Treatment of Bladder infections

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Treatment depends on the cause of the bladder infection.

Mild bacterial infections such as cystitis will usually go away on their own, in 2-4 days. You should visit your GP if it does not. You can take over-the-counter painkillers such as paracetamol to ease any pain (but always read dosage instructions on the packet).

If you have a bacterial infection, your GP may prescribe a short course of antibiotics. If you have repeated attacks of cystitis, or a severe infection, you may be prescribed a longer course of antibiotics.

Drinking plenty of water is often recommended as a treatment for cystitis. There is no evidence that this is helpful, although drinking at least two litres of fresh water per day is generally good for health.

Taking sodium citrate or potassium citrate may be helpful in easing some of the symptoms. These are available from your pharmacist without a prescription.

If your infection has been spread to the bladder from another part of the body or is a side effect of another condition such as gonorrhoea, this should also be treated appropriately. For example, gonorrhoea is treated with antibiotic tablets or injections, and the parasitic infection schistosomiasis is treated with anti-worm drugs called anthelmintics. Bladder infections caused by the herpes virus are usually treated with antiviral drugs such as acyclovir. Fungal infections are usually treated with antifungal tablets such as flucytosine, or it might be necessary to wash the bladder out using a liquid containing antifungals such as amphotericin.