Almost everyone has experienced a UTI or urinary tract infection. Antibiotics for UTIs will generally be used when the condition is severe enough. What are the types of antibiotics for UTIs? Ssee the full discussion!
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infectious disease that occurs in the urinary system, starting from the kidneys, ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder), bladder, to the urethra or urinary tract.
Causes and Risk Factors of UTI
Urinary tract infections are most often caused by bacteria, such as: E. coli and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. But in addition to bacteria, viruses and fungi can also cause urinary tract infections.
Meanwhile, there are several risk factors that can make a person susceptible to UTIs, namely:
- Have you had a urinary tract infection before?
- Not keeping the genital area clean
- Mistakes in how to take care of intimate organs, such as prioritizing cleaning the anus when washing, especially for UTIs in women
- Frequently holding pee
- Blockages in the urinary tract, for example due to kidney stones, enlarged prostate gland, or congenital abnormalities in the urinary tract
- Conditions that weaken the immune system, such as diabetes and side effects of chemotherapy treatment
- Use of vaginal cleansing soap
- Frequent sexual intercourse
- Long term use of the catheter
Should UTIs Be Treated with Antibiotics?
Not all UTIs need to be treated with antibiotics. If it's still mild, generally UTI can heal on its own or the natural way, namely drinking lots of water to urinate (BAK) becomes more frequent, so that bacteria can be excreted in the urine.
However, in severe UTI symptoms, which are accompanied by fever, pus or blood in the urine, difficulty controlling urination, frequent bedwetting, or severe pain in the waist or back, antibiotics for UTI are required for treatment.
In addition, antibiotics also need to be given to UTIs that do not improve in more than 2 days, are felt to be getting worse, or are very frequent relapses.
There are many choices of types of antibiotics for UTIs that can be used, including:
- Nitrofurantoin
- Fosfomycin
- Trimethophrime/sulfamethoxazole
- Levofloxacin
- Cefixime
- Ciprofloxacin
- Amoxicillin
Generally for the first choice, the doctor will give antibiotics nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, and sulfamethoxazole. However, before determining the type, dose, and duration of antibiotic use for a UTI, the doctor will first assess how severe the patient's UTI is.
Sometimes it is also necessary to examine bacterial culture and drug resistance to determine what type of antibiotic is effective at killing the bacteria. In addition to antibiotics, doctors can also prescribe other UTI drugs, such as NSAIDs to reduce inflammation and pain caused by UTIs.
Therefore, antibiotics for UTIs should be obtained and used according to a doctor's prescription. Using antibiotics for UTIs without a doctor's supervision can result in you taking the wrong type and dose of antibiotics. This risks making the UTI not heal or even making the bacteria that cause the infection become resistant to antibiotics.
Consumption of Antibiotics for UTIs must be finished
Even if you feel better after treatment with antibiotics, you should still finish the antibiotics your doctor has prescribed. The reason is, if the use of antibiotics is stopped too soon, bacteria in the urinary tract can grow back because not all of them have been eradicated. If this happens, UTI symptoms will reappear and become even more difficult to treat.
So, do not carelessly buy antibiotics for UTIs yourself and stop using them without the doctor's knowledge. Consult your doctor first if you experience symptoms of a urinary tract infection, in order to get the appropriate treatment. Likewise, if the UTI often recurs or does not improve with antibiotics.