Prostatitis is swelling and inflammation of the prostate gland. Prostatitis often causes painful or difficult urination. Other symptoms include pain in the groin, pelvic area, or genitals and sometimes flu-like symptoms. It is sometimes caused by strains of bacteria. Some prostatitis is caused by inflammation only as opposed to bacterial infection. To schedule a prostatitis appointment with Dr. Michael Trotter, Andrew Barger, APRN, and the team at Midtown Urology Associates in Austin, Texas, call the office or book online today.
For acute bacterial prostatitis, you'll need to take antibiotics. Occasionally some men may be admitted to the hospital and given antibiotics through an IV (into your vein) if the problem is very severe. If you have trouble urinating, your health care provider may use a tube (a catheter) to drain your bladder. Almost all infections that start quickly are cured with this treatment. Sometimes, you'll need to stay on the antibiotics for as long as four weeks. If one antibiotic doesn't work, your doctor will try others.
For chronic bacterial prostatitis, you'll need to take antibiotics longer, most often for 4 to 12 weeks. About three in four of chronic bacterial prostatitis cases clear up with this treatment. Sometimes the symptoms return and antibiotics are needed again. For cases that don't react to this treatment, long-term, low dose antibiotics may be used to try to prevent future infections.
Antibiotics may be provided to treat bacterial prostatitis. Your provider will choose the medication based on the type of bacteria that might be causing your infection. Alpha blockers may also be prescribed to help relax the bladder neck and the muscle fibers where your prostate joins your bladder. This treatment might ease symptoms such as painful urination. Anti-inflammatory agents may also be prescribed to ease the pain.
The following may also ease some symptoms:
