Effective Treatment for Bladder Infections

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By Misha Safranski
eHow Contributing Writer

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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).