Anyone taking long-term low-grade antibiotics for recurrent UTIs?

@recoverymom
I take CranCap as recommended by Urology dept at Mayo-Eau Claire. It has 36 mg of PAC. Take once a day.
If I feel a UTI starting, I take 2/day for 2 days. Maybe it's just placebo effect but has been helping for a year. No. UTIs.

Trying for short answer with my problem: 12 antibiotics in 12 months - visible blood - not only infection but damaged bladder from radiation to pelvis years ago. Suddenly, because I am a senior, they said no more antibiotics. Also, I decided not to go on the monthly low dose. Apparently we older people can have infection with no symptoms: OR, symptoms and no infection. I have mix: I still show some infectin on my urine test strips I buy from pharmacy BUT I also have very painful urination and small smouns - so, again, I cant really help you except to say it is just horrible having this. Personally I would see your family doctor about these symptoms as I dont think from antibiotic... but make sure and best of luck to you.

@cheryllouise I suggest that you see a Urogynecologists, I had this problem and found that it wasn't UTI's at all it was thin skin in my vagina and that area because of age and loss of hormones from having a hysterectomy they put me on estradiol vaginal cream and that took care of it. I have never had the problem again I am 78 and I went to the doctor 8 or ten years ago and am happy using the cream three times a week.

@kmb24 Thanks so much your reply. I currently take 1 Craberry extract pill that also has 36 mg of PAC as well as 1 gm of dmannose and take both 2X per day. Hopefully it will keep these darn infections away!!!

@bonniejpowell
I have had chronic utis for over 60 years. A combo of daily D-Mannose and 64 oz water did the trick. I do still have Macrobid that I can use if I feel one coming on. Be aware that extreme temp changes, alcohol and carbonated beverages are not your friend. Keep caffeine to less than 24 oz coffee a day.

Hi everybody! You all probably already know this but I just want to reiterate that we MCC members shouldn’t be diagnosing &/or prescribing. The main purpose is to tell our own stories to give hope and encouragement to others. Nobody on here has to experience a challenging medical situation alone.
My own experience with taking long term low dose antibiotics is this. After my pancreas transplant I was put on an antibiotic to ward off infections that are particularly hard for solid organ transplant recipients to deal with because of the required immune suppression to prevent rejection. After a while these antibiotics resulted in side effects that were challenging in and of themselves. My transplant team came up with an alternative treatment that resolved the issue and protected my transplanted pancreas.
My husband has been experiencing a health situation that has been difficult to diagnose or treat for at least a decade. His providers are considering a low dose of antibiotic long term as a preventative treatment for him. Tests are still being done and the verdict is still out.
These are two examples of why providers have a lot to consider before trying a long term low dose antibiotic. They don’t want to eliminate the use of a potentially helpful medication because the body becomes too accustomed to it and stops responding. That leads to the development of “super bugs”. Nobody wants that!

...just off and on read in news about patients taking too many antibiotics but I have never asked for them; get the tests, do what the doctors recommends... unfortunately, things just dont always turn out as planned. They also suggested vaginal cream as one option but i recall when i was young woman using some and OMG it burned so much I couldnt sleep, thought would have to insert ice...had to go to work next day etc... at that time (and I forget the name of it).. we were starting to use internet and many women had this happen... horrible place to have burning all night ! So I didnt have a chancr to find out if it would help. My bladder was "damaged' from radiaton for cancer years ago which doesnt help the uti issue.... so now no antibiotics for ayear and every small amount frequent urination is like razor blades.. will be til i die I suppose. I did try a short time on low dose antibiotic and got vaginal itch issues! I keep telling my husband is lucky he doesnt have one ! 🙂

@lacy2
I have had frequent UTIs since I was 15 yo (I am now 61), and in my 20s was put on 💊 Macrodantin/Nitrofurantoin, which helped a
lot. I had so many fewer UTIs - I went from a monthly UTI to about 2-3/year. That worked for about 25 years ... until it suddenly stopped working. Surprisingly, I always drank a LOT of water, so I always hoped that those bacteria would just get flushed out. Wondering how much water a body needs?!?

Quoting from several hospital, health news and wellness sources, the general rule is to drink one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight.
* Example: if you weigh 120lbs, you drink 60oz, and if you weight 200lbs, drink 100oz of water.
* Some common guidelines also speak of 64oz as a daily absolute minimum, with many adults needing more, especially men, active individuals, or those in hot climates.
* Other official sites recommended up to 125 oz for men and 91 oz for women from all fluids, including food, so 64 oz might not be enough depending on your body size, activity, climate, diet and health.
* There is also a water calculator that asks some questions, and comes up with a personalized answer:
Check out the site of everydayhealth, and type in dehydration/hydration-calculator.

I'm now back to having 3 UTIs/every 2 months. I've seen so many different urologists, and therefore, I had many different prescriptions and suggestions, from D-mannose, methenamine, macrobid, penicillin, amoxicillin, Keflex, to things like vagifem and estradiol cream (eech, I hated that stuff, so slimy & it didn't even work, so I quit using it) etc.

All in all, the ONLY thing that worked for me, pharmacologically, was Keflex. Now, my PCP wants to put me on a low-dose of Keflex. I'm NOT excited about that since, due to many allergies to antibiotics, all I can take now is Keflex & Cechlor, which doesn't leave me any "big guns" for when I'm REALLY sick with something.

I started taking a supplement prophylactically, called "Super CranActin" by "Solaray", which I get from Amazon, and incredibly, it has helped when meds failed me. Amazingly, you'd have to drink 14 x six-ounce glasses of cranberry juice (84oz in total) to get the same urinary support - mind boggling, right?!? These capsules are made with Cranberry AF™ (Anti-adhesion Factor) extract combined with herbs (Uva Ursi, Goldenseal, Juniper, Cornsilk, Queen of the Meadow, and Blueberry) and vitamins C, E, B1, & B6. It has been designed to provide bacterial anti-adherence, in other words, bacteria will not stick to the cells of the bladder wall ... they slide right off. Cranberry helps PREVENT urinary tract infections, but doesn't help TREAT them (the bacteria don't get flushed out), once you experience another UTI, so see your healthcare provider before starting any cranberry supplements, to check for interactions with other medications or conditions, as well as if you believe that you have a current UTI.

Solaray also creates regular strength CranActin, which only contains the concentrated cranberries. I recently came across an article, in which scientists put D-mannose against Super CranActin, and D-mannoss lost!
I've pasted an excerpt of the article, "Cranberry Outperforms D-Mannose in Urinary Tract Health Trial", from 6/10/2024, below:
“Following daily intake for a week, the cranberry fruit juice dry extract product with 36 mg PAC (proanthocyanidin) provided significantly greater urinary bacterial anti-adhesion activity over each 24-hour period than the D-mannose product against both P-type and Type 1 Escherichia coli (E.coli) strains [... anaerobic bacteria that typically lives in the gut ...] that cause UTIs, ...”.
Check out the site of nutraingredients-usa, and search for the title.

Don't bother drinking cranberry juice from the grocery store ... those juices are mainly water and sugar (the Diet has a sugar free sweetner). I have tried the concentrated cranberry juice from the health food store but it was sooo bitter and beyond sour (not in a good way!), and didn't even work either. Neither type of juice has that anti-adhesion factor as Solaray 's products have.

I wish you success in finding a working solution. It mainly depends on what kind of bacteria you're growing in your bladder, so that you can be matched with proper meds.

@furbabymom/ et al: Help is Here!
I’m a lot older than you, but UTI history very similar. If you haven’t seen a Urologist, you may consider a consultation. FYI kidney stones attract and hold bacteria adding to chronic UTIs!
In the meantime:
1. Uribel 81.5mg RX blue pills - they prevent bacteria growing in bladder.
2. Premarin Vaginal Cream RX.- after menopause vaginal tissue thins & can trap bacteria. Just a dab nightly plus 1gm inserted in vagina weekly keeps area healthy (I have been told this is not a cancer risk even though it contains estrogen). Research above & consult with your doc!
I also increased my quantity of water and it does help, as well as extreme cleanliness. The above drugs have been part of my life for many years. It is rare I have a UTI flare - last one was 2 yrs ago while traveling (change of water/food). Hope y’all find relief like me!
Best of health to you!

Yes Hiprex 1 gram daily