Almost everyone has had a UTI or urinary tract infection. This condition can be mild and can heal itself, but can also be severe enough to need to be treated with antibiotics for UTI. What types of antibiotics for UTI and when should the drug be used? Check out the following discussion.
Urinary tract infection or UTI is an infectious disease that occurs in the urinary system, starting from the kidneys, ureters (channels that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder), bladder, to the urethra or urinary tract.
This infection is most often caused by bacteria, such as E.coli. But in addition to bacteria, viruses and fungi can also cause urinary tract infections.
There are several risk factors that can cause a person susceptible to UTI, namely:
- Have had urinary tract infection before.
- Poor maintenance of genital area. In women, the wrong way to clean the vagina, ie from back to front (anus to the vagina), can make germs from the anus carried into the urinary tract and cause infection. This is what often causes UTIs in women.
- Frequently hold back pee.
- Blockages in the urinary tract, for example due to kidney stones, enlargement of the prostate gland, or congenital abnormalities born in the urinary tract.
- Conditions that make the immune system weak, for example diabetes and side effects of chemotherapy treatment.
- The use of vaginal cleansing soap.
- Frequent sexual relations.
- Long-term use of catheters.
Should UTI be Treated with Antibiotics?
Not all UTIs need to be treated with antibiotics. If it is still mild, UTIs can generally heal on their own or in a natural way, which is drinking lots of water to increase the frequency of urination, so that bacteria can come out with urine.
However, the symptoms of severe UTI, which is accompanied by fever, pus or blood in the urine, difficult to control urination, frequent bed wetting, or severe pain in the waist or back, antibiotics for UTI are needed.
In addition, antibiotics also need to be given to UTIs that do not improve within more than 2 days, are felt to be getting worse, or very often recur.
There are many choices of antibiotics for UTI that can be used, including:
- Levofloxacin
- Cefixime
- Ciprofloxacin
- Nitrofurantoin
- Trimetophrime / sulfametoxazole
- Fosfomycin
- Amoxicillin
To determine which type of antibiotic is used to treat a UTI, it is necessary to see a doctor first.
Before determining the type, dose, and duration of use of antibiotics for UTI, the doctor will first assess how severe the UTI is experienced by the patient. Sometimes it is also necessary to check bacterial culture and drug resistance to find out what type of antibiotic is effective in killing the bacteria.
Therefore, antibiotic drugs for UTI should be obtained and used according to a doctor's prescription. The use of antibiotics for UTI without medical supervision can be the wrong type, dose, or duration of use. This risks making the UTI not heal or even making the infectious bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
In addition to antibiotics, doctors can also prescribe other UTI drugs, namely pain medications or NSAIDS (such as diclofenac, paracetamol, and mefenamic acid) to reduce inflammation and pain arising from UTIs.
Consumption of Antibiotics for UTI Must Be Over
Although you feel better after undergoing treatment with antibiotics, you still have to spend the antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. The reason is, if the use of antibiotics is stopped too quickly, bacteria in the urinary tract can grow back because not all of them have been eradicated.
If this happens, UTI symptoms will reappear and are even more difficult to treat.
So, do not carelessly buy your own antibiotics for UTI and stop their use without the knowledge of your doctor. Consult with your doctor first if you experience symptoms of urinary tract infections, so that you can be given the appropriate medication. Likewise, if UTI often recurs or does not improve with antibiotics.
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