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Bladder Infection Medicines

Bladder inflammation is also known as cystitis. Cystitis is most commonly caused by a bacterial infection of the bladder. Bladder infections are generally caused by an infection of the urinary tract (the urethra) spreading up to the bladder. A bladder infection can cause a burning feeling upon urination as well as a constant feeling that one needs to urinate. Other symptoms include pelvic discomfort and a feeling of pressure in the lower abdomen.

  1. Antibiotics

    • Bladder inflammation, and infection, is initially thought to be caused by bacteria. As a result, the first course of treatment for bladder infection will usually be antibiotics. According to Drugs.com, there are over 50 different medications that can be used to treat bladder infections. The most commonly used ones are fosfomycin, ciprofloxacin, and cephalexin. Most of them are antibiotics that are in the class of quinolones, cephalosporins, or sulfonamides, which are all classes of antibiotics that are commonly used to treat urinary tract infections. The exact medication that is used will vary depending on the patient's overall health as well as which kinds of bacteria are present in the urine. Although the symptoms of the bladder infection will commonly go away after a few days of treatment, these medications generally must be taken for several weeks to ensure that the infection is completely cleared up.

    Recurrent Bladder Infections

    • In the event that a patient is suffering from recurring bladder infections, he or she may be referred to a specialist for urinary disorders, such as a urologist or nephrologist. This is because frequent or chronic bladder infections may indicate that there is some sort of abnormality with the bladder, which is making it especially prone to infection. In this case, the urologist may look at the bladder using a small camera inserted via a catheter, or by using ultrasound to visualize the bladder. In these cases the urologist may then recommend different courses of medication, such as medications given prophylactically to prevent additional infections. These will be low doses of antibiotics that have been shown to be very effective in treating bladder infections normally, such as clindamycin, ciprofloxacin, or nitrofurantoin.

    Other Treatments

    • In some cases, especially if the bladder inflammation is not responding to antibiotic treatments, a urologist may explore other avenues of treatment. These will include anti-inflammatory medications, such as cortisone, which can be directly injected into the bladder. Cortisone will work to suppress the immune system and thus attenuate the inflammation which will relieve the symptoms of the infection. Once the inflammation has gone down, the urologist may then prescribe broad spectrum and potent antibiotics to eliminate the infection, such as cephalosporins (which are effective at killing almost all kinds of bacteria). Some examples are ceftibuten and ceftazidime.

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