Hiprex is used to prevent ongoing or recurrent UTI symptoms and infections.
Urinary tract infections (UTI) or cystitis is very common and is usually caused by gut bacteria entering your lower urinary tract and bladder. It can occur in people of all ages, however women are 14 times more likely to be affected than men.
What are UTI symptoms?
Common symptoms
- Needing to pee more often
- Pain when peeing
- Pee that looks cloudy and/or smells particularly bad
- Needing to pee suddenly/urgently
- Tummy pain
- Generally feeling unwell
More serious symptoms
- A fever, shivers and/or chills
- Pain in your back or sides
- Feeling like being sick or actually vomiting
- Confusion and restlessness
What is Hiprex?
Hiprex is used to prevent ongoing or recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs). It works by causing your pee (urine) to be acidic and in this way discourages the growth of bugs. It is not effective for the treatment of UTIs but may be considered for preventing UTIs.
Hiprex is fully funded when prescribed by your healthcare practitioner OR you can purchase it at the ZOOM Pharmacy Online Shop.
How do I take Hiprex?
The dose of Hiprex is 1 tablet 2 times a day – every 12 hours is best.
- Take Hiprex regularly to prevent UTIs – do not wait for symptoms
- Take Hiprex with food and a full glass of water
- If you find it difficult to swallow the Hiprex tablets, you can crush them and take with a drink of milk or fruit juice
- Take vitamin C with Hiprex, as Hiprex works best when your urine is acidic
Can I take Hiprex with other medicines?
- Do not take Hiprex while you are taking sulfonamide antibiotics such as co-trimoxazole. This increases your risk of kidney stones
- Do NOT use antacids or urinary alkalinizers eg Ural while you are taking Hiprex. These cause your pee to be alkaline (opposite to acidic) which makes Hiprex ineffective.
How do I reduce my chance of getting a UTI?
Take these simple steps to reduce the risk of getting a UTI:
- Drink plenty of water a day to maintain a pale, straw coloured urine
- Wipe from front to back after using the toilet
- Urinate soon after intercourse
Will cranberry juice help?
Does cranberry, or drinking cranberry juice, help with urinary tract infections, or UTIs?
Cranberry juice contains a group of chemicals which can prevent the bacteria responsible for UTIs attaching properly to tissues in the urinary tract. A review of 24 studies showed that cranberry juice does not appear to have a significant benefit in preventing UTIs, and may be unacceptable to consume, in the long term.
Cranberry products (such as tablets or capsules) were also shown to be ineffective in preventing UTIs, possibly due to lack of potency of the ‘active ingredient’.
Treating UTI
UTIs are usually treated with antibiotics, with symptom relief occurring within 1-2 days of the first dose being taken. It is important to make sure you complete your full course of antibiotics as prescribed. Make sure you drink plenty of water, and you can also take paracetamol to help with the pain.
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References:
- Hiprex – Also called methenamine hippurate – Health Navigator New Zealand
- Hiprex – New Zealand’s only fully funded urinary tract antibacterial – Radiant Health Ltd
- Does eating cranberries help with urinary tract infections? – BBC Two: Trust Me, I’m A Doctor
- Cranberries for preventing urinary tract infections – Cochrane
