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Over-the-Counter Treatment for Bladder Infections

Some women are more prone to bladder infections than others, but all will agree they are a major pain and annoyance to deal with. The burning pain with urination, the high frequency of having to urinate and the pelvic pain are just some of the things that the sufferer has to endure. While only antibiotics can effectively cure a bladder infection, there are treatments available over the counter to treat the symptoms and help stave off a severe infection.

  1. Over-the-Counter Medications

    • While there are just a few things available over the counter to medicate a bladder infection, according to the McKinley Health Center things like Tylenol for pain relief, Pyridium (designed for pain while urinating), phenazopyridine (for urgency and frequency of urination) and some AZO and Uristat formulas for pain and as an antiseptic can all be used to help with the symptoms of a bladder infection. Phenazopyridine can stain clothing and make your urine a dark orange color. Care needs to be had when using this for bladder infections in that regard.

    Self-Care

    • Some things that you can do to treat your bladder infection do not cost anything at all and aren't available in prescriptions. Drinking more water to keep your urine from being highly concentrated and flushing the bacteria can help reduce symptoms. Discontinuing caffeine is another way to help symptoms improve, as there is less irritation on the bladder without caffeine in the system. Things like bubble baths, wet bathing suits, pantyhose and fragranced sanitary napkins can lead to irritation and harbor bacteria for infection as well.

    Over-the-Counter Herbal Remedies

    • One of the best herbal remedies that are over the counter in the herbs section of the pharmacy is cranberry. Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon or Vacinnium oxycoccus) can be used as a concentrated liquid, as a concentrated pill or as a juice. The concentration is higher in the first two than in juice formulas, but you'll get the same effect. According to the Canadian Journal of Urology in 2002 showed the effectiveness of it as a treatment. It works by not allowing the bacteria to "take hold" in the bladder and therefore are released out into urine instead of attaching to increase infection.

      Other herbals that have been used, but have not been clinically found to be effective, are uva ursi (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), marshmallow root (Althea officinalis), corn silk (Zea mays), horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and buchu (Barosma betulina).

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