Doctors may consider urinary tract infections a minor inconvenience. If you’ve ever suffered one, though, you know it’s not only painful, UTIs are also mentally taxing…they can literally drive you nuts with the constant urge to go, the inability to urinate when you need to and the painful burning sensation. (I don’t mean to be gross; I just want to be blatantly honest.)
Sometimes, these can be caused by medicine. Other times, they come from out of nowhere. I went years without one and then suddenly one comes on from out of nowhere last month. In the past, my UTIs have been cured by some cranberry juice, lots of water and a couple doses of a weak antibiotic. So, I call my doctor expecting a quick fix. He’s out of town for a week and I can’t get in to see anyone else in the practice. Later on during the day, one of the nurses calls me and recommends that I try an over-the-counter medicine called AZO. She said if it didn’t cure my infections, to call back in a few days.
So, off I go to the pharmacy. The pharmacist helped me find it and said that while it didn’t cure all infections, most of the customers he had spoken with were cured by it without a prescription. The medicine contains phenazopyridine hydrochloride, which means absolutely nothing to me. The packaging, though, explains that this is the medicine most prescribed by physicians. (By the way, it’s found in the feminine hygiene aisle.)
The medicine really works. I started getting relief from my worst symptom (the urge to go) within an hour of the first dose. My infection was gone in about three days and I didn’t have to go to miss work and go to the doctor. The medicine is fairly affordable, especially when you add in the savings from the cost of a doctor’s visit. The cost for the brand name is about $8 for 32 tablets. The store brands run about $6. It’s available everywhere…drug stores, Wal-mart, grocery stores.
As with all medicines, there are some drawbacks. I took a dose without food and became very sick at my stomach. It also turns your urine a bright orange color. If you have any leakage, you may want to wear depends at night and during the day so you won’t stain the sheets or your clothes. While the urge is relieved immediately, the burning continues for a few more doses. I would recommend that you drink a lot of water while taking this. While I appreciated the relief, it also left me feeling somewhat dehydrated.
If I were to judge this on a five star system, I would give it four stars. The side effects would keep it from getting a five. Still, it’s as perfect as you can get in OTC, immediate relief for UTIs.
