<p>Has anyone tried the OTC meds for a UTI? I’ve got a call in to my doc, hoping he’ll just call me in a prescription w/out an office visit, but, if not, I’m wondering whether these work. </p>
<p>TIA. And hope it’s not TMI. :)</p>
<p>Cranberry juice, unsweetened and lots of it.
Depends how far along you are in your UTI as to whether or not this will work!
Also, they most likely will want a urine sample, depending on your age, how frequently you get these, etc.</p>
<p>I’ve had them before and so did the cranberry juice and mega amounts of water this morning. It’s already a bit better. But I haven’t had one in years, since the OTC meds came out. Just wondering if it’s a good option if you want to avoid a dr’s appt.</p>
<p>The OTC medications are for pain. You take them (with lots of water which will help anyway), and then when you pee them out, it numbs up everything in your unrinary tract. They do work, but you still need the antibiotic from the doctor to actually clear out the infection. (That’s really TMI ;))</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. I wasn’t sure how it worked. I can’t make the only opening the doc had this a.m. so he said it was OK to take the Azo and keep up with all the water, but, yeah, if it doesn’t clear up I needed to come in later.</p>
<p>In the TMI dept., his nurse said not to be alarmed if my pee turns deep orange on the meds!</p>
<p>Alka Seltzer has been known to reduce pain and inflammation and help ease the passage of urine. Combined with drinking cranberry juice it can make you much more comfortable and relieve symptoms.</p>
<p>Based on the title, I thought this thread would be about some satelite campus of the University of Texas. </p>
<p>:o</p>
<p>There’s cranberry juice and there’s cranberry juice. Trader Joe’s has a straight cranberry juice w/o the added “other” stuff. It is bitter and according to my taste buds not as good as the sweetened and cut with other stuff type but it is more effective at coating the bladder wall and dispensing of the bacteria.</p>
<p>is it safe for dogs?? 
just wondering since we are on the 2nd round of antibiotics for my pooch and she is not getting better…straining to pee and now peeing in the house…she has 4 pills left to take…</p>
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<p>I drink this cranberry juice–it has no sweetner whatsoever. Most cranberry juices have something in them to sweetened them, even the ones advertised as all natural. Trader Joe’s has the straight cranberry as does Whole Foods. What I do is to dilute the with a bit of water or I’ll add a splash of orange juice (less than 2 ounces) and seltzer to it.</p>
<p>I mix it with tea for the antioxidants.</p>
<p>Ahhhh. . . this takes me back. I was extremely prone to them back in the day. This is really only repeating what other posters have said, but the OTC stuff is only to treat symptoms. You do need an antibiotic to clear up the infection.</p>
<p>And I have read very conflicting advice as to whether or not cranberry juice does anything. (I believe in any case it’s more as a preventive than a treatment?)</p>
<p>And I hope <em>this</em> isn’t TMI, but always pee after sex. Always.</p>
<p>Thanks for the bump!</p>
<p>I did the Azo for the weekend, and it really did help relieve the symptoms. I feel great as the day wears on, even post-Azo, but the mornings are uncomfortable. I guess it’s because I’m not chugging cranberry juice and water all night long. Anyway, I have an appt with the doc in 30 minutes, so better living through drugs is on the way! :)</p>
<p>So, my 17yo son asked why cranberry juice and not OJ, if acidity is the key. Anyone know? I’ll ask the doc.</p>
<p>Just as an FYI–once you receive the antibiotics STOP the cranberry juice. I had the identical issue several weeks ago. I loaded up on water and cranberry juice until I was able to see the Dr. He and the nurse both told me that the cranberry juice would interfer with the antibiotic. </p>
<p>I wish I had known about the OTC pain reliever.</p>
<p>Thanks, rrah. The scale will appreciate my laying off all the cranberry juice.</p>
<p>So I asked the PA what’s up with the cranberry juice. She said it’s not the acidity, but the ability of cranberry juice to keep bacteria from adhering to the lining, thus helping get that bacteria through quicker. She said many sound studies have been done that prove its efficacy in that regard.</p>
<p>I hate UTIs.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if the cranberry supplements (pill form) work?</p>
<p>Don’t know, but I got a free sample in my Azo! :)</p>
<p>The cranberry supplements are more potent.</p>
<p>It’s not just the acidity but the cranberry that is helpful - something in the cranberry that isn’t in OJ, etc. Don’t recall what it is, tho.</p>
<p>I don’t remember ever having had a urinary tract infection in my life before, at least not since I was a child. Of course, people did warn me that susceptibility to UTI’s was one of the potential side-effects of having the surgery I had a year and a half ago, what with the shorter urethra and all that sort of thing. So I guess I assumed that risk and shouldn’t complain.</p>
<p>In any event, I think maybe the people who warned me were right, because it seems that maybe I have one. Perhaps I shouldn’t have ignored the mild discomfort I’ve felt the last few days, but I did, and since the second I got home tonight a few hours ago (and I do mean the second, unfortunately – I didn’t even make it to the bathroom, and I’m lucky it didn’t happen to me on the subway), I’ve had overwhelming feelings of urgency about 15 times, often a few seconds after getting up convinced my bladder is empty. And every time I stand up from sitting in a chair I have to go, too. And there’s been an excruciatingly painful burning sensation every single time. Ow, ow, ow.</p>
<p>I guess that sounds like a UTI, right? I can’t think of anything else it could be. And it’s no fun. Another one of those experiences that most women my age probably first had about 40 years ago. I always was kind of slow.</p>
<p>But, all joking aside, maybe I should buy some cranberry juice tomorrow? And what’s the over the counter medication called that people mentioned earlier in the thread? </p>
<p>In the meantime, I’ve been trying to drink a lot of water (which I’m supposed to do anyway because I get dehydrated so easily from not having a large intestine, but don’t always remember to do). But I haven’t noticed any improvement.</p>
<p>I wonder if my doctor might be willing to prescribe an antibiotic without seeing me if it isn’t better by tomorrow and I try to call her office. I have so much work to get done tomorrow, and going to my doctor’s office way downtown would take up at least a couple of hours, round trip, from my office in midtown. </p>
<p>I gather that the most commonly-prescribed antibiotics for UTI’s are penicillin derivatives and some kind of sulfa derivative; unfortunately, I’m allergic to both categories. And cipro is apparently prescribed sometimes too, but I already take 1000 mg of cipro every day (among other things), for Crohn’s Disease, and have for years, but if this is a UTI the cipro obviously didn’t prevent it. I’m sure there must be something else to take, though. </p>
<p>Why do these things always happen to me right before a long weekend? Typical!</p>
<p>If by some fortunate turn of events it feels better tomorrow morning, do I still really need to call a doctor?</p>
<p>But I must say that if it doesn’t feel any better by tomorrow morning, and I’m still having to pee four or five times an hour, I’m not looking forward to my 45-minute subway ride to get to work. Oy.</p>
<p>Donna, it does sound like a UTI, but I’m not a doctor to make the diagnosis. Please call your doctor even if the symptoms seem to disappear. The bugs apparently can travel up the urinary tract and infect the kidneys. This is not to scare you:</p>
<p>[Urinary</a> tract infection (UTI) - MayoClinic.com](<a href=“http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/urinary-tract-infection/DS00286]Urinary”>Urinary tract infection (UTI) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic)</p>
<p>[Kidney infection - MayoClinic.com](<a href=“Kidney infection - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic”>Kidney infection - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic)</p>
<p>Your doctor can run a culture test and see what antibiotics can be used to treat this. Please do not delay, see your doctor tomorrow! I presonally know someone who ingnored the UTI symptoms and ended up very ill with a kidney infection… 
I hope your UTI will be taken care of soon!</p>