Ask Dr Miriam

Q I suffer from periodic attacks of cystitis and I’m sick of taking courses of antibiotics as they can’t be good for me. Is there anything else I could take? A I understand your reluctance to take repeated courses of antibiotics but you could take a urinary antiseptic.

You can buy one over the counter from your pharmacist, it’s called Hiprex. It belongs to a group of medicines called antibacterials and it works by killing many different types of bacteria that cause infection of the urinary tract and stops them coming back. The usual dose is one tablet twice a day and the tablet can be broken in half if you find them difficult to swallow. They may also be crushed and taken with milk or fruit juice. I advise you to discuss this kind of treatment with your doctor to see if it’s appropriate and they will tell you how long you need to take these antibacterial tablets.