Uribel is a medicine mainly used to cause relief for the pain and discomfort when urinating as well as the frequent urge to urinate. It is also used to help reduce the chance of infection after a medical procedure in the urinary tract. Uribel is mainly made of two components- Methenamine and Salicylate. Patients who have a tendency to have cramps or spasms in their urinary tract are generally prescribed to use this medicine, however, there might be side effects to it so you must use this if only prescribed by a doctor. You are not able to access this medicine without a prescription anyways; just make sure to use as directed. Keep in mind that complications may arise in small children so it is better not to use this medication for children.
As mentioned earlier, Uribel is made of two major ingredients. The Methenamine is actually a type of antibiotic. There is another variant of this called Methylene blue which is antiseptic in nature. Both of these two are used to help prevent the growth of bacteria in urine and thus it will typically reduce the chance of any infection. Salicylate on the other hand is kind of an Aspirin. It helps to reduce pain and is what helps in giving relief to the user. It also has some additional ingredients like sodium phosphate and benzoic acid which are what helps to make the urine more acidic. What the acidic nature of urine helps with is to make the methenamine work more efficiently. All of these different ingredients work together to give Uribel the helping abilities it has.
The dose and use of Uribel tends to vary from person to person depending on their age, symptoms, nature of ailment etc. Normally this medicine is to be taken orally and with a full glass of water; it is highly advisable not to lie down for at least ten minutes after taking this medication. Some may face stomach aches or pains which is quite typical. If that happens to be the case, then it is recommended to then take Uribel with some food or a meal. The normal frequency when it comes to the dosage of this medicine is four times a day, but it may vary according to the symptoms. The medicine usually takes 1 or 2 days to start the seeing improvement in your condition, so if you do not see any improvement even after 2 to 3 days of use, it is important to with your doctor since Uribel might not be the right medication for you. Also if you face pain or any burning sensation while urinating, consult your doctor immediately as this is a serious reaction that should be taken seriously.
This medicine has a problem when it comes to it’s reaction with caffeine. So it is highly recommended not to ingest any foods or beverages that contain a large amount of caffeine such as tea, coffee or cola. Having these foods and beverages when you are using Uribel would increase the chance of developing negative side effects as well as it will most likely decrease the effectiveness of this medication a great deal.
Dizziness, vomiting and nausea are some of the the main and most common side effects of this medicine. However, depending on the functionality of your body, some of the other side effects can also be observed; these side effects include drowsiness, dry mouth, blurred vision and in some cases constipation. If you have dry mouth, try to have some hard sugarless candy or sugarless chewing gum and make sure to drink enough of water and fluids throughout the day to keep yourself from becoming dehydrated. In some cases, this medicine can turn your stool and urine to a blue-green color, but no need to be worried since this is a totally normal side effect and harmless in nature. This is something that would go away as soon as you stop using this medicine. A few serious side effects include black/tarry stools, abdominal pain, easy bruising or bleeding etc. Contact your doctor immediately if you have any of these more serious side effects. Also, in very rare cases, patients may experience an attack of extremely high blood pressure, but this rarely happens and there are chances only if the patient is already under a lot of different drugs. It is important to be very clear with your doctor about any other medications you may be taking, even if they are over the counter just to make sure there won’t be any negative reactions.
Uribel increases your serotonin levels. This means that if you are already using any medicine that increases serotonin, using Uribel along with it would increase the chance of high amount of serotonin in your body which might result into serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome symptoms include high body temperature, increased reflexes, agitation, dilated pupils, sweating, tremor and diarrhea and they can vary from mild to sever. Like mentioned before, it is always advisable to inform your doctor about all the medicine that you are currently taking so that the doctor can decide whether Uribel would be suitable for you or not. Otherwise, it may lead to unwanted complication and things can get worse.
Serious allergic reactions are very rare among the side effects of Uribel. In rare of the rarest cases, patient may experience severe allergic reaction and he/she should consult the doctor immediately if the symptom persists. Also, it is highly recommended that you ask your doctor about the possible side effects so that you can distinguish between the harmless and harmful side effects and this would reduce any unnecessary unrest among the patient. It is important to be educated about the harmless and harmful side effects of any medication you are taking to make sure you spot any before it is too late.
If you have any kind of allergy to anything, it is advisable to inform your doctor about that as the doctor would be able to determine if any of the substance in the medicine may cause allergic reaction or not. If you have not taken an allergy test, you should get one done immediately since it would not only let you know to which substances are you allergic to, but also decrease the chance of having allergic reaction due to medication. This would minimize a lot of suffering for you and this can even be a life-saver.
Using alcoholic beverages is a strict no while using this medicine, just like with all other prescription medications. Uribel, in some cases, has the ability to cause blurry vision and dizziness; using alcohol would only increase the intensity of this effect and hence it is extremely unsafe to drive, especially you feel any of these symptoms. Do not get involved into any activity that requires you to be on high alert and also do not use any machinery during medication if you feel drowsy. This would greatly impact your normal power and performance to apprehend things and the result may be devastating to yourself and other who may be around you.
It is also advisable for you to inform the doctor of your medical history in detail so that the doctor would be able to decide the dose that is applicable for you, or even if it is appropriate for you to be prescribed this medicine. If you have any liver or kidney problems, doctors may suggest an alternate medicine so that no complication arises. So be informative about your full medical history to your doctor for your own good and don’t keep anything hidden, not even any small thing.
Children who have the chickenpox or flu should not take this medicine. If they are suffering from any other disease or have received a recent vaccine for any flu, they should also avoid this medicine. Though extremely rare, this medicine may cause Reye’s syndrome in children if not used properly. Also, taking this medicine is also not advisable during pregnancy since it may cause harm to the unborn baby. It is very important to know that this medication mixes in with breast milk, so if you are breast feeding, either you have to stop breast feeding or you have to stop the medication. Please consult your doctor in such scenarios to decide which action to take.
Uribel has been known to have interactions with many substances that include, but is not limited to: atomoxetine, bupropion, buspirone, carbamazepine, cyclobenzaprine, dextromethorphan, maprotiline, methotrexate, mifepristone, potassium capsules/tablets, pramlintide and some other narcotic drugs. Any fatal interaction with any of these substances can cause extreme and serious side effects and this is why it is highly advisable not to take this medication without consulting a doctor first and foremost. This medicine may also interfere with a number of laboratory tests and hence may provide false results. It is recommended that you tell your doctor or laboratory operator that you use this medicine beforehand and they would be able to decide whether it is ok to go ahead with the lab test as well as to determine certain test results to be inaccurate.
As an adult, it is always expected that you take any kind of medicine in the specified amount. Anything more than the specified amount may lead to an overdose and the result of overdose can be fatal at times. If you have skipped any dose by mistake, do take the dose as soon as you remember. But if it is too late, you should skip the dose and continue with the next one. Also, never take two doses at once or too close to each other in order to compensate for the previously missed dose. This would only worsen the situation and would highly increase the chance of an overdose. The symptoms of overdose of Uribel consists of fever, fast heartbeat, severe drowsiness, seizures, unusual excitements or hallucinations. So if you experience any of these overdose symptoms, quickly get in touch with an emergency room or a poison control center.
There are certain cautions you need to follow while storing the medicine. This medicine cannot be kept in your bathroom where you normally keep your all other medicines like aspirins. This must be stored in the normal room temperature, in a dry, moist free area and must not be shared with anyone. Also, never pour this medicine, or any other medicines at that, into drains or flush it down in the toilet. Keep it away from extreme light exposure and also from the reach of children and pets. This may prove extremely harmful to them.
This medicine comes in the typical prescription bottles and normally there are 100 capsules in them. This is not an over the counter medicine and can only be used if prescribed by a doctor. Each capsule of Uribel contains 118 mg of methenamine, 40.8 mg of sodium phosphate monobasic, 36 mg of Phenyl salicylate, 10 mg of methylene blue and 0.12 mg of hyocyamine sulfate. This medication should never be used in treatment of a urinary tract infection. Rather, if you have a bacterial infection, some other antibiotic is normally prescribed for the treatment. It is also very dangerous for children under six years of age since they are more vulnerable and sensitive to the normal side effects. So keep the information stored in your mind that using Uribel for children under six years is a strict no. Also, antacids are known to decrease the functionality of this medicine by reducing the absorption rate in blood. So it is highly recommended to have this medicine at least one hour early before you take antacids.
This medication is likely to make you sweat less and thus it increases the chance of getting a heat stroke. You should avoid any hard work while on this medication and also avoid any activity that may increase the heat of your body. If you live in a hot area, try not to go out frequently and avoid standing under direct sunlight. And if you feel that your body is heating up, quickly look for a shade and take rest to allow your body to cool down. This medicine may also cause side effects like confusion, agitation and constipation among the older adults and the combination of drowsiness and confusion may lead to falling and hence it is also not very suitable for aged people.
Uribel is a widely used drug that is prescribed by doctors to help with a patient’s bladder sensitivity as well as any urinary discomfort. Please keep everything we have gone over in mind when making the decision to take this medication once it is prescribed to you.
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