Cystinol
Questions & Answers

Here you will find answers to frequently asked questions about Cystinol.

General questions about Cystinol

When do I take Cystinol akut Coated Tablets?

Cystinol akut Coated Tablets are used for inflammatory conditions of the lower urinary tract, so for acute uncomplicated cystitis.

When do I take Aqualibra?
Aqualibra is used for cleansing in bacterial and inflammatory conditions of the lower urinary tract, so in frequent cystitis, but also for kidney stones and sludge and for the preventive treatment of kidney stones and sludge.
Where can I buy Cystinol akut? And can I get the product on prescription?
Cystinol akut is not a prescription-only but a pharmacy medicine. You can therefore only get it from a pharmacy. Tip: Many statutory health insurers will voluntarily reimburse people insured with them for the costs of certain non-prescription pharmacy medicines.
Do I need to make my urine more alkaline for Cystinol to work properly?

You will find the following statement in the Information for the user for Cystinol akut Coated Tablets:

"Cystinol akut Coated Tablets should not be taken together with drugs causing the production of acidic urine (such as methionine) since it cannot be excluded that this decreases the antibacterial effect of bearberry leaves."

However, more recent findings on the mechanism of action show that is not necessary to alkalise the urine during treatment with Cystinol akut Coated Tablets because preparations containing bearberry leaves are also effective in non-alkaline urine. The reason for this is that the bacteria take up a metabolic product of arbutin (an active substance of bearberry) from the urine and this is broken down inside the bacteria into the active substance. Because this conversion takes place almost exclusively inside the bacterial cells and not outside, the described effect is not dependent on the pH of the urine.

Cystinol akut Coated Tablets

How exactly do Cystinol akut Coated Tablets work? Do I need to make my urine more alkaline for it to work properly?

More recent findings on the mechanism of action1 show that is not necessary to alkalise the urine during treatment with Cystinol akut Coated Tablets because preparations containing bearberry leaves are also effective in non-alkaline urine.

The antibacterial2,3 action of Cystinol akut Coated Tablets is based on the bacteria causing the urinary tract infection taking up a metabolic product of arbutin (an active substance of bearberry), breaking it down and converting it to the active substance. This mechanism takes place inside the bacteria and is therefore not affected by the pH of the urine. It is therefore not necessary to alkalise the urine in addition to treatment with Cystinol akut Coated Tablets.

The pH of the urine - which is actually fairly constant - is also influenced only very briefly by food. Even if you eat a meal consisting only of steak, the pH of the urine is already back to normal after approx. 2 hours.

In addition to treatment with Cystinol akut Coated Tablets, we recommend that you take care to drink plenty of fluids - at least 2 litres a day, preferably in the form of water or tea.

For how long can I use Cystinol akut Coated Tablets?

Cystinol akut Coated Tablets should be taken for no longer than 1 week in each case and no more than 5 times a year without medical advice.

If you still have persistent symptoms after 5 days of treatment, get your doctor to check, as a precaution, whether bacteria are still present in your urine.

Normally, after one week of treatment with Cystinol akut Coated Tablets, it should no longer be possible to detect any bacteria, and treatment for longer than this is therefore not necessary either.

Irritation of the mucous membranes of the bladder can often still be present even after a week, however – even if the bacteria responsible for the urinary tract infection have been eliminated. If this happens, we can recommend the following course of action to you: After completing the treatment with Cystinol akut Coated Tablets, you can still take Aqualibra for a short time. The herb combination of goldenrod, orthosiphon and restharrow contained in Aqualibra promotes healing and has a 3-way synergistic effect4. Unlike Cystinol akut Coated Tablets, there is also no restriction on how long Aqualibra can be used. An adequate fluid intake is still very important, and this should be at least 2 litres a day.

Do Cystinol akut Coated Tablets interfere with the effects of the pill?

Neither in theory (i.e. considering the effects) nor in practice (i.e. based on what has been reported to us concerning adverse reactions to our products) is any interference with the effects of the contraceptive pill to be expected when taking Cystinol akut Coated Tablets.