Antibiotic

[48750]

Trying to find a safe daily antibiotic to take with stage 4 kidney disease.

[Hidden]

May I inquire as to why you need/want to take a daily antibiotic? If you need one temporarily your PCP and Nephrologist should be contacted to find one that will help you on a short term basis. I had foot surgery about a month ago and the doctor prescribed a short term antibiotic after consulting with my nephrologist and I took the pill. I had two labs done about 2-3 weeks later and my GFR was still hovering around 51. This was my second surgery in the past two years and I can tell you as you move through the stages towards ESRD antibiotics are likely to provide you with more side effects, so be careful.

[48750 in reply to Hidden]

I get uti ‘s constantly with the last one causing it to spread to my kidneys. It took forever to clear. After that I was prescribed a daily antibiotic to stave off infection. Worked great with no urinary tract infections. Unfortunately the manufacturer no longer makes the antibiotic I was taking. Now I am prescribed nitrofurantoin and according to the information I saw online, it says people with kidney disease should not take it. Now I’m afraid to start taking it. Called my kidney dr with concern. At first he said to only take it for 3 days. After explaining why I needed a daily antibiotic he said to take it until next visit, then he would reevaluate. Mentioned my concern to nurse over the phone and she said you can’t believe everything you read online. There you have it. That’s why I’m asking my original question. I feel I’m between a rock and a hard place.

[Hidden in reply to 48750]

I use drugs.com to review all meds offered by my doctors. Several come up with "not recommended for patients with kidney disease" that's when I contact my nephrologist. Before you begin anything long term have you contacted a urologist to see if they can help you with the frequent UTIs?The urologist may be able to stop the UTIs without the daily antibiotic.

Best of luck.

[48750 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[48750 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I got the same information about not taking the drug with kidney disease.I did talk to the kidney specialist and he said to take it until I see him again.

At this point I’m not going to take it and try to find an antibiotic that I can take. I don’t understand WHY both drs think it’s safe for kidney disease patients.

[Hidden in reply to 48750]

In a previous post you spoke about going to Austin to be with your son. If you are still planning on that you might want to get another opinion by seeing a physician in the Austin area and go from there.Best of luck.

[Sammi_n_Munk in reply to 48750]

Hi there 48750! Do you know what the cause or reason is behind your frequent bouts of UTIs? Are you by chance, diabetic? If possible, perhaps you should ask your doctor if the cause for the UTIs can be dealt with, instead of having to consistently rely on antibiotics. They’re really not good for anyone to take for long periods of time, and certainly not good for those of us with CKD. I hope your doctor will be able to find a better resolution to this problem for you. Please keep us posted. I wish you all my best dear. 😊🙏

[48750 in reply to Sammi_n_Munk]

Thank you much for your reply. I appreciate the advice and wishes

[48750]

Thank you. That’s the plan. I have a dr and a kidney specialist to see there.Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it.

[Herkidney]

So long as your PCP is aware of your kidney health, he/she will know the appropriate antibiotic for you. The nephrologist will definitely know what type of antibiotic should be prescribed.

I have been prescribed antibiotics pre and post transplant. Each time I have picked up antibiotics (or any other prescription) from the pharmacy I double check with the pharmacist whether the particular antibiotic/medicine will have a negative reaction with my anti-rejection medications. Since the pharmacists are the experts about the various prescribed drugs and their interactions with each other, I want them to know what other medications I take (I get my anti-rejection meds from my transplant center pharmacy and not my local pharmacy).

Good luck!

[Scrabbleaddict]

Like you, I have to be on a daily prophylactic antibiotic for chronic, colonized UTI. I also have liver dysfunction so my urologist has me take Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole or SMZ. My liver studies have remained in the normal range, however, I recently got diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease. My kidney function went down twenty points in one year. I go back to my urologist on September 1st. I am interested in what he will do now that my kidneys are being adversely affected by the antibiotics.

[48750 in reply to Scrabbleaddict]

I was on trimethoprim and it stayed infection free. The manufacturer stopped making it and I don’t want to take the new one the dr prescribed.Thank you for your reply and wish you well.

[Scrabbleaddict in reply to 48750]

Thank you…I am trying to do everything I can to retain kidney function. Mine is generic, does keep UTI under control but really hard on the kidneys. My urologist initially mentioned he could prescribe just half of the combination medication. I am interested to see if he feels that will help the decline of my kidney function. May I ask what the new medication is that he prescribed? It seems like most antibiotics are hard on the kidneys and/or liver. I hope you can find a solution as well.

[48750 in reply to Scrabbleaddict]

Nitrofurantoin. Online it states that if you have kidney disease do not take. Needless to say it causes me concern.

[Scrabbleaddict in reply to 48750]

Yes, when my urologist prescribed it my kidney function was 76 now it is 52-56. Definitely worried what options I have.

[Darlenia]

Really glad you're interested in keeping an eye on the antibiotics you receive. You really do have to watch the antibiotics. Some can impact not only your kidneys, but also other organs. My hubby, then on dialysis, contracted frequent utis and was prescribed heavy duty (infused) antibiotics for one particular severe one. The barrage of treatments led to the emergence of the horrible super bug known as c-dif (because now all good intestinal flora was also killed off) which led to constant diarrhea, requiring more antibiotics! Ultimately, a gastroenterologist stepped in to stop the insanity. He used yet another type of antibiotic to squelch the c-diff and also recommended probiotics, namely Floraster and New Rhythm, to restored proper functioning. So, you're right to exercise caution around antibiotics, even those safe for kidneys can have outcomes elsewhere. Double-checking everything that is prescribed is a great way to avoid trouble. Wishing you success!

[48750 in reply to Darlenia]

Thank you. Glad to hear your husband’s issue was finally addressed with success. My best to you both.

[Kidney2014]

Hello 48750, I am female and 7 years post transplant and got recurring UTIs after surgery. One time I ended up in hospital for a week from UTI that led to sepsis which led to pyelonephritis (kidney infection). I was pumped with all sorts of IV antibiotics. After discharge, my nephrologist referred me to a urologist to check everything - cystoscopy and scans to look at my anatomy and pelvis tilt, my urethra and bladder, my urine output and any urine retention.

In the end they didn’t find anything unusual, so I was prescribed a daily prophylactic antibiotic generic version of Bactrim (SMP/TMZ) which is what you were taking. I’ve since switched health insurance and got another generic manufacturer of the same and it has been fine. I’m on 400-80mg.

I’ve seen several different nephrologists and several different urologists in TX and in FL. No one can figure out why I get recurring UTIs, but it seems Bactrim has helped me be clear for the last several years. And generic worked for me regardless of manufacturer. I tried cranberry, d-mannose, prebiotics and probiotics. Only prophylactic antibiotics worked for me. The pros of not getting UTIs outweighs the cons of resistant bacteria for now…until there is some better solution in the future.

Do you know why manufacturer discontinued your med and why your insurance or health provider isn’t providing another similar generic from another manufacturer?

[48750]

You have fought quite a battle. Glad to hear you won the nightmare with that horrible infection.I don’t know why the manufacturer discontinued the medication, but appreciate the suggestion to ask for a substitute from another manufacturer.

My best to you .

[Kidney2014 in reply to 48750]

Thanks! Hope your insurance can find another generic manufacturer for SMP/TMZ. If you haven’t already, and if you’re able to, I’d suggest seeing a urologist and then another urologist for second opinion. I know they couldn’t find a reason for my recurring UTIs, but it’s worth it to rule out everything. UTIs are terrible as you know. Good luck!