Does Bactrim Treat Bladder Infection

Does Bactrim Work For Bladder Or Kidney Infections

Asked

24 Sep 2014 by tameade

kaismama

Its usually the drug of choice. Don’t treat it yourself tho, because if you have some hanging around from the last infection you do not have enough to take a full course. You shouldn’t have any left over because you’re supposed to take them all when they are prescribed.

+1mamagori11a

I have Medullary Sponge Kidney, which is the way doctors describe “chronic kidney stones.” As a result I quite often have kidney infections, and sometimes bladder infections if I don’t get treatment soon enough. Bactrim is the best medication I have found to treat both. Just make sure you are drinking A LOT OF WATER with this medication. And as noted with the prescription, don’t take it on an empty stomach. Not only has it worked for my kidney infections, but it also has cleared up all three when I had them all .

+1

Study: Doctors Favor Pricey Drugs Over Cheaper First

MONDAY, Jan. 14, 2002 — If you’re a woman taking antibiotics for a urinary tract infection, chances are you’re not on the drug that experts say you should be using.

A new study says three in four women don’t receive Bactrim, the recommended front-line medication to control urinary tract infections , which are a common bacterial ailment that affects millions of American women each year.

Although the other prescriptions aren’t likely to affect patient care in the short run, the researchers say their use could promote drug resistance that may make UTIs much harder to treat in the future.

“Doctors make decisions on antibiotic use right then and there” for individual patients, says Dr. Elbert Huang, a University of Chicago researcher who was co-author of the study. “Their choice may be right for that person, but for society as a whole, it may be the wrong choice.”

What’s more, adds Huang, whose study appears in today’s Archives of Internal Medicine, the first choice drug also happens to be the cheapest therapy. By ordering more expensive treatments, doctors are needlessly driving up health care costs. A recent study by government researchers showed that prescription drug spending rose by more than 17 percent in 2000, to almost $122 billion.

But Huang and his colleagues found that doctors are increasingly eschewing Bactrim for fluoroquinolones and even a third-tier drug called nitrofurantoin.

What To Do

Living With Urinary Tract Infections

If you have 3 or more urinary tract infections each year, your doctor may want you to begin a preventive antibiotic program. A small dose of an antibiotic taken every day helps to reduce the number of infections. If sexual intercourse seems to cause infections for you, your doctor many suggest taking the antibiotic after intercourse.

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That Makes Otherwise Healthy Patients Sicker

Usually, patients with chronic medical conditions or weakened immune systems are most susceptible to drug-resistant infections, but UTIs “have a dubious distinction” of being “the single biggest risk to healthy people from drug-resistant germs,” Richtel writes.

That means, with the rise of antibiotic-resistant infections, more and more generally healthy patients are experiencing stubborn UTIs and prolonged symptoms.

Carolina Barcelos, a postdoctoral researcher, had several UTIs when she was a teenager, which were successfully treated with Bactrim. But, when she got a UTI in February, Bactrim didn’t work. She was prescribed nitrofurantoin, another antibiotic, four days later, which didn’t work either. Finally, she was prescribed ciproflaxacin, which cleared the infection. A urine culture showed that the infection was susceptible to the third medication, but not the first two.

“Next time, I’m going to ask them to do a culture right away,” she said. “For eight days I was taking antibiotics that weren’t working for me.”

The rise of antibiotic-resistant UTIs showcases a broader concern about antibiotic resistance: E. coli is not only proving resistant to individual antibiotics, but a group of drugs called beta-lactam antibiotics, Richtel reports.

How Do I Know If My Particular Strain Of Uti Is Resistant To A Particular Drug

The only way is to get a urine culture. The lab results will identify the germ and what would be effective in treating the infection. But it can take several days to get the results.

Most patients want an immediate prescription so doctors usually make a best-guess determination of what drug will work given a patients symptoms and history.

The importance of history cannot be overstated if you have had a previous U.T.I., a previous resistant U.T.I., or have traveled outside the country, your history can help a doctor decide which drug to use.

Increasingly, experts tell us that you should ask for a culture when you go in for a U.T.I. treatment, even if you get an immediate prescription. The culture will allow a doctor to change the drug if the first one does not work.

That said, there is an important catch about when to do a urine culture. Often, it will show bacteria in the bladder even when an infection is not present. Some amount of bacteria is normal. The Infection Disease Society of America cautions doctors against doing cultures when symptoms of a U.T.I. are not present. The culture likely presence of bacteria can then lead to prescription of unnecessary antibiotics, contributing to the rise of resistance through overuse of the drugs.

Finally, some U.T.I.s, even when there are symptoms, can clear up on their own. This is one of many reasons to seek the care of an informed professional.

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How Often Are Utis Resistant

The majority of urinary tract infections are now resistant to one or more antibiotics. The drug ampicillin, once a common treatment, has been largely abandoned because most U.T.I.s are now resistant to it.

The most important question isnt whether an infection is resistant to any drug, but whether it is resistant to the drugs that are commonly used to treat your particular infection.

When experts in the field think about resistant U.T.I.s, they say that resistance depends on the bug and the drug. What that means is that they try to figure out which particular germs are resistant to specific medications.

Are Nitrofurantoin And Bactrim Safe To Use While Pregnant Or Breastfeeding

Nitrofurantoin

Although there are no adequate studies of nitrofurantoin in pregnant women, many women have safely used it during pregnancy. However, nitrofurantoin should not be used near the time of delivery since it interferes with the immature enzyme systems in newborns’ red blood cells, damaging the cells and resulting in anemia.

Nitrofurantoin is distributed into breast milk and should be used with caution in women who are breastfeeding.

Bactrim

Use of sulfonamides may cause bilirubin to be displaced from proteins in the infant’s blood. Displacement of bilirubin can lead to jaundice and a dangerous condition called kernicterus in the infant. For this reason, Bactrim should not be used near term among women.

Bactrim should not be used by nursing mothers because sulfamethoxazole is excreted in breast milk and can cause kernicterus.

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The Problems With Frequent Antibiotic Use

Our own research has shown that many females with recurrent UTIs have taken the same antibiotic for years. For some this can mean every few weeks for others every few months.

The longer you suffer from recurrent UTIs, the muddier the waters of UTI treatment antibiotics can seem. After all, if the treatment options youve tried have failed to prevent further UTIs, are any of them really working?

For many people, taking UTI antibiotics frequently is concerning. Yet without having found an effective alternative, antibiotics are still their first port of call at the onset of a UTI.

On a basic level, frequent antibiotic use means organizing multiple prescriptions, planning ahead and spending money. But there is also serious concern around antibiotic-resistant superbugs, destroying your gut flora, and whether frequent antibiotic use even helps.

And as we mentioned in our section on what causes UTIs, there is enough evidence to suggest that ineffective antibiotic use could be a major contributor to the formation of chronic infection, embedded in the bladder wall.

Frequent antibiotic use that does not effectively treat chronic infection, can result in increased bacterial resistance, which again makes treatment more difficult.

What You Need To Know About Resistant Urinary Tract Infections

U.T.I.s are one of the worlds most common infections, but many of the drugs used to treat them have become less effective as resistance to antibiotics grows.

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By Matt Richtel

Urinary tract infections, or U.T.I.s, are one of the worlds most common infections. Increasingly, they also are resistant to major drug treatments. Heres what you should know.

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Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

Patients with three or more infections per year should be offered either continuous low-dose antibiotic prophylaxis, patient-initiated, or postcoital prophylaxis if the onset of infection is linked to sexual intercourse . Before a prophylactic regimen is chosen, a urine culture should be performed to determine the susceptibility of the pathogen. The duration of continuous prophylactic therapy is usually 6 months to a year. Unfortunately, within 6 months of discontinuing antibiotic prophylaxis, 40% to 60% of women develop a urinary tract infection, and prophylaxis must be resumed. Patient-initiated therapy at the onset of symptoms has been shown to be effective in young, healthy nonpregnant women. Short-course regimens have been advocated for patient-initiated therapy in compliant women with frequently recurring and symptomatic urinary tract infections. The major advantages of short-course therapy over continuous therapy are convenience and the avoidance of antibiotic toxicity symptomatic infections are not prevented, however. For postcoital prophylaxis, nitrofurantoin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or fluoroquinolones taken within 2 hours after sexual intercourse have been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of recurrent cystitis.,

Urinary Tract Infection Treatment

If you are a healthy adult man or a woman who is not pregnant, a few days of antibiotic pills will usually cure your urinary tract infection. If you are pregnant, your doctor will prescribe a medicine that is safe for you and the baby. Usually, symptoms of the infection go away 1 to 2 days after you start taking the medicine. Its important that you follow your doctors instructions for taking the medicine, even if you start to feel better. Skipping pills could make the treatment less effective.

Your doctor may also suggest a medicine to numb your urinary tract and make you feel better while the antibiotic starts to work. The medicine makes your urine turn bright orange, so dont be alarmed by the color when you urinate.

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Does Bactrim Treat All Utis

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Bactrim DS is a combination of two antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infections, acute otitis media, bronchitis, Shigellosis, Pneumocystis pneumonia, traveler’s diarrhea, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , and other bacterial infections susceptible to this

Secondly, how long until Bactrim works for UTI? Quickly absorbed with peak levels occurring within one to four hours after administration. The antibacterial effects of Bactrim persist for at least 12 hours.

Furthermore, what is the strongest antibiotic for a UTI?

• Amoxicillin/augmentin.

Can Urinary Tract Infections Be Prevented Or Avoided

There are many lifestyle choices that can help you prevent UTIs. These are some of the things you can do to protect yourself from them:

• Drink plenty of water to flush out bacteria. For some people, drinking cranberry juice may also help prevent urinary tract infections. However, if youre taking warfarin, check with your doctor before using cranberry juice to prevent urinary tract infections. Your doctor may need to adjust your warfarin dose or you may need to have more frequent blood tests.
• Dont hold your urine. Urinate when you feel like you need to. Some children dont go to the bathroom often enough. If your child does this, teach him or her to go to the bathroom several times each day.
• Wipe from front to back after bowel movements. Teach your child to wipe correctly.
• Urinate after having sex to help wash away bacteria.
• Use enough lubrication during sex. Try using a small amount of lubricant before sex if youre a little dry.
• If you get urinary tract infections often, you may want to avoid using a diaphragm as a birth control method. Ask your doctor about other birth control choices.
• Avoid taking or giving your child bubble baths.
• Wear loose-fitting clothing , and dress your child in loose-fitting clothing.
• If you are uncircumcised, wash the foreskin regularly. If you have an uncircumcised boy, teach him how to wash his foreskin.

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Do I Need To See A Doctor

Yes. Painful urination can be a symptom of a more serious problem. You should tell your doctor about your symptoms and how long youve had them. Tell your doctor about any medical conditions you have, such as diabetes mellitus or AIDS, because these could affect your bodys response to infection. Tell your doctor about any known abnormality in your urinary tract, and if you are or might be pregnant. Tell your doctor if youve had any procedures or surgeries on your urinary tract. He or she also need to know if you were recently hospitalized or stayed in a nursing home.

If your doctor thinks your pain may be from vaginal inflammation, he or she may wipe the lining of your vagina with a swab to collect mucus. The mucus will be looked at under a microscope to see if it has yeast or other organisms. If your pain is from an infection in your urethra , your doctor may swab it to test for bacteria. If an infection cant be found, your doctor may suggest other tests.

Antibiotics Used For Complicated Utis

Before getting into how to best treat a complicated UTI, its important to understand which UTIs are considered complicated. Here are some guidelines:

• Urinary tract abnormalities are present
• Youre pregnant
• The patient is a child
• A comorbidity is present that increases risk of infection or treatment resistance, such as poorly controlled diabetes
• Youre a man, since most UTIs in men are considered complicated
• Youre elderly

Kidney infections are often treated as a complicated UTI as well, notes the Merck Manual.

If a UTI is complicated, a different course of antibiotics may be required. And the initial dose of antibiotics may be started intravenously in the hospital. After that, antibiotics are given orally at home. In addition, follow-up urine cultures are generally recommended within 10 to 14 days after treatment. Not all of the antibiotics approved for uncomplicated UTIs are appropriate for the complicated version. Some that are considered appropriate, include:

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When You Need Themand When You Dont

Antibiotics are medicines that can kill bacteria. Doctors often use antibiotics to treat urinary tract infections . The main symptoms of UTIs are:

• A burning feeling when you urinate.
• A strong urge to urinate often.

However, many older people get UTI treatment even though they do not have these symptoms. This can do more harm than good. Heres why:

Antibiotics usually dont help when there are no UTI symptoms.

Older people often have some bacteria in their urine. This does not mean they have a UTI. But doctors may find the bacteria in a routine test and give antibiotics anyway.

The antibiotic does not help these patients.

• It does not prevent UTIs.
• It does not help bladder control.
• It does not help memory problems or balance.

Most older people should not be tested or treated for a UTI unless they have UTI symptoms. And if you do have a UTI and get treated, you usually dont need another test to find out if you are cured. You should only get tested or treated if UTI symptoms come back.

Antibiotics have side effects.

Antibiotics can have side effects, such as fever, rash, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, tendon ruptures, and nerve damage.

Antibiotics can cause future problems.

Antibiotics can kill friendly germs in the body. This can lead to vaginal yeast infections. It can also lead to other infections, and severe diarrhea, hospitalization, and even death.

Antibiotics can be a waste of money.

When should older people take antibiotics for a UTI?

10/2013

Antibiotics That Shouldn’t Be A First Choice For Uncomplicated Utis

Other antibiotics appear to be overused, and some physicians may misuse non-recommended antibiotics as first-line treatments. Ciprofloxacin is used in 35% of uncomplicated UTIs, while levofloxacin is used in 2%. These antibiotics can be important treatments in some cases of more complicated UTIs, but can have dangerous side effects.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that the use of these drugs should be restricted because of their potentially disabling side effects involving tendons, muscles, joints, nerves and the central nervous system. Additionally, in many parts of the country, bacteria commonly causing UTIs are becoming resistant to these antibiotics.

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Why Do Women Get Urinary Tract Infections More Often Than Men

Women tend to get urinary tract infections more often than men because bacteria can reach the bladder more easily in women. The urethra is shorter in women than in men, so bacteria have a shorter distance to travel.

The urethra is located near the rectum in women. Bacteria from the rectum can easily travel up the urethra and cause infections. Bacteria from the rectum is more likely to get into the urethra if you wipe from back to front after a bowel movement. Be sure to teach children how to wipe correctly.

Having sex may also cause urinary tract infections in women because bacteria can be pushed into the urethra. Using a diaphragm can lead to infections because diaphragms push against the urethra and make it harder to completely empty your bladder. The urine that stays in the bladder is more likely to grow bacteria and cause infections.

Frequent urinary tract infections may be caused by changes in the bacteria in the vagina. Antibacterial vaginal douches, spermicides, and certain oral antibiotics may cause changes in vaginal bacteria. Avoid using these items, if possible. Menopause can also cause changes in vaginal bacteria that increase your risk for urinary tract infection. Taking estrogen usually corrects this problem but may not be for everyone.