Urinary Tract Infections In Teens And Adults: Home Treatment

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Home Treatment

You may be able to cure an early urinary tract infection (UTI) if you act promptly when you have the first symptoms of a UTI, such as pain and burning with urination. Home treatment steps that may stop an infection from progressing include:

• Drinking lots of water, especially during the first 24 hours after your symptoms appear. This will help make the urine less concentrated and wash out the infection-causing bacteria. This may alter some of your body's normal defense mechanisms, but most doctors recommend drinking a lot of fluids when you have a UTI. Some people also drink cranberry juice.
• Urinating frequently and completely, to empty your bladder each time.

To relieve pain, take a hot bath or lay a heating pad over your genital area. Never go to sleep with a heating pad in place.

Self-treatment of recurrent UTIs

If you are a woman who has frequent uncomplicated UTIs, your doctor may write a standing prescription for antibiotics to take if you develop symptoms of a UTI. If you and your doctor agree to follow this approach and you develop symptoms that you are certain are caused by a UTI, follow your doctor's instructions for taking the medicine and for monitoring your symptoms. Be sure to notify your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or if you start having UTIs more often than in the past.

Last updated:	June 15, 2007
Author:	Kathe Gallagher, MSW
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Philip Belitsky, MD, FRCSC - Urology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC