Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

What Are Urinary Tract Infections?

This type of infection is a type of bacterial infection, and in rare cases a fungal infection, that affects the urinary tract. It starts when bacteria get into the urethra and then into the urinary tract. The urethra is a tube that urine flows through to leave the bladder. Once the bacteria get inside, the infection often spreads to other parts of the urinary system such as the ureters, bladder, and kidneys. Most of the time, an infection will affect the lower urinary tract, including the urethra and bladder. There’s a higher risk of women getting a UTI than men. A UTI can be a serious infection, especially if it spreads to the patient’s kidneys. A UTI can cause a lot of symptoms such as burning while urinating, cloudy urine, pelvic pain, urine that is brown, red, or pink, a strong feeling that you have to urinate, and more.

What Are the Different Types of UTI?

There are different types of urinary tract infections that are classified by the areas that they affect. Each type comes with its own signs and symptoms. Urethritis is an infection that affects the urethra. This can result in a discharge and/or a burning feeling when urinating. Cystitis is a type that affects the bladder. It happens when bacteria get past the urethra and spreads into this organ. This can result in pelvis pressure, blood in the urine, urination that is frequent and painful, and lower belly discomfort. Pyelonephritis is a type of UTI that infects the kidneys. This happens when the infection continues to spread and gets into the kidneys, or it can come from a urinary tract obstruction. This can come with a high fever, nausea, chills, shaking, and side or back pain.

How Are UTI Treated With Medications?

Because UTIs are caused by bacteria, they can generally be treated with antibiotics. The type of antibiotics a patient needs will depend on their health, where the infection is concentrated, how severe the infection is, and the sex of the patient. Men often need to have a longer course of treatment than women do, and pregnant women also need it to be longer. Some of the medications that are commonly used to treat UTIs include ceftriaxone, Bactrim or Bactrim DS, amoxicillin, cephalexin, nitrofurantoin, and fosfomycin. Most UTIs can be ended by taking a full course of antibiotics. For a UTI, a full course can be as little as three doses.

Why Are Urinary Tract Infection Medications Expensive in the USA?

The medications that are used to treat UTIs can be expensive in the U.S. There are some antibiotics that are lower priced because they have been around a long time and have many generics of them available. Antibiotics like amoxicillin tend to be relatively inexpensive, but there are many antibiotics that aren’t. More specialized antibiotics can be highly expensive. That’s because people in the U.S. pay more for their prescriptions than any other people in the world. The high cost of developing and testing a drug gets passed on to American consumers. That allows people elsewhere to have a lower cost while still creating a profit.

How Much Are Urinary Tract Infection Medications Without Insurance?

There is a wide range of prices for various antibiotics in the U.S. If you don’t have insurance, there are a lot of antibiotics that don’t cost that much. Amoxicillin can cost around $27 while Monurol can cost about $33. Cephalexin is inexpensive at about $15, but the brand-name medication is about $60. Zithromax costs about $73, though there is a generic of it. When you get your UTI medication, it’s always less expensive if you can get the generic. However, not all medications have a generic form yet. You may end up paying a lot without insurance simply because it’s being sold in the U.S.