Urine infection : Hi All,I’m just reaching out... - IBS Network

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Urine infection

Breathless1943 profile image
25 Replies

Hi All,I’m just reaching out to you all to see if anyone can suggest a good antibiotic for a water infection.

I suffer severely with my stomach,and most antibiotics put me through a hell of a lot of pain. I’ve took one week of an antibiotic that seemed ok,but it turns out it hasn’t cleared it up. I’m not used to urine infections so I don’t know much about them. But I would be extremely grateful for any advise. I’m really struggling with pain. 😢

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Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943
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25 Replies
FRreedman profile image
FRreedman

Your GP or pharmacist should be able to advise you, however, I also have problems with antibiotics, so, depending on your personal allergies, I have found that Amoxicillin, in the form of Co-Amoxiclav , is the only cure for me.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply toFRreedman

Thank you,for your reply. I suffer chronic stomach pain,right up until I’m asleep. But most antibiotics double the pain ,so what’s is bearable becomes unbearable. The reason I’m asking this question here is because my GP is useless.

Margie71 profile image
Margie71 in reply toBreathless1943

You can’t just use any antibiotics people may recommend. You need a urine Culture If you haven’t had one. The Culture will say which antibiotics will work with the kind of infection you have.

userotc profile image
userotc in reply toMargie71

Do GPs actually arrange cultures for UTIs as far as you know? Its never been done for my mum. If infection remains, GP just prescribes another a/b drug, then another...... I presume each one has had culture tests to confirm they can clear UTIs eg ecoli.

I understand the reasoning but unsure if practised.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply touserotc

GPs,themselves don’t do cultures,they usually send your water sample off to a hospital.

userotc profile image
userotc in reply toBreathless1943

No I wouldn't expect GPs to do anything but arrange, as I said. My question was how common is it - not very based on my mum's experience. From Breathless' comment, it seems it can be done albeit unsuccessfully!

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply touserotc

All I can say is in my experience which has only been twice,I’m pleased to say. But both times my sample has been sent for culture,if that’s the right wording.

My GP has just got back to me with another anti biotic to try,called ,Cefalexin,so hopefully I will be ok with this.

in reply touserotc

They wouldn't be able to diagnose a urine infection if they didn't take a urine sample, or would they?

userotc profile image
userotc in reply to

No but we do that at home anyhow with urine dipsticks. No culture taken as far as we know though unless the surgery prefers to not tell us. After all, they never told my mum she had kidney disease from 2010 (my dad found out via Patient Access)!

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply to

Well I take my urine into the doctors to be checked and both times they have sent it away for culture.🤷🏻‍♀️

in reply toBreathless1943

Same here.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply toMargie71

I agree with you Margie,and my GP did send it off for a culture,but it never came back to him with any advise,so he was using his own judgement,and prescribed me Trimethoprim,the first one he tried me on was Nitrofurantoin, and that made me really ill.

My worry is if it didn’t work the first time will it the second time round. I’m 77yrs old and this is only the second urine infection I’ve ever had. The first time the antibiotic worked straight off,but that was a couple of years ago and I can’t remember the name of it.

userotc profile image
userotc

Have you tried natural antibiotics? My mum reacts to a/b drugs but gets many UTIs so starts today on a herbal treatment for the current one with plans to drink pure cranberry juice regularly to avoid others. Happy to keep you posted.

But drinking more water (2l+/day) is probably more important as we've already demonstrated with her.

265599 profile image
265599

In the past my GP has given me Metronidazole,for IBS/and diverticulitis.

It is a very potent drug , but I must be honest, it is after I have finished the course...usually 2 weeks 3 times a day,that I feel the benefit.

In my case it works!.

Even for urinary infections.

Take care.

265599 profile image
265599

Oh and you must drink at least 2 litres of water a day.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply to265599

Thank you for your reply. My GP put me on Cefalexin 500mg,I only got them this morning and I’ve only took 1 so far. But I can tell you I’m going through hell with my stomach,now at the moment I can’t tell whether that’s due to the tablet or the infection. I shall take another one shortly and I will take it from there. I am and do drink a lot of water anyway,but thank you for your time.

Try taking a probiotic such as biocult at the same time as antibiotic. Helps your gut retain good bacteria.

My first port of call if I think I have cystitis is the pharmacy for potassium citrate mixture as I don't do well on antibiotics. Ask the pharmacist. Also cranberry juice and plenty of bland liquids.

Hoping you feel better soon.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply to

Thank you,Is biocult something you would take all the time,or just while on the antibiotic??

The reason I ask this is,sometime ago a nutritionist recommended I take Optibac,to which I took for about six months,and as silly as it may seem when I stopped taking them for the first couple of days I felt terrible.

So I don’t really want anything I have to stick with.

in reply toBreathless1943

You can take biocult all the time. Apparently gut health is very important. Think optibac does one specially for when you're on antibiotics, just to take for that period of time.

Billybum profile image
Billybum

nitrofurition [not sure of spelling] was the only AB that ever cured my UTI. had loads ,one after the other.then a year on just one tablet a night got rid.good luck

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply toBillybum

That’s the first one I had,and I was really unwell. So I’m now on Cefalexin so far so good. But of course I won’t know if it’s done the job until I’ve completed the course.

RCMM profile image
RCMM

Best to avoid antibiotics. Try Waterfall Mannose, available from Sweet Cures.

Genevieve profile image
Genevieve

I went through a period of numerous UTIs - 4 or 5 a year at one time. The antibiotic which worked for me was Trimethoprim. Nitrofurantoin also made me feel very unwell so I definitely wouldn't go back onto that. Thankfully, I haven't had a UTI for some years now - touch wood! Good luck, I hope the Cefalexin works well for you. UTIs are awful.

mary07 profile image
mary07

I suffer dreadfully from UTI's and, as another post says, you need the GP to send off a culture to see which antibiotic will work. Unfortunately for me nothing seems to be working and as soon as I finish the antibiotic, the infection comes back. The next step will be to go back to see the urologist about intravenous antibiotics which they only offer in hospital. If symptoms persevere even when you get the right antibiotic you may need a daily low dose though many do upset one's tummy.

Breathless1943 profile image
Breathless1943 in reply tomary07

Hi,to you all. Thank you very much for all your reply’s.

I would just like to clear a few things up. Before I had this uti,I suffer severely with chronic stomach pain anyway. It was just that the pain I suffer seemed to be getting worse,which is the reason my husband took a water sample in to my GP for me. Having stomach pain,and I’m not used to UTIs I can’t tell whether I have an infection or not.

The first one I had was ecoli though they never told me that,I found out.

This one,well all I can read in my records at the moment is Leucocytes we’re found,with the dip,so it was sent off for culture. I’m not sure what any of that means. But I suffer with Emphysema,and I have in the past had my fair share of antibiotics,so I know they excel the pain I already have. So far these Cefalexin are causing me no problem,but I’m just hoping they clear up the UTI.

If anyone can shed any light on what I am about to post,I will be grateful.

If not,THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP.👵🏻

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