Something new with UTI.

Yes. I gave a urine sample which was red with the blood it contained. Plus, the sample was cultured. Also (and I hope this isn't a bit too much info), the blood is immediately visible on the tissue when wiping front-to-back, ending the wipe before reaching the anus, never on the short wipe from the rear, ending this wipe *at* the anus.

Am I correct in thinking you are not in the UK? If I'm wrong and you are I would ask your GP to refer you to a urologist for more investigations. I suppose you have a similar process if you are in the US for instance although I know you don't have an NHS like we do.

Correct, I am in the United States. Approximately 5 years ago I began a spate of UTI's (bladder) which spanned almost a year, requiring 4 cycles of antibiotics to completely get rid of the bacteria (Bactrum was prescribed at that time). Had nearly identical symptoms then as now. However, I have since switched physicians and my current doctor has already said if I'm going into another round of UTI's, one right after another, he would like me to see one of their clinic's Urologists (he belongs to a group of clinics who have physicians for practically every specialty). If these symptoms continue/begin again after the 10 days of Macrobid I am to call and make an immediate appointment. No, we don't have the NHS like the UK, but we have the PPACA (a.k.a.: Obamacare).

sandra I'm pleased you are going to be referred if this continues. I have heard of PPACA.

If that's the case why is it still prescribed?

Because doctors on the whole are not well educated about the drugs they dish out. They know very little about the mechanism by which drugs work and even less about drug interactions. As a result the number of admissions toA&E for adverse reactions to prescription medicines has spiralled. The information that they rely on is for the most part provided by the manufacturers of the products whose sole motive is profit. Scandal afterscandal shows that dangerous and sometimes ineffective drugs continue to be prescribed long after the initial alarm bells have sounded. Vioxx, Avandia, Seroxat, the list goes on. Fluoroquinolone toxicity is well documented and there is lots of scientific research showing that this class of antibiotics actually is a chemo drug. But doctors continue to prescribe it because they swallow the pharmaceutical propaganda that the benefit outweighs the risk. The FQs were developed as big guns against serious infections like anthrax but not enough people get anthrax to make them profitable. So they have been promoted for sinusitis,UTIs, bronchitis and even as a prophylactic for travellers stomach upsets.

Well I disagree. Doctors in the UK are well educated about drugs and follow strict guidelines when it comes to prescribing. Every drug prescribed here is authorised by the Department of Health (their Drugs Advisory Committee) and NICE. Drug companies are no longer allowed to court doctors particularly GP's with gifts or their time and that's been the case for many years. I have never seen or heard doctors prescribe "because they swallow pharmaceutical propaganda" they are now restricted in what they can prescribe. Computer systems only allow prescribing of drugs that are recognised as safe. I'm a nurse prescriber so I am aware of how this works. I'm not sure if you are in the UK but I know we all prescribe safely.

I no longer live in the UK. If NICE is so reliable why was there so much outrage from doctors in the pages of the BMJ about their latest advice on statin prescribing? There are plenty of people who have been floxedin the UK? They get no help from the medical establishment. The pharmaceutical industry does not have to give out sweeteners to individual doctors anymore. Their infuence is over the people who are making the prescribing decisions. If you think that doctors prescribe safely all the time in the UK you are naive. My own mother was prescribed inappropriately high doses of Fentanyl by a GP and she ended up hospital. Pharmaceutical propaganda involves hiding the adverse studies they do when developping drugs so that it is often years down the line when the true dangerousness becomes apparent. Meanwhile doctors have been "safely " prescribing them. FQs are not safe. Because the side effects such as tendon rupture can occur months and even years after taking them the connection to them is often not made either by the patient or the doctor. The adverse effect is not reported. Maybe you should inform yourself a little better about this class of drugs by reading some of the scientific research.

I think we are getting totally off the subject and in fairness to Sandra I am not going to respond only to say I constantly read scientific research.

I welcome such discussions simply for the opportunity to learn and to gather fodder for further research, so no apologies necessary. Regarding the urologist, I'm thinking I'm going to ask my doctor to go ahead and refer me rather than wait for the UTI to recur (if it's going to). Better to get ahead of things.

I think that's a good idea. Urine infections are horrible and if you can prevent another one then it's worth seeing someone. They take over your life I know. When I have one I just know I'm going to get another one within the next 4-6 months, then I can go for a few years before the next one so I can only imagine what you're going through. Take care.

As you are in the US it might interest you to know that the FDA has just put out a warning that fluuoroquinolone antibiotics should not be used as a first choice antibiotic for uncomplicated UTIs, sinusitis or bronchitis due to the possibility of permanent disability due to side effects such as tendonitis and neuropathy. As you took Cipro before you need to watch out for any tendon pain as this can occur months afterwards. It is particularly important to watch out for any pain in the Achilles tendon as ruptures are possible.I am sorry if this sounds gloomy but it is better to be informed about these matters than to rely blithely on the authorities who are supposed to protect patient health. The FDA has known for years about the devastating side effects of this class of antibiotics and it is only because of "floxed" patients ( amongst whom there are doctors and other medical professionals) getting together and making a fuss that they are finally acknowledging the problem. Unfortunately the only way to stop the indiscriminate and inappropriate rescription of FQs short of withdrawing them completely is by suing doctors. This change in the FDA advice opens the door to that. Unfortunately for those of us in Europe our drug oversight authorities will probably take years before issuing similar warnings.

This is particularly troubling to me as last April, 2015, I ruptured the hamstring muscle in my right leg. I was in the hospital for ten days and wore a brace from ankle to mid-thigh for nearly five months. I feel my ER doctor was rushed and simply chose a "shotgun affect" antibiotic rather than spend five extra minutes with me. I was also concerned because I had never taken Cipro before and drug allergies run in my paternal family.

Have you ever taken any other antibiotic of the FQ class such as Levaquin or Avelox? This class of antibiotics all have similar side effects and exhibit what is known as cross reactivity. If you have a bad reaction to one you are likely to get it to another and should not be given this class of antibiotic. Despite the fact that it actually states this on the patient insert there are doctors who do not know this. All doctors should ask their patients before prescribing these drugs if they have muscular skeletal problems such as tendonitis. Ideally a doctor should knnw their patients medical history or at least be able at the click of a mouse to find this out. I was given iv Cipro/ Flagyl combination in hospital for diverticulitis. This is the standard treatment here in France. No questions were asked as to whether I had any tendon issues and I very much doubt whether the"safe" prescribing referred to on this thread in the UK leads to questioning of this kind. Certainly the British "floxies" who comment on American floxie forums like floxiehope were given no warnings about the type of side effect they should look out for.

The only thing to do is be vigilant and if Achilles tendon pain appears REST.

I have also had a vitreous detatchment which is a type of eye problem (not serious) but which can lead to retinal detatchment ( serious). Any eye floaters or flashing lights need to be investigated pronto.

Hopefully you will not suffer any ill effects from your Cipro scrip. But the more times you take this class of drugs the greater the chance of being floxed. Those of us who have been floxed feel it is our duty to warn others.

To my recollection, the only antibiotics I have been given in my lifetime are penicillan, bactrim, macrobid and the cipro (once).  I was prescribed erythremycin once but turned out to be allergic.

That is good. Many people take a fluoroquinolone once or twice with no immediate reaction. Delayed reactions like the tendonitis often are not connected with the antibiotic. This happened to me. But further exposure can result inmore severe reactions as if the body has reached it's tolerance. You are now warned and can resist any further prescriptions if you do not want to take the risk.

Thank you. As I said before, I like getting new information and anything that allows me to learn.