Typical Use of Azo
Azo Standard is available as 95 mg pills, and instructions indicate that the proper does is two pills up to three times a day. A maximum-strength version is also available with 97.5 mg pills. Prescription phenazopyridine comes in 200 mg pills, and users take one pill at a time. Doctors often recommend that a patient take Azo for the first two days of antibiotic treatment to ease the pain and burning while the antibiotic takes effect. The package instructions and most doctors caution against taking Azo for more than two days, as it can mask the presence of a more serious problem.
Other Effects
In addition to relieving urinary tract pain, Azo has one other obvious effect: it causes a change in the color of urine. The active component is a dye, and at the concentrations that result from taking OTC or prescription levels it colors the urine orange or red. The dye can also leak somewhat between eliminations, so many users wear panty liners or dark-colored underpants. Because of this color change, doctors are usually unable to do an in-office urinalysis. The typical urine test for a UTI involves assessing the color of urine, which cannot be done when Azo changes its color. For this reason, some experts recommend holding off on taking Azo when a person first experiences urinary discomfort, until a doctor can conduct a diagnosis. If Azo does make an in-office test impossible, a doctor can send the urine sample off for a culture to determine if E. coli or another bacterial culprit is present. The doctor may or may not be willing to prescribe an antibiotic before the test results are in.
References
- MedlinePlus: Phenazopyridine
- Journal of General Internal Medicine; Usage Patterns of Over-the-Counter Phenazopyridine (Pyridium); Shi CW, Asch SM, Fielder E, Gelberg L, Brook RH, Leake B, Shapiro MF, Dowling P, Nichol M; 2003
- Annals of Family Medicine; Consumer Knowledge of Over-the-Counter Phenazopyridine; Shi CW, Asch SM, Fielder E, Gelberg L, Nichol MB; 2004
