Symptoms of Urinary Tract Infection — Page 5

Antibiotics for urinary tract infections

Antibiotics can treat bacterial urinary tract infections. A 3-to-5 day course of antibiotics can treat uncomplicated infections, the type most women develop. More complicated infections, and most UTIs developed by men, require 5-to-7 days of antibiotics.

Not all bacterial UTIs need antibiotics. In one study of women with urinary tract infections, 71 percent of those who delayed treatment for a week found that their symptoms resolved with no complications.

Because overuse of antibiotics has contributed to antibiotic resistant bacteria, many doctors encourage patients with uncomplicated UTIs to wait before using antibiotics. Complicated urinary tract infections, kidney infections, and prostatitis all require antibiotic treatment.

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