Need help...what's the most effective over the counter medicine for UTI?

My daughter is out of town and pretty sure she has urinary tract infection. I know they have some over-the-counter products you can take to relieve the pain until you can get to the doctor.

Anyone here have any experience with these? Is one better then the other?

Appreciate any help. Thanks.

and see a Dr. Her infection will get worse with no anitbiotics and then no amt of ovet the counter pain relief will help.

There is an OTC drug you can buy. I believe it is called URISTAT. If it does not completely resolve, she should see a doc.

it relieves pain and spasms, and you could use it to give your body time to fight the infection on its own. if the infection is mild and your immune system is great, this might work fine.

but given that an uncontrolled uti can lead to much more serious stuff, and also, a uti could be a symptom of an underlying problem (e.g., kidney stones or other blockage, or an std), i'd still strongly recommend getting to a doctor and asking for antibiotics and a check for possible causes. i'd use uristat just as a tide-me-over until getting to the doctor's.

if there's a known history of stds and/or kidney problems, i'd go straight to the e.r.

If it is a simple UTI as a result of dehydration due to not enough water on a long plane ride or a night out with a bit too much booze, URISTAT will do the trick. If it is more serious, the individual will know in a day or so.

It is the weekend. Emergency rooms and clinics cost money. Not everyone has a lot to toss around. Doctors generally work M - F. It certainly isn't the SOLE recourse, as I indicated, but it is a sensible first step, absent any history of kidneystones or repeat infections.

that's what i'd do, anyway.

She doesn't have an insurance card with her or the money to pay for a clinic visit.

She knows she needs to go to the doctor and will go tomorrow when she gets home. I had just heard about the OTC meds that help with the pain until you can get to the doctor and was wondering if one was better then the other.

a few phone calls to the insurance company and/or human resources should suffice to get all the group/plan info, etc.

on the other hand, this might be a challenge on the weekend....

(See above URISTAT discussion). And tell her to drink loads and LOADS of plain water and some cranberry juice, as well. The cranberry juice has the effect of washing out the bacteria in the urinary tract, but she wants to pump as much water through her system as possible to flush the pipes, as it were.

There is a version of URISTAT that is sold as a house brand. Tell her to get to the aisle where the URISTAT is found, and then look right and left, up and down, and find similar products. Then, read the labels. It's all the same shit, with basically the same ingredients. She will save a few bucks buying the house brand.

If she isn't totally over it after she stops the meds, she should see a doc. Often, these are the results of simple dehydration, though they can be more serious. Her history with them is significant--if this is a one-off, that's one thing, and probably the result of dehydration or too much fun at the bar without enough water...if she has had three or more in the past year, it could be more serious.

Good luck to her!

try pure, unsweetened cranberry juice. (warning! it tastes terrible)
OTOH my girlfriend tells me that pot always relieves the symptoms.
But you will have to get the antibiotics to cure it.

antibiotics for a UTI. If she can get unsweetened cranberry juice; it tastes awful but dilute it with water and add some articifial sweetener to it. Cranberries have something in them that doesn't allow the bacteria to cling to the urinary tract. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on tv. But this always works for me. Keep drinking the juice and taking cranberry pills.

But everytime it works I figure I must not have had a real infection, since something as simple as cranberry juice works.

It's not *that* bad tasting, people!

I wasn't trying to solicit medical advice as I know that's a big NO NO.

I just wondered if anyone had used the OTC medicines and if one was better then the other.

that's prescription; or 4 OTC tablets--

Then glasses and glasses of water...then onto the 24 hour place for antibiotics.

Works for me; some people claim it doesn't. I despise Urostat.

Stephanie

I just hate to waste money on something that's ineffective. I'll tell her to take the ibuprofen and drink the water until she can get to the doctors tomorrow.

spasms of the urethra---I personally like the anti-inflammatory action of the ibuprofen much better--

But, remember, some people swear by urostat...and I have been called dead wrong about advil before! ;)

I was a paramedic for 10 years...and am a pansy about personal pain!

that's one of several reasons not to mess around with utis. most of the time, true, they're a nuisance but harmless and go away on their own. but you could really regret it if there's more to it than that.

...passing any water, as it were. It is the spasming that drives people mad.

died, we were home for the funeral and I contracted a UTI. I did the cranberry thing and drank water to flush it out. My 8 hour ride home was miserable and I ended up in the hospital for 14 days with a severe kidney infection. UTI's are more serious than we give them credit for. Please beg her to go from someone who's been there.

Laura

they can be worse than we think....

That's why I said water, advil, and 24 hour DocInTheBox-

:hi:

Cranberry juice has an enzyme that keeps the nasty bacteria from being able to attach to the walls of the ureters. Beer contains alcohol, which is a pretty potent diuretic. The net effect is that the little buggers are washed out.

This treatment was actually recommended to me by my physiology instructor in college. He particularly advocated the mixture of Honey Brown beer with cranberry juice.

That having been said, she needs TO GO TO THE DOCTOR and BE PUT ON AN ANTIBIOTIC. UTIs are not something to mess around with, as they can easily turn into kidney infections and cause all kinds of havoc. But this is just something to do in the (short) meantime.

So I'm sure she'll like the Honey Brown beer and cranberry suggestion. :)

And yes, she is going to the doctor. Thanks.

She really needs to have her urine tested ASAP.
Can you wire her the money to get to a clinic?

and called Pyridium (sp.?) but now sold under several names. Be sure to read my PM for more details, though!

Isn't it nice that every now and then the grown kids need Mom (or Dad)?

(Even nicer that they don't need us for everything!) ;-)

She's supposed to call me back. She's in Des Moines in the midst of graduation activities for a friend but maybe there's an urgent care place she can go to. I'll pass along everyone's suggestions for what to do until she can see a doctor.

I really appreciate all the input. You guys are great!

I had a harrowing time trying to communicate to people with little or no English that she was allergic to septra and didn't know what the German equivalent was. I agree with the downing of lots of cranberry juice. If it is E coli (common) then that should help.