTIs.
UTI woes
). Another stupid clinic tried to give me an antibiotic that makes you super-sensitive to sunlight even though I asked for an anti-malarial in the same visit because I was going to SE Asia the next day. I guess they didn't realize that lots of sunlight and visiting places prone to malaria sort of go hand in hand...
