UTI & cystitis treatment online

Fast, safe treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) and cystitis in women aged 18 to 64. A UK pharmacist prescriber reviews every consultation and checks it against your NHS record before any antibiotic is supplied.

How our online UTI clinic works

If treatment isn’t right for you, we explain why and refund you in full.

Delivery: choose standard delivery (£3.99) or Special Delivery (£9.99) at checkout.

Antibiotics for UTIs: nitrofurantoin and trimethoprim

You don’t need to choose the right antibiotic yourself. Our prescriber decides which is safest for you, and may switch you at no extra cost.

Can a pharmacist prescribe antibiotics for a UTI?

Yes. In England there are two ways to get antibiotics for a UTI from a pharmacy without seeing a GP:

Private online prescribing. Pharmacist independent prescribers, like ours, can prescribe antibiotics after an online consultation. That is the service on this page, with your treatment delivered to your door.

You can’t buy UTI antibiotics over the counter without a consultation, because they are prescription-only medicines.

Why we check carefully before prescribing antibiotics

Using antibiotics only when they are needed helps stop bacteria becoming resistant to them. That is why UK pharmacy rules ask online prescribers to do more than read a questionnaire before supplying an antibiotic. We confirm your identity, check your answers against your NHS Summary Care Record or with a short call, follow NICE guidance on which antibiotic to use, and tell your GP what we supplied.

What is a UTI?

A urinary tract infection is an infection, usually caused by bacteria from the bowel, that affects the bladder (cystitis), the urethra or, less often, the kidneys. UTIs are very common in women because the urethra is short and close to the back passage. Most lower UTIs are uncomplicated and clear up quickly with the right treatment.

Is cystitis the same as a UTI?

Cystitis means inflammation of the bladder. It is usually caused by a bladder infection, which is a type of lower UTI, so the two words are often used to mean the same thing. UTI is the wider term: it also covers infections of the urethra and of the kidneys (an upper UTI), which are more serious. Less often, cystitis has a cause other than infection, and antibiotics won’t help.

UTI and cystitis symptoms

• pain, burning or stinging when you pass urine
• needing to pass urine more often, or more urgently, than usual
• needing to pass urine at night more than usual
• cloudy or strong-smelling urine
• pain low in your tummy

Having two or more of the first three (pain passing urine, new night-time urination, cloudy urine) makes a UTI likely. Vaginal discharge or itching points to a different cause, such as thrush.

How long does cystitis last?

With antibiotics, most women start to feel better within 1 to 3 days. Mild cystitis sometimes clears up by itself within a few days, so a pharmacist or GP may suggest waiting 48 hours with painkillers and plenty of fluids before starting antibiotics. Contact your GP or NHS 111 if you are no better after 48 hours of antibiotics, or if your symptoms get worse at any point.

Who can use our online UTI clinic?

Online treatment is for women aged 18 to 64 with symptoms of an uncomplicated lower UTI for less than 7 days. Please see your GP or a Pharmacy First pharmacy instead if you are male, pregnant or breastfeeding, aged 65 or over, have had 2 or more UTIs in 6 months (or 3 in 12 months), have kidney problems or a urinary catheter, or have a weakened immune system. These situations usually need a urine test so the right antibiotic is chosen.

Why do I keep getting UTIs?

Having 2 or more UTIs in 6 months, or 3 or more in 12 months, is called recurrent UTI. It needs a GP review rather than online treatment. Your GP can arrange a urine test to find the right antibiotic, look for anything that makes infections more likely, and talk to you about ways to prevent them, such as vaginal oestrogen if you are perimenopausal or postmenopausal, a non-antibiotic tablet called methenamine, or a low-dose preventive antibiotic. Our online clinic does not treat recurrent UTIs.

Relieving symptoms and preventing UTIs

• Take paracetamol or ibuprofen (if suitable for you) for pain.
• Drink enough fluid so that you pass pale urine regularly, and avoid drinks that can irritate your bladder, such as fruit juice, coffee and alcohol.
• Some people use over-the-counter cystitis sachets such as Cystopurin or Cystocalm, but there is little evidence that they ease symptoms and they don’t treat the infection. They aren’t suitable for everyone, so check with a pharmacist first.
• Wipe from front to back after using the toilet, pass urine soon after sex, and avoid holding on when you need to go.

Frequently asked questions

Nitrofurantoin and trimethoprim are prescription-only medicines, supplied only after a prescriber has reviewed your consultation. This page is general information and does not replace advice from your GP or pharmacist.