Can Cystoplus (UTI relief) taken at the onset of symptoms affect UTI test results?

Question

Hello, I have chronic urinary tract infections and I use Cystoplus to relieve the symptoms at the beginning of the infection, before taking antibiotics. However, I would like to know if this medication can have an influence on the results of the urinary tract infection tests, since my urinalysis came back negative (yet I have all the usual symptoms: presence of blood in the urine, pain in the bladder, pain during urination, etc.). I am currently taking cipro for 3 days to cure the infection. The doctor prescribed it before the urine test. But I don't feel that this medication is effective at the moment (I am on my 2nd day)

Marc Leclerc · Accepted Answer

Hello, This is a very good question. Cystoplus is an agent that reduces the acidity level in urine to relieve the burning effect during urination. When we screen for urinary tract infection with urine dipsticks, they measure the level of nitrite and leukocytes in urine, components that are normally present in urine during bacterial infections. The level of nitrite can be modified by an agent that changes the acidity of urine like Cystoplus. However, the leukocyte count should not change. So in theory Cystoplus could slightly change the result obtained on a test strip. Another thing to consider is the fact that strip tests can be falsely negative in 3% of cases In summary, in my opinion it would be recommended that the urine test not be done within 6 hours of taking Cystoplus in order to increase the sensitivity of the strip test As for taking Cipro, if your symptoms do not improve after 48 hours of treatment, you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist because of the risk of bacterial resistance with Cipro.