About cystitis treatment

What is cystitis?

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder usually caused by an infection in your lower urinary tract. It’s not always caused by bacteria but this is the most common cause.

Cystitis affects women more often than men – 13 to 14% of males will experience it in their lives, while around 50% of women do. Women are more susceptible to bacterial cystitis because bacteria can travel more easily through the shorter urethra that women have.

Antibiotics are not always needed to treat cystitis – your body might clear the infection on its own with the self-treatment of cystitis. If the symptoms of cystitis have not improved within 3 days, speak to your doctor to get antibiotic treatment for the infection.

You may also be able to order treatment for cystitis online. With ZAVA, you need to answer a questionnaire that will be reviewed by our doctors. If they believe you have cystitis, we can send you antibiotics for cystitis treatment.

It’s also important to be aware of interstitial cystitis (IC), which is long-term inflammation of the bladder (it can have similar symptoms to cystitis, but different causes). You can find out more in our guide to interstitial cystitis.

“Cystitis can be very uncomfortable and cause real pain and distress. The good news is that it can often be treated very effectively using antibiotics, and most patients make a full recovery quickly. However, it’s important to get treatment as soon as possible to prevent the condition getting worse.” – Dr Zoe Miller, Medical Editor.

What causes cystitis?

Bacterial cystitis is commonly caused by certain bacteria from your poo, such as E. coli, getting into your urethra. This typically occurs if you wipe back to front when going to the toilet.

Other things that may increase the risk of bacteria entering your bladder include:

• having a bacterial infection
• side effects from medications, such as those used to treat cancer
• chemicals in hygiene products that irritate your genitals
• pregnancy
• diabetes
• having a weakened immune system
• having been through menopause
• using spermicide with contraception
• having a catheter

Knowing what triggers cystitis for you is important, so you can manage the condition as best as you can.

What are the symptoms of cystitis?

Common symptoms of cystitis in adult men and women include:

• needing to pee more frequently, including at night
• needing to pee very urgently which can lead to incontinence (loss of bladder control)
• a burning or stinging sensation when you pee
• dark-coloured, cloudy, or bad-smelling urine
• blood in the urine
• pain in your lower tummy
• pain during sexual intercourse
• difficulty urinating

In women, the symptoms of cystitis can be confused with other vaginal infections. These include bacterial vaginosis (BV) and thrush. Both of these infections can change your vaginal discharge, whereas in cystitis you should not see any change.

It’s important to identify if the infection is a UTI. Treating the wrong infections with antibiotics can give you problems when taking antibiotics in the future. If you cannot wait for a doctor’s appointment, you can request a UTI test strip through ZAVA. Our UTI test strip will quickly identify if you have a UTI, and you can do the test from the comfort of your own home.

If the infection spreads to your kidneys, you’ll need stronger treatment. Symptoms of a kidney infection include:

• feeling sick or being sick
• sharp pain on one side of your back
• a tender abdomen
• blood in your urine
• a temperature
• diarrhoea
• flu-like symptoms

This is a more serious infection that requires immediate medical attention. If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms above, call 111 or make an urgent GP appointment. If you feel seriously unwell and are drowsy and/or confused, get someone to call 999.

How do you treat cystitis?

Cystitis can be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics are not available over the counter. You’ll need a prescription from a doctor to get cystitis treatment antibiotics. Your doctor will ask you to take a urine sample to do a UTI test to check if you have cystitis. You can also buy cystitis treatment or a UTI Test from the comfort of your home through a registered and regulated online doctor service like ZAVA.

If this is your first cystitis infection or you do not get cystitis very often, you’ll be given a short course of antibiotics. This is usually for 3 days. The most widely used antibiotics for cystitis treatment are:

• nitrofurantoin 100mg, twice a day, for 3 days
• trimethoprim 200mg twice a day, for 3 days (if you cannot take nitrofurantoin)

If there is no improvement in your symptoms after at least 48 hours, or the antibiotics you were prescribed are causing unmanageable side effects, your doctor may prescribe:

• nitrofurantoin 100mg, twice a day for 3 days (if not used first)
• pivmecillinam as a 400mg initial dose, followed by 200mg 3 times a day for a total of 3 days
• fosfomycin 3g single dose sachet (a powder mixed with a glass of water until dissolved and drank in 1 dose)

Your doctor will review your general health and check if you have allergies before giving you antibiotics.

You can request nitrofurantoin treatment for cystitis from ZAVA. Nitrofurantoin is a highly effective antibiotic for cystitis treatment, with studies showing it cures between 79% and 92% of patients. It works by killing the bacteria in your urinary tract. If you are given this treatment for a UTI, you’ll take 1 capsule twice a day for 3 days. You can take nitrofurantoin with or after food.

Remember to space the doses out evenly, such as in the morning with breakfast and in the evening after dinner. Always finish the full course of antibiotics to make sure the infection is fully treated. If nitrofurantoin is not suitable for you, our doctors may recommend trimethoprim instead.

Side effects of cystitis treatment

Nitrofurantoin

Nitrofurantoin has very few side effects and is generally a well-tolerated medication. You may feel sick when taking the first few doses but this will usually disappear after a few hours. Other nitrofurantoin side effects may include:

• dizziness
• loss of appetite
• headaches

Remember to take nitrofurantoin with food to reduce the side effects it can have on your stomach. Sometimes nitrofurantoin might change the colour of your urine and it will look darker than usual. This is temporary and will stop once you finish the treatment course.

You can find out more about common side effects on our nitrofurantoin product page. For a full list of side effects, please refer to the patient information leaflet included with the medication.

Trimethoprim

If you take trimethoprim as a cystitis treatment, one of the most common side effects is thrush. This is because although antibiotics work by killing the bacteria causing an infection, they can also kill normal harmless bacteria which protect you against thrush.

If you do get thrush symptoms while taking antibiotics for cystitis, you can get thrush treatment online or over the counter to get rid of the infection sooner.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

For cystitis treatment in pregnancy or when breastfeeding, speak to your doctor about UTI treatment. They may prescribe different kinds of antibiotics.

Cystitis treatment at home

You may be able to treat some symptoms of cystitis at home using self-care remedies.

Whether or not you are taking antibiotics, our cystitis self-care tips include:

1. Taking over-the-counter painkillers: if you are in pain from the infection, paracetamol and ibuprofen can help alleviate lingering symptoms as you recover.

2. Using heat pads or a hot water bottle: this can help to relieve back and abdominal pain associated with cystitis.

3. Using cystitis relief sachets: you can purchase this remedy over-the-counter and simply add them to a glass of water. This does not cure cystitis but can help soothe pain by minimising the acidity of your urine. However, there is minimal evidence that these work once you already have a UTI.

4. Stay hydrated: keeping hydrated will flush the infection out of the system.

5. Wear loose clothing: you should wear cotton underwear and loose pants as you recover from cystitis to stay comfortable and avoid further irritation.

To help you recover faster from cystitis, we recommend avoiding:

• perfumed hygiene products, which can irritate your genital area
• holding your urine too long – make sure you go to the toilet as soon as you need it
• foods and drinks that are high in sugar
• coffee and alcohol – these are both known as diuretics, which can irritate your bladder and make you need to pee more frequently
• having sex or masturbating, as this can cause irritation

➤ If you would like more information on UTIs and how to get rid of them, learn more in our guide.

How to avoid getting cystitis

To avoid getting cystitis in the future, at ZAVA we recommend making sure you:

✓ Drink plenty of clear fluids

✓ When showering, use water to wash your genitals (avoid perfumed products)

✓ Wipe from front to back when you go to the toilet

✓ Pee as soon as you can after having sex

✓ Wear loose clothing to avoid irritation

Cystitis is a common condition that’s usually caused by infection and there are highly effective cystitis treatments available if it does not go away on its own. The best treatments for cystitis can clear the infection in just a few days.

With ZAVA, you can conveniently order cystitis treatment or a UTI test online to save you having to make a trip to the GP. In some cases, such as if you get recurrent infections or it spreads to your kidneys, you will need to see a doctor in person as this will require further treatment.