Home Remedies for Fast UTI Relief

Table of Contents

• Ways to relieve UTI discomfort at home
  • Try heat
  • Boost your water intake
  • Take an OTC medication
  • Put on your comfy clothes
  • Sip some cranberry juice
  • Steer clear of bladder irritants
• Combine home remedies with medical care
• Forward improves UTI treatment

The urge to go to the bathroom, pain during urination, and lower abdominal pressure and pain associated with urinary tract infections (UTIs) can make it difficult to concentrate at work or school, enjoy favorite activities and rest comfortably at night. Fortunately, there are ways that you can get UTI relief through home remedies while your body fights the infection.

Ways to relieve UTI discomfort at home

To ease symptoms of UTI and promote healing:

Try heat

Apply warm compresses, a hot water bottle or heating pad to your pelvis. Heat increases blood flow to reduce cramping and pressure.

Boost your water intake

Drinking six to eight, 8-oz. glasses of water every day supports urine production. Each time you urinate, your body flushes bacteria out of your urinary tract to help clear up an infection.

Take an OTC medication

Phenazopyridine hydrochloride is a pain reliever for the urinary tract and can be purchased over the counter in generic form or as the brand name drug AZO. This medication temporarily relieves urinary urgency, pain, and pressure associated with UTIs. However, it doesn’t treat the underlying infection.

Put on your comfy clothes

Tight, restrictive clothing may rub against your urethra and worsen the irritation that occurs during a UTI. Opt for loose-fitting clothes and breathable cotton underwear until your symptoms resolve.

Sip some cranberry juice

Studies into the effectiveness of cranberry juice for UTI treatment have produced mixed results. However, anecdotal evidence and some small studies indicate that cranberry juice may aid in healing by making it difficult for bacteria to stick to the lining of the urinary tract. If you wish to try this traditional folk remedy, choose a juice that lists cranberries as its first ingredient and is free of artificial sweeteners and added sugar.

Steer clear of bladder irritants

Some foods and drinks can trigger bladder inflammation and intensify urinary tract infections. While your body heals, cut down on or avoid:

• Caffeine, including coffee, tea and chocolate
• Carbonated beverages
• Alcohol
• Spicy foods
• Acidic foods like fruits and vinegar
• Refined sugar

Combine home remedies with medical care

All of the above home remedies may ease symptoms of a UTI. However, none of them are likely to cure a urinary tract infection. While it is not possible for the immune system to fight off the bacteria that causes UTIs on its own, antibiotics are usually necessary to aid in the process. You can combine home remedies for UTI relief with the medication your primary care provider prescribes to both treat the infection and minimize your discomfort.

If you decide to let your immune system fight the infection on its own, keep close tabs on your condition. Specifically, see your doctor if you experience any of the following:

• High fever
• Pain in your side
• Pain in your lower back
• Nausea
• Vomiting

The above symptoms could indicate that the infection has spread to the kidneys. A kidney infection requires prompt medical care, since it can permanently damage the organs or move into the bloodstream and cause a potentially fatal infection.

Even without kidney infection symptoms, you should see your doctor if:

• Your symptoms don’t improve after two or three days
• You have had three or more UTIs in the last 12 months
• You’re pregnant
• You’re diabetic
• You have a medical condition or take a medication that suppresses your immune system

Forward improves UTI treatment

As your primary care provider, Forward delivers one-to-one, personalized care for UTIs. You can schedule an appointment in seconds and see a doctor virtually or in person. Prescriptions come right to your door for added convenience, and we recommend the best home remedies for UTIs to keep you comfortable while you recover. 

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How to ease the discomfort

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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common health issue that can affect a person’s sleep. Lifestyle changes and over-the-counter medications can often help relieve UTI pain at night.

According to the National Kidney Foundation, 1 in 5 females experience at least one UTI at some point, though anyone can develop this type of infection.

Below, we describe ways to help relieve UTI pain, discomfort, and other symptoms at home.

Share on PinterestDrinking plenty of water during the day and less in the evening can help keep UTI symptoms from disrupting sleep.

Antibiotics can treat UTIs, but they may take at least 1–2 days to provide relief. In the meantime, home care strategies can help alleviate pain and discomfort.

It is crucial to finish the full course of antibiotics and follow the doctor’s recommendations, even if the symptoms improve early on.

A person can also take the following steps to relieve UTI symptoms:

Drink plenty of water

A UTI can cause a burning sensation and other types of pain while urinating, and it can also cause a person to pee more frequently than usual. In addition, the need to urinate may be more urgent.

Each of these issues may make it tempting to drink less. However, to help the body clear a UTI, a person should increase their water intake.

If a person does not drink enough water, the bladder can become more sensitive, and the urine can become more concentrated, exacerbating symptoms.

It is crucial to note, however, that this advice only applies during the day. Limit the intake of water late in the evening to prevent the urge to urinate from disrupting sleep.

Empty the bladder fully

When urine stays in the bladder for too long, resident bacteria can grow and multiply, as the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases note.

A person should empty their bladder fully each time they urinate. This is especially important during a UTI.

Use a heating pad

Some people find that using a heating pad helps reduce pain in the abdomen or lower back that results from a UTI.

A person can choose from a range of heating pads online.

Avoid caffeine

Caffeine can increase the risk of issues such as bladder spasms that can occur with a UTI, contributing to more frequent or intense urges to urinate.

Authors of a large-scale 2013 study found that, generally, caffeine made UTI symptoms worse.

Take sodium bicarbonate

According to the authors of a 2017 study, taking sodium bicarbonate may help reduce the level of acidity in urine, which may in turn help ease the symptoms of a UTI.

However, they had tested a high dosage that would not be suitable for everyone.

Try over-the-counter pain relievers

While waiting for antibiotics to take effect, a person may benefit from over-the-counter pain relief medication, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil).

Depending on the severity of the pain, a doctor may recommend a specific over-the-counter or prescription analgesic.

UTIs can cause a variety of symptoms, including:

• a fever
• a burning sensation or pain when urinating
• frequent urination
• pain around the bladder or in the lower back
• strong-smelling urine
• feeling an urgent need to urinate, even without passing urine
• cloudy or bloody urine

The following strategies can help prevent this type of infection:

• wiping from front to back
• removing wet bathing suits or sweaty underwear as soon as possible
• wearing loose-fitting clothes
• avoiding holding in urine
• taking showers instead of baths
• urinating before and after sex
• avoiding douching
• keeping the genitals clean
• switching from diaphragms, unlubricated condoms, or spermicide to a different form of birth control

Some people try using home remedies — such as apple cider vinegar or vitamin C — to combat or prevent UTIs.

Apple cider vinegar seems to kill harmful bacteria, including Escherichia coli, better known as E. Coli, according to the authors of a 2018 study, who pointed out that these bacteria can cause UTIs.

It is possible that drinking a diluted preparation of the vinegar may help the body clear the infection.

Some people believe that vitamin C can help prevent UTIs. However, a review of studies found that there was insufficient scientific evidence to support the claims.

Anyone who experiences any symptoms of a UTI — such as a burning sensation while urinating, discomfort in the abdomen, or a frequent urge to urinate — should see a doctor for treatment.

A UTI can spread to the kidneys, causing a kidney infection, which can be dangerous. A person should seek medical help quickly if they experience:

• a fever
• chills
• nausea
• vomiting
• pain in the lower back

If a person has recurring UTIs, the doctor may refer them to a urologist for further treatment.

A UTI is an infection in any part of the urinary tract. A person with this issue tends to experience discomfort or pain while urinating and a sense of urinary urgency.

These infections are common, and doctors treat them with antibiotics.

A person can also take steps to ease UTI symptoms at home, such as using a heating pad and staying well-hydrated during the day but limiting the intake of liquids before bed to prevent the symptoms from disrupting sleep.

It is crucial to complete the full course of antibiotics as directed, even if symptoms improve early on.

symptoms, treatment, prevention discussed with an obstetrician-gynecologist

The weekend was great. You went camping with headscarves, or went to the beach, where you swam a lot, and then sat in a cold wet swimsuit, or went to a picnic, where everything was fine, except that on cool evenings you sat on the cold ground for too long

The weekend went great. You went camping with headscarves, or went to the beach, where you swam a lot, and then sat in a cold wet swimsuit, or went to a picnic, where everything was fine, except that on cool evenings you sat on the cold ground for too long . .. And now as a result, do you feel a sharp pain when urinating, a feeling of impossibility to go to the toilet, do you have to squeeze out the liquid literally drop by drop? As sad as it is, most likely you have cystitis.

Our consultant: obstetrician-gynecologist EUROMED Clinics Alina Vladimirovna CHAPLOUTSKAYA.

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder. This term is often used to refer to a urinary infection associated with inflammation of the bladder mucosa and impaired function.

The appearance of cystitis can be provoked by trauma to the mucous membrane of the bladder, problems with urination, diseases of the bladder and nearby organs (prostate, urethra, genital organs), intestinal bacteria, blood stasis in the veins of the pelvis, hormonal disorders, beriberi, hypothermia, etc.

Women are more likely to suffer from cystitis than men – approximately 20 to 40% of the female population has experienced this disease.

Cystitis is primary and secondary, acute and chronic, infectious and non-infectious. Symptoms of cystitis depend on its type.

Symptoms

Acute cystitis is characterized by frequent urination , accompanied by “cutting” pain, hematuria (blood in the urine), discomfort in the lower abdomen, aggravated by urination, cloudy urine, fever, general malaise.

Chronic cystitis may have little or no symptoms. The only thing to notice is the increased urge to urinate.

Acute cystitis is diagnosed according to the clinical picture – pronounced symptoms make it easy to identify this disease. Chronic cystitis is determined by characteristic symptoms, urinalysis results, bacteriological studies, cystoscopy, functional studies of the lower urinary tract.

Treatment

Do not delay in contacting a doctor! Only a doctor will be able to assess your condition and prescribe an effective treatment, thanks to which you will forget about discomfort very quickly. With cystitis, antibiotics are usually prescribed, as well as drugs that relieve spasm of the muscles of the bladder, which reduces pain.

In acute cystitis, patients are recommended a special diet with a low calcium content and plenty of fluids, including herbal infusions that have a diuretic effect. But it is better to refuse tea, coffee and alcohol for the period of treatment. To reduce pain, you can use heating pads, take warm baths.

Prevention of cystitis

• Drink at least 8 glasses of fluid per day.
• Do not hold back urination, empty your bladder regularly. Stagnant urine is a great breeding ground for bacteria.
• Hygiene is important – wash at least once a day, while the direction of movement of the sponge should be from front to back – to avoid bacteria from entering the anus into the vagina. Toilet paper should be used in the same way.
• Choose safe sex.
• Urinate after intercourse. So you wash away the bacteria that got into the urethra during the act.
• Underwear should be made of natural fabrics, you should not wear synthetic panties on a regular basis, and especially thongs, no matter how beautiful they may be.
• Avoid hypothermia: do not sit on cold surfaces, immediately take off your wet swimsuit and put on dry underwear, etc.

Services

Nephrologist’s consultation

Urologist’s consultation

Therapist’s consultation

Pediatric urologist

Treatment of cystitis

Author of the article

Chaploutskaya Alina Vladimirovna
Head of outpatient gynecology and obstetrics service, obstetrician-gynecologist, specialist in aesthetic and reconstructive gynecology

How to relieve or relieve the pain of cystitis

The content of the article

1. What are the pains associated with cystitis
2. What to do with pain during cystitis
   1. 2. 1. Medicines
   2. 2.2. Folk remedies
   3. 2.3. When should you see a doctor?
   4. 2.4. What happens if cystitis is not treated0059

Pain in cystitis

Acute inflammatory processes in the bladder cannot go unnoticed. This is due to the structure and function of this organ. It is hollow, and it constantly accumulates urine saturated with active substances – urea, ammonia, creatinine. Normally, the epithelium of the bladder is protected from it by special mucus. But with inflammation, its secretion decreases. Urine begins to irritate and destroy epithelial cells. This is a painful process that is accompanied by swelling, spasm and the inability to go to the toilet normally [2].

Swelling of the base of the bladder also exacerbates discomfort. Urine cannot flow naturally, accumulates and presses on irritated and damaged areas. Usually a woman feels constant pain in the groin area, which increases during urination. Pain can also occur paroxysmal, cutting. If the treatment is carried out correctly, inflammatory processes can be quickly stopped in a few days. And unpleasant symptoms can be eliminated or reduced by taking painkillers and antispasmodics.

What to do with pain during cystitis

Pain in cystitis makes it difficult for women to work, study, and lead an active social life. If the disease has aggravated, it is better to postpone all matters for a few days and create the most comfortable conditions for the body to recover. Recommended bed or semi-bed rest, lack of stress and urgent matters. Visiting swimming pools, saunas, baths and gyms will also have to be delayed [3].

A warm heating pad on the groin area helps to relieve pain and relieve spasms in the bladder. It is able to remove or reduce pain in cystitis, but it can also provoke an increased growth of pathogenic microflora, so it should be used with caution.

Do not stay in a sitting or static position for a long time. Congestion in the pelvic organs can increase swelling and pain. For the same reason, a woman should temporarily stop wearing high-heeled shoes and should not lift weights [4]. After the relief of acute pain, walking at a slow pace is recommended to naturally stimulate the lymph and blood flow. At the time of treatment should refrain from sexual intercourse [4].

During an exacerbation of cystitis, it’s time to give up alcohol and smoking. Both that, and another negatively affects vessels, causing their spasm. This can increase pain and aggravate the course of the disease. When broken down, alcohol is converted into substances that further damage the epithelium of the bladder. Both smoking and alcohol reduce the natural immunity that the body needs to fight the pathogenic microflora that caused cystitis. In the acute period of the disease, a diet should be followed. Spicy, salty, canned food and marinades are excluded from the diet. They have an irritating effect on the mucous membrane and can aggravate pain in cystitis [5].

Drink plenty of warm liquids. It can be pure drinking water or a rosehip decoction rich in vitamin C, as well as cranberry and lingonberry fruit drinks containing powerful antibacterial components. It is better to refrain from strong tea and coffee until complete recovery [6].

Drugs

Most often, cystitis occurs due to the abnormal growth of one of the following types of bacteria: chlamydia, Escherichia coli, staphylococci, trichomonas, mycoplasmas. But inflammation of the bladder can also be caused by other pathogens – fungi, viruses [1]. Therefore, for high-quality treatment, it is important to establish a pathogenic agent. Reliably this information can be obtained from blood tests, urine and bacteriological culture. This is enough to prescribe adequate treatment. But to make it even more effective, it is better to immediately analyze the sensitivity of microflora to various groups of antibiotics.

In case of a severe pain symptom, doctors must prescribe antispasmodics and painkillers. Tablets are selected in such a way that they do not carry an additional irritating load on the bladder damaged by inflammation.

Phytotherapy is used as an important additional component [7]. Herbal medicines can have a complex effect on the bladder: relieve pain, relieve spasm, stimulate urine flow and reduce crystalline sedimentation.

For example, Phytolysin® Paste* can be used. The composition of the paste for the preparation of a suspension for oral Phytolysin® includes a condensed extract of a mixture of 9 types of plant materials, as well as 4 essential oils and other components. It can be used at the first symptoms of cystitis: it alleviates unpleasant symptoms in complex treatment.

Folk remedies

Infusions and decoctions are usually prepared from fresh, dried and crushed raw materials.

Decoctions are usually made from rhizomes, roots and bark and are an excellent complementary therapy [8]. Many “urological” herbs contain natural bactericidal components, diuretics, antispasmodics.

Herbs for the treatment of cystitis can be used individually or in combination. From medicinal plants can be used [9]:

• goldenrod, or core. It is used as an infusion for chronic diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract. Goldenrod has a diuretic and antiseptic effect;
• bearberry, or bear ears. Used in the form of decoctions. Bearberry helps to cleanse the bladder of bacteria, exhibits diuretic properties. Together with the decoction, they take an alkaline drink (mineral water), since bearberry works better in an alkaline environment;
• horsetail. Relieves inflammation, has a hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effect. Decoctions and infusions of horsetail contain silicon compounds, so it is believed that they have a vascular-strengthening and wound-healing effect;
• highlander bird, or knotweed. In folk medicine, it is used as a diuretic, hemostatic and astringent. It is believed to be able to relieve spasm of the urinary tract;
• garden parsley. It is believed that the herb is able to directly affect the renal tubules, thereby achieving a diuretic effect. Also exhibits antispasmodic properties;
• medicinal lovage. For therapeutic purposes, mainly the roots of the plant are used, which have a diuretic and antibacterial effect, relieve inflammation from the urinary tract;
• forest pine. Pine essential oil in folk medicine is loved for its pronounced bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and diuretic effect.

Decoctions and infusions should be prepared strictly according to the instructions, taken in the recommended dosages and only after agreement with the attending physician. It usually takes quite a long time until a noticeable effect is achieved from the treatment with herbal decoctions.

The treatment of cystitis can be supplemented with douching, sitz baths, but this must also be approved by a doctor. Sedentary baths can relieve pain, when the perineum is immersed in a basin of hot water or a decoction of medicinal herbs for 15-20 minutes. The perineum must be clean [5]. In chronic cystitis, it is important to carry out regular preventive procedures, physiotherapy, and follow a special diet [10].

When should I see a doctor?

Usually, cystitis begins acutely after a provoking event: hypothermia, stress, excessive exercise. The general condition is rarely disturbed, more often the disease begins with symptoms of urination disorders [5]:

• pain and discomfort in the lower abdomen;
• frequent, painful urination in small portions;
• urgent or false urges;
• burning and cutting during urination;
• turbidity, impurities in the urine, strong pungent odor;
• discharge of drops of blood at the end of urination;
• slight increase in body temperature.

With such symptoms, a woman should urgently contact a general practitioner or a general practitioner at a polyclinic at her place of residence. Diagnosis begins with a survey. In addition to complaints, it is necessary to inform the specialist about the circumstances of the onset of the disease (for example, provoking factors), about the order in which the symptoms appeared and changed, as well as about the presence of urination disorders during the last month before treatment. If this is not the first episode of cystitis, the doctor should be informed when the last exacerbation occurred, how it was treated and with what result [5].

What happens if cystitis is left untreated

Without treatment, the symptoms of cystitis may subside on their own, but the infection is not so easy to get rid of. From the bladder, pathogenic microbes can get up and cause pyelonephritis, an inflammation of the pyelocaliceal system of the kidneys. Pyelonephritis can develop just a few days after the onset of cystitis. This condition is called cystopyelonephritis and occurs in women. At the same time, signs of pyelonephritis “superimpose” on the symptoms of cystitis [4].

Bladder inflammation is most often superficial. However, cystitis can also occur in severe forms, which are fraught with the development of formidable complications. Severe forms of cystitis include [4]: ​​

• hemorrhagic;
• phlegmonous;
• gangrenous.

In the hemorrhagic form, blood circulation in the wall of the bladder is disturbed, the vessels dilate and become porous. With hemorrhagic cystitis, the mucous membrane bleeds, visible blood appears in the urine, bleeding may develop.

In the phlegmonous form, inflammation affects not only the mucosa, but also the underlying, deep layers of the organ wall. From the inflamed bladder, the infection can move on to the fiber surrounding the organ. A purulent process develops – paracystitis, which can develop into peritonitis, extensive inflammation in the abdominal cavity. This life-threatening condition needs urgent surgical debridement.

In the gangrenous form, the entire thickness of the bladder wall is affected. With the progression of the infectious process, a zone of tissue necrosis appears in the wall of the organ – necrosis. In this case, emergency surgical excision of damaged tissues is required, since a perforation site may form in the necrosis zone, and urine will “poured out” into the abdominal cavity [4].

Signs of a kidney infection or severe cystitis can be suspected in the presence of symptoms of intoxication and aggravation of local symptoms (from the kidneys and bladder), which include [4,5]:

• fever, chills, fever up to 38 °С and above;
• severe general condition: weakness, fatigue, intoxication, nausea, vomiting;
• pain in the side or back;
• visible blood, pus in urine;
• debilitating, painful urination lasting several hours.

If any of these symptoms are present, an ambulance should be called immediately. The patient usually needs hospitalization.

Long-term chronic cystitis can lead to irreversible changes in the bladder.