Can Your Body Become Resistant to UTI Meds?
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“Unfortunately, we’re seeing a resistance to the antibiotics used to treat UTIs more and more—it’s become somewhat of a national trend,” says Sandip Vasavada, M.D., urologic director at the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Female Urology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery.
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Health officials have been warning us about the risks of antibiotic resistance for years, but patients (and docs) haven’t exactly taken heed. One recent study shows that about 30 percent of U.S. patients’ antibiotic prescriptions were unnecessary (for example, they were given out for a cold, which is a virus and doesn’t respond to bacteria-fighting drugs).
Every time we take an antibiotic, bacteria is given the chance to practice fighting it off. The bacteria that manage to survive (thanks to certain mutations or resistance genes) pass on their survival tactics to the next generation and so on. A 2012 study found that the resistance of E. coli (the culprit behind most UTIs) to one of the most commonly prescribed UTI antibiotics, ciprofloxacin, had increased five-fold from 2000 to 2010. (Frequently taking antibiotics ups your odds of forming a resistance, but Vasavada says some women show a resistance even after just one round of drugs.) Scary stuff, considering half of all women will develop a UTI in their lifetime, according to research, and some suffer from them four or more times a year. (Most aren’t a big deal, but left untreated they can lead to a more serious kidney infection.)
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Right now, effective UTI drugs that aren’t antibiotics do not exist on the market, and there isn’t much solid research when it comes to preventive therapies. (There’s some evidence that cranberry can ward off a UTI, but Vasavada says docs don’t know how much you’d need to drink or how many cranberry pills you have to take for the benefit.)
So how can you protect yourself? Vasavada says peeing after sex, wiping front to back, and drinking lots of liquids (which keeps you peeing and flushing out that bacteria) may help you avoid a UTI. And if you do think you have a bladder infection, it’s always best to head to the doc and get a culture to make sure it’s the real thing. Even if you feel like you can spot a UTI burn a mile away, it’s best to check in with your doc to make sure treatment is absolutely necessary.
Gif courtesy of giphy.com