UTI treatment for ckd patients

[Dana66CKD]

What are safest antibiotics used for UTI? Last year January, I was prescribed nitrofurantoin/macrobid for infection. It resolved but wondering if any harm to kidneys?Pretty miserable now with UTI. I'm stage 2 ckd. Thanks

[userotc]

According to the link below, you are only advised to avoid if eGFR less than 45 mL/ minute/1.73 m2 so you should be OK, at least re renal impairment. But constant antibiotics arent good for anyone's gut so should be minimised or avoided, where possible. So Id recommend that you explore natural prevention and treatment instead or (if necessary) alongside drugs.

My mum found she also needed macrobid 2 or 3 years ago but used a herbal supplement alongside it. Since then, she's managed to minimise/keep at bay🙏by drinking more water and using cranberry supplements. Maybe see a qualified, specialised Nutritional Therapist?.

bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/nitro...

[Dana66CKD in reply to userotc]

I'll talk to my nephrologist when I see her this month.Thanks for your response.🙂

[userotc in reply to Dana66CKD]

Not sure your nephro is trained and qualified to advise on the natural prevention and treatment (not in the UK anyhow). But 🤞

[Dana66CKD in reply to userotc]

Yes, I'm sure that's true and I will talk with renal dietitian or someone with knowledge about dietary supplement to help avoid recurrent UTI. I drink water daily 8/8oz glasses, sometimes more. Women my age with Sjogren's, suffer from age related issues of recurrent UTI, add the Sjogren's and things get more complex🙁

Thanks for the response.

[userotc in reply to Dana66CKD]

For info, we avoid dieticians partly because their main Association is heavily funded by big pharma (link available). Unsure about renal though.

[Hidden in reply to Dana66CKD]

I found my Renal Dietician to be very helpful with information about treating UTIs naturally. I also see a Naturopath, I have been seeing her for over 25 years. Although she is very qualified, and she now knows a lot about CKD, most because I'm her only patient with it, and she has followed me since I was diagnosed and done so much research on it for me, I am forever grateful, she has not been particularly helpful with my UTIs.

Herbal supplements, etc, were not cutting it; I let things go too far many times before seeing a medical doctor.

Never let a UTI go or let it get really painful, thinking you are naturally treating it. It can quickly become a kidney infection, and you don't need that. It happened to me and I really regret not seeking proper medical treatment sooner.

Also, wunderkid on this forum has a great diet that she has posted that's helped her with her UTIs, she is an invaluable source of info! Have a look at her posts.

All the best to you, take care of yourself.

[Irelandy]

Hi I take 100mg Trimethoprim daily as a preventative measure. Haven't had a uti In three years.

[Dana66CKD in reply to Irelandy]

Thanks for your response. Would prefer not to use abx as prophylaxis for UTI. In the long run, they're hard on kidneys. But I'll seek help for natural supplement.🙏

[Hidden]

Hi there, here's an article that I had posted about some new info and tx for UTIs I found it on another CKD forum I frequent and several women have had this tx and had some good luck with it.

The gist is that the use of vaginal estrogen therapy has been found to be helpful in lowering UTI risk. Vaginal estrogen increases the presence of lactobacillus in the vagina, preventing or helping to prevent UTIs.

webmd.com/menopause/news/20...

Good luck!

[Dana66CKD in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. Interesting because I just saw my pcp before I developed UTI and she asked if was still using cream I was prescribed a while back for symptoms: dryness, etc.Will look up and confer with about this issue. Appreciate your input.

[oceansplash]

My urologist prescribed me estrogen cream. Kind of expensive though like $50 for cream tube.

[Dana66CKD in reply to oceansplash]

I was paying $25 at my local "Compounding Pharmacy," which appears to be less expensive than regular pharmacy. Do you have this in your area?

[Dana66CKD in reply to Dana66CKD]

"Estradiol" very small dose for dryness, etc.Stopped using, but if it helps deter recurrent uti's, I use maintenance dose I was prescribed.🙏🤔

[Dana66CKD in reply to Dana66CKD]

Sorry, "I'll start using maintenance dose I was prescribed, again." Had stopped d/t effects I didn't care for.

[oceansplash in reply to oceansplash]

I didn't pick up the prescription. If I decide to take it I'll check for compounding pharmacies. I've never been to one. The creme isn't supposed to have the side effects like the pill does. I gained like 20 lbs. on the pills during menopause. Terrible. But I did read something about it being good for ckd. After my next urine test I'll decide what I'll do.

[Dana66CKD in reply to oceansplash]

Can you cite where your info is from about being good for ckd? I am interested in reading that info. If it helps deter recurrence of uti's, I am definitely interested in knowing. Thank you Oceansplash 🙂

[oceansplash]

Sorry, I didn't keep it. I was googling estrogen and kidney disease and was just skimming through sites. I had already decided I wasn't using it for now - kind of wait and see - so I didn't keep the info.

[Hidden]

Hi Dana

So sorry you're going through UTIs in addition to CKD.

Previously I've been put on nitrofurantoin but nothing works permanently for me (I'm talking of years rather than days/months) except for belowmentioned diet. But this is me, everyone is different.

I've also experienced Trimethoprim subscribed for chronic UTI's, and it was not good!

One brief but horrible event with Trimethoprim involved angina and very severe fatigue (in addition to my permanent chronic fatigue) and who knows what other effects on heart/kidneys.

What saves me from suffering permanent UTIs and consequential antibiotics is the Interstitial Cystitis diet prescribed for me by a hospital specialist.

I wish it was given to me years ago before all the unnecessary pain/bleeding/drs visits/investigations/blood & urine tests/useless physio exercises/hospital Emergency Department visits/Cystoscopies, and stupid procedures like bladder distensions and years of permanent antibiotics that didn't do anything but cause issues elsewhere (eg kidneys?).

I now have moderate CKD.

Can't find the exact copy of my prescribed IC diet online -even from the official hospital website.

But I have previously posted on healthunlocked.com/nkf-ckd/... where I managed to upload a few pages but not the entire copy of this diet.

Wishing you the best for your health, Dana.

[Dana66CKD in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your efforts wunderkid! I will try to look into this subject more meticulously. I've had two UTI's in past 2 years... same month (January). I find this somewhat puzzling, but not yet problematic. I hope, considering I'm menopausal and older post-menopausal women in general have changes with their bladder function etc., that it's not going to be ongoing and more enhanced by the CKD/CKF.I recently read article on Mayo website that PM women's bladder "tilt's" so as to cause urine to remain longer in bladder and bacteria to form. That's just women my age, or older without diagnosis of ckd...

Hopefully a particular diet will help keep the infections at bay? All on this forum strive to preserve as much of their renal function for as long as possible! Good luck to us all 🙏