Antibiotics for Cystitis Treatment

Cystitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the bladder, which has several potential causes, including bacteria, chemotherapy or radiation treatment for cancer and the use of catheters. When bacteria is the cause of cystitis, doctors utilize prescription antibiotics to treat the inflammation.

Function

• The antibiotics used to treat cystitis interrupt processes that occur within bacterial cells. This either weakens the cells enough for your immune system to destroy them or completely kills them.

Types of Antibiotics

• Common antibiotics used to treat cystitis include nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin and amoxicillin.

Time Frame

• In women, antibiotics for cystitis can take up to 10 days to work, while in men, the drugs usually require a number of weeks.

Risks

• The largest risk associated with antibiotics is colitis or inflammation of the colon that causes severe, bloody diarrhea. In some people, colitis is life-threatening.

Considerations

• While antibiotics are effective for cystitis, the drugs do not alleviate the symptoms of bladder inflammation while you recover from the bacterial infection. For this reason, doctors often prescribe oxybutynin or phenazopyridine to be taken with antibiotics in order to relieve the pain and feelings of urgency caused by cystitis.