As well as thyroid disease I have a long history of Chronic UTI and high alkaline urine.
I suspect a link!
The C-uti has been treated, with minimal success , with various prophylactic and treatment doses of antibiotics. It flares up frequently.
Previously I've tried both D-Mannose and Hiprex ...at different times
Today, the result of a horrible C-uti flare, I've been prescribed another treatment dose of Nitrofurintoin with the advice to follow that with Hiprex along with vitamin C.
The vit C, to acidify the urine and to make the Hiprex more effective.
Thinks!
I'm now trying to join up yet more scattered (thyroid) dots and wondering if T3 (75mcg only, daily) might be causing alkaline urine and therefore exacerbating the situation....which hopefully the Vit C will alter.
My kidney function has just been tested and is fine.
My question....
Can/ does ( high dose) T3 cause alkaline urine?
I realise this is a long, likely off target, shot but I need to ask the question to satisfy my curiosity!
Please, does anyone have any insight into this?
diogenes as our science expert, may I please include you?
Huge thanks everyone, you are all stars.
Written by
DippyDame
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Do you know exactly which Bacteria your UTI is . Without this knowledge treating it with the wrong Antibiotic is useless To find this out you will require a Broth Test which is performed in the lab for a period of days. Then the result will tell you what you have and exactly which Antibiotic will clear it up.
It's easy to get a broth test there is one up in Newcastle which replies by email they send you the test and then the results. It does cost but gives the answers to recovery. The 1958 dip stick test is as bad as the rest of the NHS, pretty useless. Wasting money on needless antibiotics and still keeping patients ill.
I have sent you the details by private message OK.
Nitrofurantoin is an awful antibiotic and among other things it interferes with Thyroid levels.
I’m afraid that I suffered greatly with long term UTIs and the side effects of antibiotics. The only thing that helped me was Vagifem (topical oestrogen). I was given it specifically for UTIs
The link below may be useful to you and suggests that alkaline urine is present in UTIs
That's very thoughtful....I have had Vagifem suppositaries for UTI which made little difference.
It seems that after many years of UTIs ( +/- 20) the bacteria are deeply embedded in the bladder wall.....
UTIs are also a symptom of low cellular T3/ hypothyroidism....I was wrongly/ not diagnosed and treated for decades
I've also read that alkaline urine is a symptom/ result of UTI but since I'm on a high T3 dose I wondered if that might raise the ph further.....I did think it was a long shot but that irritating little voice in my head just keeps asking questions!!!
Hi, can you please tell me where I can find info on Nitrofurantoin interfering with thyroid levels. I was prescribed 3 days of this awful stuff and only managed one and a half before giving up. I can honestly say it has made me feel dreadful. I need to get back to my GP for something else so any proof would be good. Thanks
I'm on day 4 of a 7 day course of Nitro for a UTI flare...I feel completely drained.So...I've decided to stop after 4 days and start Hiprex with vit C....the vit C acidifies the urine and makes the Hiprex more effective. I discovered my urine is alkaline!
I've used Nitro before....it's brutal but it did help. It's one of the old abx.
You could try Trimethoprim or Amoxycillin instead but I find most abx are a challenge
T4 and T3 may decrease excretion rate of Nitro causing higher serum level and increased therapeutic efficacy.
Many thanks for your reply and the link. I’ll take a look at that. I’ve never felt so ill on any other antibiotics than this one. I was totally drained and spent all day yesterday in bed which is not like me. I couldn’t even walk to the loo without holding on to the wall! Will have to try and get hold of my GP but that’s another battle ☹️
Sorry to be such a pain but, what do I need to do to get the drug interactions to come up on that site. My brain is frazzled and I’m still suffering the effects of this terrible antibiotic.
Scroll down that page, ( I've already added the heading Levothyroxine in the link) then enter Nitrofurantoin in the box under the Drug Reactions heading, then hit enter on keyboard.
I've ridden through the horrible effects and found it did work.....but I'm 78, with a supportive husband at home and can lie low for a few days!!
Thanks for your reply, I’ve cracked it now. I only took 3 out of the 6 my GP prescribed. I’m 79 and have never had such a bad reaction to any antibiotic given in the past, some better tolerated than others but this is a whole other ball game. I spent the whole of yesterday in bed after trying to stay up for about an hour but felt so dizzy and weak, I just couldn’t take it. It was making me throw up on an empty stomach and what with the stonking headache and dizziness, I decided enough is enough. UTI symptoms still there ☹️
Thanks, I’ve stopped taking it, took none yesterday and haven’t eaten anything since Tuesday evening when I took my last dose. I was spacing it 12 hours apart. It was the fact that at 11 hours I started to throw up on an empty stomach that made my decision to stop final. I’m on both levo and lio so a double whammy ☹️
Thanks for all your help. Back to the GP if I can even get through to the Surgery !
Hi DippyDame, I don't know the answer about T3 and alkaline urine but I take T3 and had a very long history of recurrent and long lasting UTIs even when given antibiotics so might have a suggestion. It might not be helpful because you have said you tried d-Mannose. D-Mannose didn't work for me until I bought it in Spain where it came along with cranberry extract (I hadn't asked for that). The instructions were to take it for one month, and it was in easy to use individual sachets. I took it and to my astonishment have been UTI free since May. The treatment was called Cysticlean (better check spelling if you want to try it) and although bought in Spain all instructions were in English so presumably from USA or UK.
How interesting your thought about acidity and absorption is. I read that cranberry also is good for something like preventing the bacteria (or something) from sticking to the UT so that instead they pass on through and out of the body. I really hope it works as well for you - if not you could try a holiday in Spain!!
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