UTIs and Macrobid

Howard, check out D-mannose. I understand that it is a natural product that will help against an e-coli infection in the urinary tract. It's found naturally in cranberry juice, but I found some pills that are much more concentrated. I took them during the 9 months or so that I was self-cathing. I was pretty careful when I was catheterizing, but I thought that I would take prevention up another step. I never did have a UTI during that time. Perhaps the D-mannose helped. I also took Vitamin C during that time.

There are other homeopathic remedies as well, but I don't recall which ones right now. You do have to watch which homeopathic medications that you take, but generally they're safe and have fewer side effects.

You might also Google 'homeopathic remedies for UTIs'. There are some suggestions that may help such as taking probiotics, drinking unsweetened cranberry juice (not easy!) and some other ideas.

I just read through the side effects and warnings related to Macrobid. It sounds like it's a powerful antibacterial intended just for UTIs, so that's good. But if you're experiencing the kinds of issues that you're describing, you need to talk to your doctor. Please don't wait to do that. There are some kinds of side effects that can cause serious problems. For example, antibiotics can cause c-difficile, which is a serious infection in the intestines. Sometimes antibiotics can kill off the good bacteria in the intestinal tract and allow certain other types of bacteria to multiply. There are other side effects possible as well.

Hi Howard

Muscle and joint pain is listed as one of the "rare" side effects of Macrobid (Nitrofurantion) so you may just be one of the unlucky ones who is sensitive to the drug in that way. I would talk to your physician and explain what you are experiencing. He may switch you to something else or ask you to stick it out until your course of treatment is complete.

The alternative offered (amoxycilin) may be better tolerated but as with most antibiotics it does have its own range of side effects - although muscle/joint pain does not appear to be listed.

I would flag up a caution if suggests ciprofloxacin as an alternative as it has been reported to cause tendonitis and tendon rupture is severe cases. I know this from personal experience as I was prescribed ciprofloxacin some years ago for a UTI and ended up almost unable to move within a couple of days due to joint pain and stiffness. Fortunately no tendon rupture in my case but not an experience I would recommend to anyone else

Howard:

I recently had a particularly nasty UTI caused by E-Coli. I first tried amoxicillin for ten days. It seemed to work, but I was still sweating at night afterwards. Went back to the doctor and they determined I still had e-Coli. This time we tried Cephalexin for 14 days and that did the trick.

As noted by Ken, whenever you take antibiotics be sure to take probiotics as well. The antibiotics kill off the good bacteria as well as the bad. The probiotics should help to keep your gut flora intact and should prevent c-difficile, which can be very serious. There is tons of information out on the web regarding taking probiotics during periods when you take antibiotics (in fact many people, including me, take them every day).

Here's what I wrote to another poster several days ago, regarding UTIs:

Other things to try to help prevent UTIs, esp. if they are caused by EColi:

1. D-Mannose (already mentioned by Ken in this blog post)
2. Cranberry pills particularly if you can't stomach unsweetened cranberry juice.
3. Ken also mentioned cranberry juice as long as it is pure with no added sugar or anything else (preferably organic to avoid pesticide residues). To help with the bitter taste I add pure coconut water in an amount that is 1/4 of the total mixture.
4. Biofilm dfense (misspelled to avoid moderation). Check it out on Amazon and read the reviews. Check out the company's website as well. From the company's website, it works best when taken with a substance that kills bacteria (antibiotic, garlic, oregano, monolaurin, etc.). I don't have direct quantitative proof but since I have been taking it with monolaurin and oregano oil, I feel like my bladder has improved. You really need to read up on biofilms if you want to try this and read those Amazon reviews.

Finally, if recurring UTIs are something that worry you, you can get urine dipsticks for home use. After testing several brands, I recommend the Siemens Multistix 10 SG, which you can buy on eBay (100 strips for about $20). Siemens is a big reliabile company (I would avoid the cheaper brands sold on Amazon). If you test your urine frequently (only takes a couple of minutes), the dipstick results might help you get out in front of the bad phase of a UTI and therefore to help you seek treatment earlier (including the natural remedies already described).

Good luck.

Hi Howard, hope you get better soon. As long as you self cath, you will have UTIs recurring. It's usually in the asymptomatic form of UTI. It means bacteria is abound in your urine. As long as you are well than you are fine. However, when your immune system is down, they can cause problem. The way I handle it is by monitoring my urine. Whenever it becomes cloudy, I consume some crushed raw garlic. I know that it works because my urine becomes clear, for at least few days afterwards.