Posted , 7 users are following.
Well the Macrobid didn't seem to work, so have now been prescribed Cipro.
Please does anyone have any positive comments to make about this?
Many thanks.
0 likes, 10 replies
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clare22515 Lodge
Posted
cipro is the only antibiotic that will cure my uti's, whenever I get one I specifically ask the doctor for cipro as have taken other antibiotics (keflex, macrobid) that just don't kill the infection, cipro has always worked. I find it to be a heavy antibiotic, i end up sleeping a lot on it and the last time I took it, i felt like it made my organs hurt but that all went away plus the infection when I was done with my prescription of them
chelsea31880 Lodge
Posted
Cipro always works for me! it's very powerful. Rest and drink fluids you should feel fine soon 😃
kathy219 Lodge
Posted
I have never had a problem with cipro...have been prescribed numerous times over the years.
donald16398 Lodge
Posted
Taking ciprofloxicin is not worth the risk.
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/cpirofloxacin-for-uti-644545
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/fluoroquinolone-toxicity-syndrome-427305?order=oldest&page=0#topic-replies
Micklemus Lodge
Posted
My GP said it is unusual to see regular problems taking ciprofloxacin however like all drugs some people have bad reactions when taking any drug. Some on this forum say it should be banned but if the antibiotic cures thousands of patients without problems then why ban it?....
This statement will no doubt attract adverse criticism but my personal experience with Cipro was that I had to take it for a month as per Mimms due to embedded bacteria which could not be isolated. On two occasions however no culture was done so no wonder the hit and miss practice goes on and on and on.
I see that prescribing Cipro 'incorrectly' can delay the prescribing of the 'correct' antibiotics..... quite why this is done when the laboratories are incredibly adept at isolating
almost any bacteria your guess is as good as anyone else's when it comes to professional accuracy....... & then of course there is the question regards the strength of the dosage & also of imperative importance is the length of the course? Mostly I see, as opposed to accuracy the 'hit and miss' regime is the norm.... Please do tell me if I am incorrect on that one?
I was prescribed full strength Cipro for one week only & yet clearly stated in Mimms for the complaint of prostatitis a months course of Ciprofloxacin is mandatory. The change to full strength was prescribed due to half strength being wrongly prescibed in the first instance,,,,,,
It did not work but after three weeks on full strength the symptoms were eliminated but an additional weeks worth seemed to kill it! Still not fully resolved because the infection may not have been killed off completely = watch and wait 18 months still good.
Lodge Micklemus
Posted
Thank you for the really informative reply, greatly appreciated.
I actually did not take any of the Cipro tablets - basically I was too scared when I read that it can (although probably rarely) have life changing side effects, some of which do not manifest until months after taking the Cipro. I think reading about the lady who had worked for the NHS for 25 years as a hospital pharmacist was the clincher for my decision, absolutely awful.
I was phoned by another GP who seemed to think that I hadn't had a UTI after all and she seemed very surprised that I had been prescribed Cipro - she said that is not usually prescribed to things such as UTI's - it is a very strong antibiotic.
I know that all drugs come with risks, but I just wasn't prepared to take that risk for something that could have been treated with a far gentler antibiotic and, as it turns out, wasn't needed anyway.
I did take the full course of Macrobid though.
Micklemus Lodge
Posted
Lodge I thought you said the Macrobid was not working & that is why you were prescribed Ciprofloxacin by a doctor?
Another amazing statement is that Ciprofloxacin is not prescribed for UTI's
but that depends on what the infecting organism is does it not?
It seems abundantly clear that lots of doctors and laymen think that a UTI is not a serious infection but if the infection carries on for a long time it can then make things serious and also the hit and miss regime I've already mentioned re having a guess what the infection is in the first instance.
The waterworks coupled with other bits and pieces in the male and differently in the female seems to be lumped together if things go wrong with any of those item re an infection and is deemed a UTI........
It is far more complex than a lot of doctors and even urologists sometimes make out and the best of them are sometimes at a loss as to what is wrong and even when the patient tells whoever =there is definitely something wrong with my waterworks............ have a guess why don't you?
Lodge Micklemus
Posted
The Macrobid didn't make any significant difference to my symptoms, which they don't think was a UTI anyway.
If the problem persists I think I will ask for a referral to a urologist (even if I have to pay for it), just to put my mind at rest.
As for the Cipro, I don't want it. Unless your life depends on it, it really should be a last resort antibiotic as apparently it is very strong.
miriam65408 Lodge
Posted
Cipro is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic (Levofloxacin, Moxifloxacin/Avelox, and Ofloxacin are also in this class) and the FQs have been the subject of much discussion in the US and Canada and in Europe and Australia.
The reason is that those who have successfully used it swear by it and those who have been harmed by it (such as the pharmacist lady mentioned) spend their lives trying to warn others about it. The FDA ruled in 2016 that it must not be used for simple infections (i.e. UTIs) and that the risks of permanent and disabling side effects must always be weighed against the benefits. The Canadian Health Authority made a similar ruling. The EMA in Europe have recently held a 20 month long review and a Public Hearing about the risks and we are waiting to hear what they say. If there were no risks these two things would not have happened.
The big problem is that how it affects people depends very much on their genetic make up. Some people can tolerate many courses like Clare, Chelsea and Kathy here. Others find they take just one tablet and their life is ruined. The pharmacist who was featured in a UK National newspaper was affected after taking Levofloxacin for a lung infection seven years ago. She is still in agony now from the various problems it has left her with. As a pharmacist she believed it was perfectly safe to take, as a patient she now knows that all the guidelines (such as Mimms, NICE etc) only report the findings that are presented to them. There have been thousands of studies showing just how these antibiotics can cause damage yet they pick and choose the ones they want to believe.
I wish Clare, Chelsea and Kathy lots of luck and just hope they don't request Cipro once too often. The most common scenario is that someone takes 3, maybe 4 courses successfully and then one or two tablets of their next course will be enough to kick things off (it all depends on what condition your mitochondria are in - in other words, it's a lottery). There is no cure and you have to remember that it's already begun to cause damage even if you don't feel anything. Clare said she felt like her organs hurt but reckons that's ok. Maybe don't take it again Clare!
Chelsea says it's very powerful - that's quite an understatement! It has the power to create havoc in each one of your cells. Do you question the damage smoking causes? This is the same type of damage, oxidative stress PLUS it damages the way your mitochondria work (look these up if you're not sure what they do). Finally, go to the link posted by Donald here or just find the fluoroquinolone antibiotic discussions on this site for yourself. Each one of the people who have posted about the dangers of these tablets took them on the advice of their doctor who thought they were safe. Many say their lives are ruined, they will never be the same again, many wish to die as it seems preferable to what they are suffering now.
Lodge, I know you are desperate to find a cure but hopefully you will read the positive comments you were asking for and then decide it's not worth the risk. Hopefully.
Lodge miriam65408
Posted
Thanks for your long and interesting post on the subject of Cipro.
I decided not to risk taking even one tablet, I was simply too scared of what could happen, even it it was a very small chance.
Reading that the USA have all but banned its use just confirmed my fears. As I mentioned, the article on the lady whose life had been ruined really set alarm bells ringing - after all she had been an NHS hospital pharmacist for 25 years, so definitely wasn't some kind of crank just kicking off for the sake of it.