Effective Treatment for Bladder Infections

Bladder infections, along with other forms of urinary tract infections, affect 60 percent of women over their lifespan. Men experience bladder infections at a fraction of the rate of women--less than 10 men per 10,000 under the age of 50, with rates rising significantly with age. Effective bladder infection treatments may encompass pharmaceuticals as well as natural remedies.

Types

• Antibiotics are an effective bladder infection treatment in both women and men. Drugs like Bactrim, Cipro and Amoxil are typical choices of physicians.

Time Frame

• For an initial bladder infection, a 1- to 3-day course of antibiotics is usually sufficient.

Recurrent Infections

• For effective treatment of recurrent bladder infections, the NIH (National Institutes of Health) advocates a 6-month course of low-dose antibiotics (see Resources).

Expert Insight

• The NIH recommends sufficient water intake and urinating upon the urge to increase the effectiveness of bladder infection treatment (see Resources).

Considerations

• The NIH has reviewed research which shows cranberry--either in pure juice or capsule form--to be an effective treatment for bladder infection, especially if taken regularly by those who experience recurrent infections (see Resources).