Over-the-Counter UTI Relief

According to the Ambulatory Care Visit Journal, urinary tract infections (UTIs) account for 8.3 million doctor visits every year. Women are especially prone to these infections. The National Kidney and Urologic Disease Clearinghouse says 20 percent of women that have had an infection will have another, and 80 percent of those women will have recurrent infections over the course of their lives. That being said, mild UTIs can be treated with over-the-counter medication, saving you time and money that would be used for yet another trip to the doctor.

Over-the-Counter Medication

• The most annoying characteristic of a UTI, aside from the constant bathroom trips, is the urinary cramping and pain. The pain is most intense during every trip to the bathroom and tends to linger even when you're not using the toilet. Getting rid of the pain first is the most important step in dealing with a UTI. Try any over-the-counter pain reliever, preferably a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). These drugs will help reduce the cramping feeling in your bladder and keep a fever away. However, if you do develop a fever, take it as a sign that you need to see the doctor.

  Once you have gotten rid of the pain, you need to next concentrate on solving the problem in your bladder. UTIs occur when foreign bacteria builds up in your urinary tract and blocks the flow of urine. In order to get rid of a bladder infection, you will have to get rid of the bacteria. Cranberry juice or supplements do wonders when it comes to flushing bad bacteria out of the bladder. Try drinking five to eight glasses of unsweetened cranberry juice along with eight to 10 glasses or water a day. If you don't like the taste of cranberry juice, go to your local drugstore and buy some cranberry supplements. Just taking a few of these a day can help heal the infection and ward off any infections in the future.

Helpful Tips

• A useful item for managing the pain of a UTI is a heating pad. Your bladder will feel crampy and a heating pad worn directly below the stomach can help soothe this pain. Also, keep in mind that infections are most likely to occur in those that are dehydrated, so make sure to drink at least eight to 10 glasses of water a day. Infections have the highest potential of formation after intercourse, so always urinate after sex to flush out any foreign bacteria.

  If at any point your urine becomes bloody, you develop a fever or you stop urinating, you need to see your doctor.