Nitrofurantoin side effects

[CreatingHavoc]

I had nitrofurantoin a month ago for a uti. It unfortunately didn't clear and I was given cefalexin, which ruined me and I couldn't eat properly for weeks. Only just starting to be able to eat more now really. Uti is now back again and been given nitro again but I feel much worse on it this time round. Really dizzy and tired. Tinnitus is way worse than normal. Woke in the night with a numb heel but it's gone back to normal now. I know it can cause lung and nerve issues and I'm pretty anxious about it tbh. I've taken it a lot in the past and normally only get minor side effects from it but I am really depleted and run down at the moment so wondering if that's why I feel so bad.

I also had really bad side effects with nitrofurantoin. I have also suffered with utis constantly since my mid twenties. I believe many doctors don’t really understand uti’s or why they are so difficult to treat.
I eventually managed to get on a programme where I took a preventative dose each night alternating between ceflexin and co amoxiclav which eventually worked for me. But it took years and really affected my mental health as I was having two or three utis a month. I really feel for you OP. I have a friend who is a doctor and has also really suffered and she has been given hormone patches which apparently are very effective so please ask about this. It is quite a new treatment I believe but has been shown to have really good results.
There is also a new treatment that affects the ph of the bladder which is also worth a try.
you will need to ask your doctor about these specifically though in my experience as most gps are pretty useless at dealing with this.

Thanks, I'm just not sure whether to keep taking them or not. I've still got 9 tablets left. It's the standard release so 4x a day.

Though I’d taken it before, I reacted badly to nitrofurantoin but with different side effects. I stopped taking it immediately and was sent to OOH where I was given Amoxycillin.
As my relentless UTIs didn’t test positive I was given a mild HRT cream which I use twice weekly before bedtime. Symptoms appear mildly on the day a dosage is due - not that I would forget. I appreciate this might not be relevant for you but it’s a consideration.
I hope you get it sorted soon. It’s awful, isn’t it?

@Deliveringpressies what were your side effects? I'm not sure if mine are bad enough to warrant me stopping or not. Hard to tell.

Try some topical estrogen cream like estriol. It could be hormone-related x

I had a history of recurring UTi( now resolved)
The one I couldn't tolerate was Nirofurantoin.
It made me vomit frequently.
I was put on a preventative course of Cephalexin for a year which thankfully I had no side effects from.
There are other antibiotics available which you may tolerate so I would call 111 asap to see if an Alternative can be prescribed
It's important to clear it asap

A friend with the same found D- mannose very helpful so you could try that also.

Hello, I've previously also had strange side effects (echoing in ears and dizziness) to nitrofurantoin, which I was given for a kidney infection and I would never take it again after that. Also had issues with cefalexin (muscle damage several weeks later) and trimethoprim (stomach upset). I try and avoid antibiotics for uti's now at all costs, I know if it affects your kidneys it is unavoidable.
I now use a D-Mannose product from Holland & Barrett which seems to work miracles. I used this a few weeks ago at the first signs of a uti, for 7 days and it cleared it up thank fully. Posted a pic as I can't see how to post a link from the h&b app.

If i stop my HRT i get the bladder pain back I also have Adenomyosis not sure if this impacts the pain but HRT helps.

This is all really interesting. Does the hormone stuff help even if it's caused by bacteria? Or is more for IC type pain? I think I have both regardless 😭
I struggle with all antibiotics, my gut is wrecked and I have a couple of chronic illnesses that don't help matters. Nitro was my go to! Cefalexin and amoxicillin both cause awful gastric issues and diarrhoea. I'm allergic to trimethoprim. Only other one is pivmecillinum and they don't often prescribe it. I've only had it once or twice after having an antibiotic resistant infection.

Tried d mannose but even that gives me awful bloating at the moment with my good bacteria being wiped out. I can tolerate some of the cranberry PAC stuff though, which is supposed to help.

I deliberately don’t read the enclosed leaflet as it would put me off. After days of feeling increasingly grim (which I attributed to the UTI), it was a rash which made me stop taking nitrofurantoin. At that point I looked at the side effects mentioned in the leaflet and ticked off quite a few.
I now take Estriol 0.01% cream which the GP assures me is prescribed for those with concerns about breast cancer.

I had a sudden onset of severe anxiety when taking this also had a similar experience with doxycycline but they are the only antibiotics I have taken that have had that effect

Are you taking with food? If I don’t I feel horrendous.

I'm allergic to this it gives me chest pains. I'm usually given amoxicillin or the piv...something or other one and those work for me.

But I take D mannose every day now and that makes a massive difference. I buy it from Amazon as it's cheaper.

My gp prescribed Estriol cream after two bad uti bouts having never suffered before. Am a long way post menopause and she said membranes get thinner and can allow contamination from bottom to perineum causing infection. Has worked so far🤞

I'm allergic to Nitro
They give me trimethoprim now
And im using vaginal oestrogen

If you can get it Fosfomycin is the absolute best, but drs in the UK rarely prescribe it

@princesspadam I'll query that next time I see gp, I've heard of people in the US using fosfomycin. Is it quite different to other antibiotics? I'm not convinced nitro is even working anymore. Fed up now and just want it to go away.

I took nitrofurantoin with no problems until day 8. I then became unable to breathe properly. It felt like my trachea was red hot and couldn't open. I also felt very sick and faint. I haven't met a doctor who had heard of this side effect but online it's listed as a rare and extremely dangerous side effect that occurs around day eight. I can never take it again.

It's a pity as it's very effective.

Similar to a PP, I was prescribed nitrofurantoin as a preventative after years of recurring UTIs.

I'm sure I was fine for the first few days, maybe longer, but after a particularly long walk in the cold I came over intensely fatigued - collapsed into bed thinking I was coming down with flu, my chest was burning. Within 12 hrs I was coughing up weird white froth and I was short of breath.

Went to GP who sent me straight to hospital with a suspected pulmonary embolism. Long story short, after scratching their heads for 3 days about why my d-dimer was off the charts, a scan revealed no clots. I continued on the nitrofurantoin, breathless and with pain in my upper back, for 3 months.

It resolved my UTIs for about 3 years until I got another one, and I started the nitrofurantoin again. This time, the acute pulmonary response kicked in vigorously after 24 hrs, the GP surgery recognised it as a reaction and now it's listed as a serious allergy.

Trimethoprim is ok for me although it makes me feel a bit sick, I'm allergic to penicillin but for the last UTI I was prescribed Cefalexin (which I was too nervous to take, given it's link to penicillin).

I have a chronically painful urethra, poor urinary flow, urinary hesitancy, high levels of uric acid in my blood tests, and my pee smells like Satan's armpit. But there doesn't seem to be any long term curative treatment suggested.

I’ve just experienced a similar reaction to nitro due to a uti that won’t shift. Had a 3 day course which was fine, then a 7 day course a week later which made me feel shivery and odd on a couple of occasions (but thought nothing of it). Now a month later, I just started another 7 day course due to lingering symptoms and after just the second pill I too collapsed into bed with severe body aches and shivers thinking I was coming down with the flu. Called 111 the next morning as I was tight chested with a dry cough and bubbly sputum and was sent to A&E with a suspected pulmonary embolism, which was quite terrifying! Thankfully all tests were clear. I stopped the nitro just in case and was getting ready to be stuck in bed with flu. This was yesterday. This morning I feel fine, minus the cough and chest tightness which is still there. I am 100% sure it was the nitro and will never take it again.

@NotYourSaviour want to thank you for writing your post, as I had read this prior to starting the course and recognised your previous symptoms in myself and that is what prompted me to call 111.

Wow. Glad it was useful! Funny how we had exactly the same reaction. The bubbly white sputum is freaky!