Overview
UTIs and their symptoms typically improve with the right antibiotics. However, in some cases, symptoms may come and go. This could be due to inconsistent medication use or because the prescribed antibiotics are not effective for you.
Antibiotic resistance can develop when your body doesn’t respond to certain antibiotics. Signs that you’re recovering from a UTI include reduced pain, decreased burning during urination, and lower abdominal discomfort.
What are the signs of UTI going away with antibiotics?
Antibiotics, whether taken for UTI or any other infection, require the completion of a dosage regimen at any cost to avoid antibiotic resistance. However, the symptoms of all bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections, show improvement when you take medications for approximately 5-7 days.
After taking antibiotics, you might feel some common changes and improvements in your signs and symptoms regardless of gender.
1. Reduced pain and burning sensation
The pain in the urinary tract, especially in the vagina or penis, will get decreased when you start taking the medications. When the UTI starts to kick in, one of the initial and prominent symptoms is a burning sensation felt when passing the urine.
After antibiotics, you will feel less burning sensation down there whenever you pass the urine!
Your body has a built-in defense system! The burning sensation during a UTI comes from your immune system fighting off the infection. Once antibiotics start doing their job, your body relaxes, and that painful burning subsides, letting you feel like yourself again, says- Dr.Richard Honekar.
2. Less frequent urination
When on antibiotics, the increased visits to the washroom will eventually decrease. Just when the urinary tract infection starts to clear up, the urgency to pee and the frequency of passing urine will decrease. When the dosage regimen of antibiotics and course end, your urine frequency will become normal!
Fun fact: Did you know that cranberry juice has long been believed to help with urinary tract infections (UTIs)? While it’s not a cure, cranberries contain compounds that might prevent bacteria from sticking to the bladder walls, potentially reducing the risk of infection. Just don’t skip your antibiotics!
3. Clearer urine
The color of urine in case of urinary tract infection is usually unclear; instead, it looks usually turbid with blood specks. One of the very few visible symptoms when the antibiotics start to work and treat UTI is more transparent urine. It would not become crystal clear but return back to its standard light yellowish color with no turbidity of mucus seen.
Helpful Tip: Urine color in the body is a built-in indicator for UTIs. It will get clear slowly with antibiotics, but staying hydrated is crucial, as it can further assist in flushing out bacteria, reducing symptoms faster!
4. Decreased lower abdominal pain and discomfort
Overall, symptoms show improvement when you start the correct dose and regimen prescribed by your healthcare provider. Lower abdominal pain and discomfort due to UTI can be very disturbing and interfere with your daily life activities.
As the antibiotics start doing their job, you might notice the pain in your lower abdomen taking a backseat. It’s like your body saying, ‘Alright, we’ve had enough of this UTI party, time to chill!’
You’ll soon feel that sharp, nagging pain transforming into a gentle whisper, reminding you that relief is near.
Signs specific in females:
- When the antibiotics starts to work for UTI, the pelvic pain starts to reduce gradually.
- Other than relief in pelvic pain, the vaginal irritation also subsides with antibiotics that give relief.
Signs specific in Males:
- Men experience discomfort in the urethra or penis when urinating, and this sensation should improve with treatment.
- Men with more severe UTIs, such as those involving the prostate or kidneys, will get relief from lower back pain and groin area.
Why do my UTI symptoms come and go?
Your UTI symptoms come and go for several reasons, including :
Incomplete treatment
When you start the treatment of antibiotics, you start to feel relief, and you leave the medications because you feel like it’s treated. After 5-6 days, you start to get the symptoms again, which indicates that the UTIs are still there but are coming with the worst symptoms.
This can also lead to antibiotic resistance development when you stop taking antibiotics, as the body has enough time to make antibodies against the antibiotics you are taking.
Recurrent infection
Some individuals are more prone to recurrent UTIs, often due to factors like hormonal fluctuations, increased sexual activity, or underlying medical conditions that make the urinary tract more vulnerable to infections.
Sometimes, the cause of recurrent infection can be genetics! Consulting your healthcare provider as soon as possible is the best approach to dealing with recurrent UTIs and getting the well-needed antibiotic prescription.
Antibiotic Resistance
It is possible that the antibiotics that were prescribed to you won’t work for you due to the development of antibiotic resistance in the body. In such scenarios, you won’t feel any change in your symptoms after taking antibiotics. Instead, you’ll observe similar symptoms.
Consulting a healthcare professional can help you choose the right antibiotic for your condition after some significant and necessary diagnostic tests!
Other possibilities that your UTI symptoms come and go can be :
- Abscess formation
- Urinary stones
- Prostitis.
In any case, whether symptoms come or go, it is essential to consult your doctor for effective treatment options and prescriptions if necessary. It’s also essential to follow the guidelines and prescription dose until completion to avoid complications like the development of antibiotic resistance.
When to consult a doctor?
You will notice an improvement in your symptoms of UTI, usually when taking antibiotics. When symptoms persist with no improvement or worsening, connecting with an online doctor becomes essential.
Your healthcare provider will perform accurate diagnostic tests and prescribe the correct antibiotics for your condition!
FAQs about signs your UTI is clearing up
Yes, only when you have developed resistance to certain antibiotics and they do not serve as effectively as you expect them to for your condition. In such scenarios, you need to get the diagnostics again with the doctor and change antibiotic prescriptions to treat your UTI effectively.
Some of the significant signs that your UTI is getting worse include increased frequency and urgency of urination, worsening or persistent lower abdominal or pelvic pain, blood in the urine, intense or foul-smelling urine, fever or chills, nausea or vomiting, cloudy or turbid urine, back pain or flank pain, and fatigue or malaise.
