UTI avoiding antibiotics

[Pipes123]

Judging from the burning, I'm just starting a urinary tract infection. I had one and was treated a year ago. I ignored one more recently. I really don't want to overuse abx as I want the benefit of my gut bacteria, and I want the benefit of abx later in life when I might need them more. Currently in my 40's.

So two questions.

1. What besides antibiotics do you use to treat and or prevent UTI?

2. What are your thoughts about this question? Am I wrong to be worried more about C Diff now, and bacterial infections later, closer to old age? There are many nurses and health care providers here. What do you think? Other than ms, I am disgustingly healthy.

[4boysmom]

I have a sister who got c-diff, and you are good to be cautious!

I have had many a UTI over the years. I haven't had one for a couple of years now by just drinking about 1/4 cup of cranberry juice (100%, not cranapple or cranberry cocktail, although occasionally I will do cocktail when on a trip). I have never gone this long in 30 years without 2 or 3 a year.

So I swear by drinking the juice. Some do cranberry pills but my doc said he didn't think that was as effective so I've stuck with the juice.

I also need to be cautious. I'm allergic to Sulfa, amoxcillin, clyndamycin, levaquin(messed with my left achilles), Tysabri (developed neutralizing antibodies) so I agree with being careful and not taking any more than I absolutely need.

It stinks sometimes but I'm running out of options.

[SNOOPY]

Hello Pipes123,

If you truly have an UTI the best thing you can do is have it treated. UTIs can increase MS symptoms (pseudo-exacerbations) but some have had a true exacerbation from having an infection.

If left untreated UTIs can go into the kidneys which then becomes more serious.

Some of the medications for UTIs such as Macrobid only treat the Urinary tract.

I started having UTIs at the age of 4 and spent most of my childhood on medication. The fears you express has never been a problem for me.

[Kimba22]

Hello Pipes123,

I agree with SNOOPY. It needs to be treated! Even though a UTI may seem innocent, it's still an infection and can quickly spread. I had one UTI a few years back that quickly spread to my kidneys, and then had to spend 10 days on an IV antibiotic in the hospital (where I broke out in a full body rash from the 1st antibiotic) to treat the kidney infection. I've also had urosepsis, where the source of sepsis is from a UTI. The absolute worst infection I ever had was when the bacterium from urosepsis went to my heart, causing endocarditis. Besides the infection causing a massive flare (that could not be treated with high dose steroids because of the infections), I also had to spend the next 6 weeks on two different IV antibiotics round the clock.

It's a good idea to drink plenty of water every day. I do take cranberry supplements, but the best thing I finally did was to get under the care of a urologist. He did further testing to determine why I was getting them to begin with (in my case, I had residual urine even after I thought I'd completely emptied). Now that this problem has been properly addressed, I haven't had another one (knock of wood!). One UTI a year isn't usually considered a huge deal, but, depending on your doctor, more than that should probably be further investigated.

Good luck!

[4boysmom]

Make sure they culture also when you get a UTI. Not all antibiotics are good for every germ. I was given macrodantin early on (30 years ago) and they would never clear up my UTI fully.

So a urologist would always order Cipro. I stuck with Cipro over the years because it seemed to help. (helped also with mucking up my achilles along with the levaquin I took for sinus issues also prescribed by an ear-nose-throat specialist). About 4 years ago, I got a really bad UTI that just wouldn't clear up. A family doc did a culture and said I really needed to try macrodantin because it would clear up the problem.

He was right! After about 6 months of misery on Cipro, macrodantin did the trick!

[Pipes123]

Thank you all. I will consult with my internist and see if she will culture. Guess I'll just eat lots of probiotic and hope for the best.

[rdmc]

Just to echo what others have said, UTIs can't be taken lightly. If you have one, you need to be on an antibiotic.

Like Kimba, I was hospitalized because of complications from an untreated UTI. I had pneumonia that had spread to my lungs, from an untreated UTI. I was hospitalized for a week on IV antibiotics.

The culture part is very important. Make sure your physician has the urine sample cultured. They'll give you an antibiotic to start with, but once the culture comes back, they'll know whether the one you're on is the right one, or they might have to switch to another one.

As far as worrying about C-diff, I've been on lots of antibiotics for various reasons, once I was on an IV antibiotic for 6 weeks. My doctor has me take a strong probiotic while on it, in fact I take a probiotic every day even when not on antibiotics.

Once your UTI has cleared then you can look into preventing them by using cranberry juice, d-mannose, or vitamin C...all have their place in preventing UTIs, but if you have one now, please see a doctor and get it treated.

[fishead]

I agree with SNOOPY.

Also, if your doctor prescribes an abx that is specific for what has been cultured, it will only work on the organism that it is intended for ( I say in a "blanket statement"). It IS good to limit your antibiotic intake, but for a UTI it is imperative that you get rid of that, so (like SNOOPY said) it does not effect your kidneys.

Since UTI's have been connected to MS flare-ups, it's essential that you be treated ASAP. To prevent c-diff, you can take the probiotic Florastor (Saccharomyces boulardii). It's a strain of yeast, not bacteria, so it can be taken during antibiotic treatment and won't be killed off by the drug. It's a good idea to also take a probiotic containing beneficial bacteria after you've finished treatment.

I swear by the Florastor, although I don't take it routinely because it's so expensive. After a few bowel surgeries, long hospitalizations, and several rounds of treatment with Cipro for diverticulitis and UTI's, I have never gotten c-diff. Good luck!

[rdmc]

Since UTI's have been connected to MS flare-ups, it's essential that you be treated ASAP. To prevent c-diff, you can take the probiotic Florastor (Saccharomyces boulardii). It's a strain of yeast, not bacteria, so it can be taken during antibiotic treatment and won't be killed off by the drug. It's a good idea to also take a probiotic containing beneficial bacteria after you've finished treatment.

I swear by the Florastor, although I don't take it routinely because it's so expensive. After a few bowel surgeries, long hospitalizations, and several rounds of treatment with Cipro for diverticulitis and UTI's, I have never gotten c-diff. Good luck!

Florastor is also my doctors recommendation while taking an antibiotic. As Betsi wrote, it is expensive, but a little less on Amazon or drugstore dot com than at local health food stores. I think they are $32 (a bottle of 50) on Amazon or drugstore and if you were to buy it at Walgreens, it's $47.

I, too, don't take Florastor regularly, just when I'm taking antibiotics...the other times I take Ultimate Flora brand of probiotics. They're not cheap either, but there again, cheaper on Amazon.