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Online doctor

All it takes is three simple steps...

Step 1 Register online to create your secure online patient record

Step 2 Answer short questionnaire and make card payment online for cystitis treatment

Step 3 Pick-up cystitis treatment in your chosen pharmacy or await delivery by post

Same day in-pharmacy pickup

or

Next day home delivery

Cystitis treatment - how can this service help?

This confidential service is a convenient way to plan ahead and obtain a treatment for cystitis before you actually need it. The service is exclusively for women aged 18-55 who have previously been diagnosed with cystitis by a doctor or nurse and who could recognise the symptoms of cystitis when they next appear.

What if I already have symptoms of cystitis?

If you already have cystitis and are experiencing symptoms now, you should see a doctor straightaway rather than wait to receive medicine as part of this service.

How does the service work?

Register online, fill in the online questionnaire and make payment using a valid debit or credit card. If it is appropriate to do so, one of our doctors can then organise for you to collect the medicine in one of our pharmacies or to have the medicines sent to your delivery address.

How do I take the medicine?

When you next experience the symptoms consistent with having cystitis, you would need to take one tablet twice a day for three days. It is best to swallow the tablets with a glass of water.

How effective is the medicine?

The antibiotic our doctors prescribe will be effective at treating most bacterial causes of cystitis. If, when you take the medicine, your symptoms continue or worsen then you should see your GP face to face.

What are the limitations of self-diagnosing cystitis?

The limitation of self-diagnosing future cases of cystitis is that there may be another cause of your symptoms other than cystitis. If this is the case, the antibiotic treatment our doctors prescribe is unlikely to be effective and you would need to see your GP face to face.

What are the potential side-effects?

Like any medicine, this oral antibiotic can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or an allergic rash. Rarely this medicine may cause muscle pain or cause your skin to become sensitive to light. A full list of some of the rarer side-effects will be listed in the leaflet accompanying the medicine.

Are there alternative treatment options?

The medicine that our doctors prescribe is the 'first line' treatment in the UK for uncomplicated bacterial cystitis although there are alternative antibiotics that could be prescribed. Uncomplicated cystitis does not always need antibiotic treatment.

Who should not use the service?

If you have never been diagnosed with cystitis or you could not recognise the symptoms of cystitis you should not use this service. Separately, you should not request this medicine if you are allergic to trimethoprim or if you have an intolerance to lactose. You should not request this medicine if you are pregnant, breast-feeding, if you have a blood disorder or suffer from severe kidney disease.

Do the medicines need to be signed for?

Yes. Someone will have to sign for the medicine upon delivery but it does not have to be you. If you are not at the delivery address when delivery is attempted, you will receive a slip telling you how to rearrange delivery.