To ask for your cystitis remedies

[Charlie97]

It's been years since I had a flare up! Is it still cranberry juice, lots of water and are those over the counter remedies a help?

So uncomfortable 😣

Ibuprofen and paracetamol, hot bath, loads of lemon barley water, Cystemme from the chemist. Antibiotics dont help cystitis. Cystitis is an inflammation/irritation, usually a pH problem. It CAN be caused by a bacterial infection, but most often ISNT.

amic you are probably 'sore down there' due to thrush, if you are taking antibiotics for cystitis...and then thrush causes cystitis...its a vicious cycle

One bag of Pearl Barley approx 55p, boil half as per instructions. Leave to cool, strain and add juice. Drink a cup an hour, it will be a sticky mess but it cleans the Bladder. A very old fashioned remedy that works, don’t take Antibiotics unless you know it’s traveling to the Kidneys.

drink lots of unsweetened cranberry juice, worked for me.

Antibiotics dont help cystitis.

Sure as heck do if it is bacterial, in which case the other 'remedies' are not much use at all. If you can't shift cystitis in a couple of days with OTC stuff fgs take a sample to the gap and get proper diagnosis.

People who are getting cystitis after sex is definitely not bacterial...a bacterial infection doesnt occur that quickly

People who are prescribed antibiotics to treat a uti have presumably had a positive dipstick or culture. buying ABs online to treat cystitis is really stupid

You want to take something for the pain, bicarbonate will definitely help, and you want to drink a big glass of water about every half an hour until the burning stops. You want to keep a steady flow going through. In the past I have sat up half the night, but eventually I did learn how to flush it away, and I haven’t had it for ages. Angela Kilmartin’s book Sexual Cystitis is out of print now, but you can still get copies. I thoroughly recommend it for those who suffer from this.

I keep a stock of antibiotics in from Lloyds online so I have any when I have a flare up. I don't get them often now thankfully!

onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/uk/cystitis Here's the link if anyone is interested. It's all perfectly regulated and goes through doctors so not stupid at all ;)

A warm jug of water poured over your fanjo as you wee is supposed to stop the pain.

Waterfall D Mannose!! Absolutely brilliant and no side effects unlike antibiotics (in my case)

www.chronicutiinfo.com I am on continuous antibiotics for UTIs - the worst pain

Drinking additional (but not totally excessive) water is usually quite effective at reducing symptoms. I think it can clear infections as well as other sources of swelling/pain. But there are very good targeted ABs for UTI's that are usually very quick to act. I am appalled that you can buy ABs online. What the hell is the world coming to?

People who are prescribed antibiotics to treat a uti have presumably had a positive dipstick or culture. buying ABs online to treat cystitis is really stupid

Yes, absolutely!

For the first time in 20 years I cleared mine without antibiotics recently by drinking dilute apple cider vinegar (maybe 2tbsp per glass) as soon as I felt the symptoms. It took half a day or so to work, with drinking a glass every so often until the symptoms went. Mine is definitely bacterial, but not E-Coli as it never shows up on the tests.

All the above plus avoid sugar, caffeine and alcohol (irritates the bladder). Eat raw tomatoes, veg, things that are fresh and unprocessed. And yes, always wee before and after sex.

However if you have symptoms, cultures are NOTORIOUSLY ineffective so don’t rely on that alone. Doctors should treat by symptoms. Hundreds of references to support this.

Fu k that shit I'd be down to the chemist getting the sachets. Cystitis is a real bitch lol

Just because you get a negative result it doesn't mean you dont have an infection. UK testing misses well over 50% of infection. That's why if you are not given high dose antibiotics for at least two weeks when you have all the symptoms - you will end up with a chronic embedded biofilm uti. If you are given antibiotics, dont overdo the wster as you will dilute the antibiotic to much and flush it out. Also get prescribed methanamine hippurex (hiprex). Its an antiseptic tablet and flushes out all the bugs..it also stops bigs clinging to the bladder wall. Its helped so many people. I believe you dont need a script to get it but it is expensive if you don't get it prescribed. www.cutic.co.uk/patients/why-are-my-tests-negative/

This may sound a bit odd but honestly it's my go to for a really bad flare up. Run a warm bath, but some oats in a sock and tie it so they can't escape. Get in the bath with the sock. Put the sock in the water and squeeze it, it'll let out oatmilk. Do it near your foof and it'll soothe the stinging. It's a great stress ball too.

I suffered with painful bladder syndrome for 2 years as a result of cystitis. It was awful and I ended up on anti depressants. When the pain was particularly bad I would put an ice pack between my legs (covered with a flannel so it wasn’t direct on the skin). I also used to put an alarm on my phone which would wake me every 4 hours in the night to drink water and then go pee so urine wasn’t able to sit in my bladder for too long.

Sympathy, OP. If you think the cranberry thing might not be working for you, you're probably right. The evidence is inconclusive at best. There's an NHS article here if you want to run your eye over it. www.nhs.uk/news/food-and-diet/cranberry-juice-wont-prevent-bladder-infections/

Oh crap, the return key isn't working and I was aiming for shift and return and hit control and return instead. So to continue! - you may not like my personal favourite - but it's very weak and very milky Rooibos tea. Gallons of it. Plus don't be afraid of the painkillers. They really help. If it's a bacterial infection, do get antibiotics. The other thing that may not be recommended but it's essential for me (and another poster has mentioned this) is that I can't empty my bladder and then go to bed, as I don't void properly so I end up with 50ml of stale wee hanging around for eight hours - which can really set off another infection. So I tend to make sure I drink something before bedtime, and if I have to wee in the night, I'd rather do that than deal with an infection. Quite possibly not relevant to you, of course.

Bicarbonate in water, with a bit of Robinson's for flavour, paracetamol and then a hot water bottle on your fanjo- it really numbs the area.

Also would get to the GP ASAP, if it's bad enough for you to need to do this then you will be needing antibiotics.