Our doctors can prescribe antibiotics, there are a number of treatments including nitrofurantoin and trimethoprim.

There is a small chance the bacterium may be resistant to the antibiotic the doctor prescribes, if this turns out to be the case please contact smartscripts as soon as possible.

Infections of the bladder(cystitis) or urethra (tube that carries urine out of the body)
are known as lower UTIs. These can cause:

• a need to urinate more often than usual
• pain or discomfort when peeing
• sudden urges to urinate
• feeling as though you’re unable to empty your bladder fully
• pain low down in your tummy
• urine that’s cloudy, foul smelling or feeling generally unwell, achy and tired

Most cases are thought to happen when bacteria in the bowel or on the skin get into the bladder via the urethra. The urethra is the tube that removes pee from the bladder and out of the body.It’s not always clear how this happens, but it can be caused by:

• having sex
• wiping your bottom after going to the toilet – particularly if you wipe from back to front
• inserting a tampon or urinary catheter (a tube that empties the bladder)
• using a diaphragm for contraception

Women may get cystitis more than men because their anus is closer to their urethra, which is much shorter. This means bacteria could get into the bladder more easily.