UTI and food choices

Posted , 4 users are following.

This is my third full day on Cipro.  I am drinking lots of water; still experiencing urgency and frequency but no other symptoms.  Drinking so much water is keeping urine very clear.

The biggest problem I have is the Crohn's.  Antibiotics can cause digestive trouble, but some of the foods I can usually eat are off limits as I am avoiding simple carbs, anything too starchy or sugary, at all - no pasta, rice, white bread, etc.  I can't have whole grains, bran, or anything with high fiber.  Usually, I do okay with oatmeal, but lately I've had to avoid it because there is some active disease and it was causing some problems.

I really need some kind of bread or carb that won't feed the UTI bacteria.  Looking online, I see that sourdough bread is an option.  Does anyone know if this would be okay with the UTI?

Also, does anyone know if unsweetened cranberry juice helps if the bacteria is not E. coli?  I think cranberry is the source for d-Mannose, but I don't have E. coli according to test results and don't want to drink something that won't help.  I also read about blueberry juice.  I know sugary fruit juices are not an option.

Trying to stay optimistic, but this is a nightmare.

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  • Posted

    I forgot to mention that I am taking a Vitamin C supplement as recommended (but not multivitamin/multi mineral as it can interfere with the Cipro) and also having plain Greek yogurt in middle of day at pharmacist-recommended time interval so the calcium does not interfere with Cipro.  Cipro is getting the utmost respect right now.
    • Posted

      You should not be taking Vitamin C while on antibiotics. It lowers it effecacy. And who recommended, I can believe a doctor would?
    • Posted

      As far as I recall not cipro, any of the cyclines yes, but not Cipro.
    • Posted

      Hmmm.  That's interesting.  I had been advised that it could help the UTI situation, even while on the Cipro.  Cranberry juice has a lot of Vitamin C.  Is it just that it can't be a supplement?

    • Posted

      That makes me feel kind of sad... I called the pharmacist with that specific question.  I was hoping it would help.
    • Posted

      Right, on the supplement. Cranberries have bioflavoid type of vitamin c, not ascorbic acid vitamin c which is manmade. Not sure where you're at I just spoke to the pharmacist she said vc binds and is in the category of a metal but not to drink milk/dairy by products of any kind, and to spread out the vc by a few hours if you plan to take it. So it's okay but she said that if combined too close together then Cipro will lose its potency.

    • Posted

      Don't be sad, pharmaceutical findings are changing constantly as they do more studies. The pharmacist I called went to automatically say it's best not to take vc with cipro, then said let me check to see if there are any new reports and thats when I wrote what she explained to me.

    • Posted

      Right - I knew about the dairy, which is why I make sure to follow the time interval instructions listed for dairy so I can have the serving of yogurt.  

      This is so confusing.  I hope I'm not doing it all for nothing... it seems like a lot of people get to the end of the course of Cipro and still have the UTI.  Trying to do it right.

    • Posted

      She said no yogurt or dairy while on cipro.
    • Posted

      I couldn't get unsweetened cranberry juice.  Our Whole Foods store is a small market version and they don't carry full stock.  I even got a salesperson to confirm.  The only thing I could get is 500 mg organic cranberry tablets, and I got the only kind they had that has no vitamins added.  Even their d-Mannose options were all blended with vitamins.  It will have to do.  

    • Posted

      I'll probably have to keep the scheduled yogurt serving.  It isn't much.  With the active Crohn's and all the other things I've eliminated with this infection, I'm really not quite eating enough, and I work full time.  That's one of only a couple of protein and the only probiotic source I have, and possibly the only way my digestive tract is tolerating all this.  It's scary, honestly, but even the nurse practitioner was reluctant to prescribe the Cipro to a Crohn's patient.  It's a really tough drug to take even under the best of circumstances.  I do appreciate your help, though.

    • Posted

      Good enough! I took the cranberry pills as well.
    • Posted

      Yes, with Crohn's that is a bit tricky. Well, keep us posted on how you're doing.

    • Posted

      Hi Elizabeth. Ordinary vit c is acidic, & can play havoc with the likes of you & me with crohns & colitis respectivley, & also you don't really want to add in anything acidic to a uti. Due to the inadequacies in my diet (hardly any veg - colitis,ibs-d, no fruit - colitis,ibs-d, fructose malabsorption) I do take a form of vitamin c called ester c. it is a non acidic form of vit c specially suited to people with bowel conditions as it is easily absorbed & digested whilst being gentle on the digestive system as a whole. it is available from the 5 letter leading high street chemist, but i buy mine from the most popular health shop h & b at 500mg daily. Hope you feel better soon......xxx

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