Treatment of recurrent urinary tract infection with norfloxacin versus trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Norfloxacin, a broad-spectrum antimicrobial analog of nalidixic acid, was evaluated by comparing it to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in 93 office patients with recurrent urinary tract infections. In this prospective randomized study, norfloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were given on the same dosage schedule with the former drug given as a 400-mg tablet twice daily and the latter drug given as a double strength tablet twice daily. Overall, 50 patients received norfloxacin and 43 patients received trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole with a cure rate of 96 percent and 79 percent, respectively. Whether a patient had one infection or multiple previous infections, norfloxacin appeared to be superior to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Only minor side effects were noted in either group, and no patient withdrew from this study as a direct result of these side effects. Minor complaints of nausea, dizziness, and headache were found in the norfloxacin group (24%) and in the trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole group (16%). Both agents are effective in treating urinary tract infections but norfloxacin is superior to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in patients with either recurrent complicated infections or one previous uncomplicated urinary tract infection.