Kidney Infection Treatment

Overview
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Exams & Tests
Treatment
Follow Up
Additional Resources

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After tests confirm the presence of bacteria, your health care provider will prescribe an antibiotic treatment option and dosage depending on your health condition and amount of bacteria found in the test. It is imperative to take the entire course of prescribed antibiotics.

Antibiotics most commonly recommended for kidney infection include:

• Sulfa drugs such as sulfisoxazole/trimethoprim
• Amoxicillin
• Cephalosporins
• Levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin

Acute symptoms usually disappear within 48 to 72 hours after appropriate treatment.

Intravenous (IV) antibiotics are sometimes used for severe infections or for those who cannot take antibiotics by mouth.

While recovering from kidney infection, the following measures may help reduce some pain or discomfort:

• Placing a heating pad on the abdomen, back, or side.
• Using pain medicine for fever or discomfort.
• Drinking plenty of fluids to flush out bacteria, avoiding citrus juices, coffee, alcohol and soft drinks until the infection clears.