Coffee is a favorite morning ritual for many, but if you suffer from Urinary tract infections, drinking coffee is not such a good idea.
Now, this might get you thinking – when can I drink coffee AFTER UTI?
Generally, it is safe to drink coffee once all the UTI symptoms have cleared out. But this depends from person to person.
In this quick post, I’ll go over why you shouldn’t drink coffee with a UTI, and when it’s safe to drink. I’ll also talk about if coffee can cause UTIs and answer some FAQs.
Can You Drink Coffee With A UTI?
While it is possible to drink coffee with a UTI, it is a really bad idea because coffee can worsen the UTI, making you suffer even more, if you don’t sort things out.
Coffee contains caffeine, a diuretic that makes you pee more and more. And when you pee more with less hydration the result is concentrated urine. Thick urine is the worst pain that can happen to you in a UTI.
Plus, coffee is acidic and when passed with urine, it irritates the bladder in some individuals leading to more complications than you could ever imagine.
So drinking coffee is something you MUST think twice before doing.
However, if you REALLY need a cup of coffee in the morning, you can try something like decreasing the amount of caffeine in your coffee. For this, all you need to do is just go decaf.
Decaffeinated coffee has a much lesser amount of caffeine, and it will not irritate your bladder as much as the regular kind of coffee.
Still, with decaf coffee, you should probably limit it to just one cup per day if you’re still suffering from UTI.
Drinking more water will also help you to balance the effect of caffeine intake.
Can Coffee Cause UTI?
Drinking coffee will not CAUSE a UTI, but it most definitely will worsen your condition.
As explained earlier, caffeine can make your UTI much more painful, so keeping away from coffee is the best decision.
Simply consuming coffee will not increase your risk of getting a UTI, but it can cause bladder infections to suddenly flare up with bladder irritations.
This can be mistaken for coffee CAUSING a UTI, when it really is just bringing out an existing infection.
When Can I Drink Coffee After UTI?
You can start drinking coffee once your UTI symptoms have disappeared.
Listed below are some common symptoms of UTIs,
- Blood in the urine
- Pressure or cramping in the lower abdomen
- Foul-smelling urine
- Low-grade fever or chills
- Feeling as though you’re unable to empty your bladder fully.
- Pain during intercourse
- Passing frequent, small amounts of urine
- Pelvic pain
- Stinging or burning feeling when urinating
- Strong persistent need to urinate
- Urine that is cloudy
- Feeling generally unwell, achy, and tired.
If you’re having a UTI, chances are you will be experiencing a LOT of these symptoms. So if you want to drink coffee, you need to wait until these symptoms slowly fizzle away (and it will take some time!).
You can take measures like drinking plenty of water, and also taking the proper medication that you have been given by the doctors.
Once the infection has cleared up, you can start drinking coffee.
FAQs
Can You Drink Decaf Coffee With A UTI?
YES, you can! In fact, it is advised to do so. Decaf coffee has very low caffeine content, and it is best for cases with UTI if you really need to get that cuppa in the morning.
But remember to limit it to just ONE cup of decaf coffee per day – or else your UTI will worsen and you will have to lay off coffee completely.
Can Coffee Make UTI Worse?
YES, it can. Regular coffee has a high caffeine content which is a diuretic leading to acidic concentrated urine through dehydration.
Acidic urine irritates the bladder, encouraging bacteria to grow more. This can tire out the urinary epithelium, and increase the pain and other symptoms of the UTI..
How Long Does Coffee Irritate The Bladder?
Coffee will continue to irritate your bladder for as long as you decide to drink it during the UTI. Some sources say It will stop about 20 hrs after you stop consuming it.
So if you drink coffee by mistake during your UTI, you can quickly stop and you SHOULD see some relief afterward.
