Did you know?

They won't let you have anything for cystitis in case it's covering for something more sinister. They won't even let you have Cystaid over the counter if you admit to being over 64. On other hand, we know our bodies. A bad UTI can make you go totally doolally so you'd think they'd keep this in mind and prescribe the basic all-purpose UTI antibiotic.

I would lie about my age under the circumstances now I know! I used to get a lot of UTI’s until I saw a brilliant lady doctor who spent her lunch hour looking through my notes. She rang me and prescribed me oestrogen pessaries twice an a week and told me to take two d-Mannose tablets a day which I get from Amazon. This is months ago and I’ve never had one since. If only all doctors were like her.

You can get Sepsis really quickly. I was talking to my husband about investments one evening and he was totally alert, literally 5 minutes later he collapsed and was rushed to hospital with a 40 degree temperature. They said it was sepsis but they didn’t know why he had no infection site. Very scary for him as he has dementia. Ambulance took 40 mins to get to us and he became more and more delirious. Please always mention Sepsis if patient has a temperature and delirium.

My hairdresser was telling me that happened to her mother. She was desperate so her daughter asked her what symptoms a UTi had. She then went to the pharmacy and came back with antibiotics for her mother.

Yes, I bought thrush treatment/cannesten OTC without realising it was not advised at my age and had a terrible reaction, one of the most uncomfortable few weeks of my life. Used to find it so soothing and effective but seems something changes as you get older.

Are the D-Mannose tablets a preventative or a cure, please? I had a UTI which started on holiday, and couldn't get anything from a pharmacist. I hadn't heard of D-Mannose, but luckily a friend had some Amoxicillin. I know you shouldn't take other people's medicines, but I am not allergic and figured it was better than risking a kidney infection or worse. I am not particularly prone to UTIs, so don't fancy taking a preventative dose of anything, but if it is a cure I would happily get some D-Mannose in case something similar happens again.

D-Mannose is always my first "go-to" when I have UTI. Then Vit C, lemon juice and bicarb dissolved in a glass of water.

I only recently found out you csnt buy thrush tablets over the counter if you are over 60 in case you have diabetes

I take mannose every day doodledog as a preventative and it certainly works for me. I take two a day but you can take up to three.

I’ve got antibiotics twice from pharmacist. I’m in Scotland. Don’t know if we have different rules

Gosh it sounds like so many of you have suffered, even this weekend. After four days clear, I woke up at 3am - it had returned with a vengeance and a temperature. I luckily got a drs appt first thing and have the same antibiotics. I can't quite believe it. We've been out and about a lot eating out with the grandchildren etc, and the dr said as well as personal hygiene, and wiping correctly, which we all know, you can get it from food and drink if prepared by somebody who hadn't washed their hands properly 🤢. Apparently testing my sample showed it was e-coli. Thanks for sharing your stories and suggestions.

Very helpful to learn the restrictions. Had never heard of any of tgem. Think they should be publicised a lot more.

it does seem a bit of a lottery really even though it is a good idea in practise. i think it depends on the pharmacist really but if they could do it then it would seriously cut down on queues in a and e.

Sasta

Hi all

I only found this out last weekend, but wanted to highlight this as I think it's important. As you probably know, Pharmacists can now prescribe I think, for five common conditions, one being UTIs. I was away from home last the weekend and very suddenly found I had a very painful a UTI. It was a Sunday and I went to a pharmacy in the town I was staying to ask for help. I was pretty sure I needed antibiotics. The pharmacist said yes, he could help me and proceeded to ask all the relevant questions. Then he asked my age, I said 70. He said 'oh, you don't look it, I'm afraid I can't help you'. I was unaware that this service is only for ages 16-64. I said I was in great pain (but I didn't have a very high temp, just elevated) but all he could suggest was call 111. I said I could have sepsis by midnight. He assured me I wouldn't get it that quickly. I went home and by 1.30am I had a temp of 40, teeth chattering and was freezing cold and felt so unwell, I thought if I go to sleep I'm not going to wake up. I didn't even think of calling 111 then, I know very stupid. I went downstairs and sat waiting for the Surgery to open. Anyway, it's the 16-64 limit I wanted to highlight. I got antibiotics from my GP the following morning which did the trick.

Yes it has always been like this, also our surgery will not prescribe antibiotics without first having a urine test. We can't just take it, but has to have the GPs confirmation before we can drop off a sample which means it can take up to 3 days before you get your medication. Get a younger friend or relative to get you some from the chemist so at least you have a rescue pack when required. I understand they chemist has to cover their own backs as the guidelines are not to be sold to over 65s

Bazza

I take mannose every day doodledog as a preventative and it certainly works for me. I take two a day but you can take up to three.

It is brilliant my friend who usually had UTIs permanently started taking it daily after recommendation from this site, she has not had one since.

Doodledog

Are the D-Mannose tablets a preventative or a cure, please? I had a UTI which started on holiday, and couldn't get anything from a pharmacist. I hadn't heard of D-Mannose, but luckily a friend had some Amoxicillin. I know you shouldn't take other people's medicines, but I am not allergic and figured it was better than risking a kidney infection or worse. I am not particularly prone to UTIs, so don't fancy taking a preventative dose of anything, but if it is a cure I would happily get some D-Mannose in case something similar happens again.

You can use it as both or either

The pharmacist was wrong about you not getting sepsis so quickly. My husband had a prostate operation and was sent home and seemed fine but during the afternoon he started acting oddly, I called the hospital and they said bring him in asap. I called my son and he drove us to the hospital and by then my husband was raving like a lunatic. We managed to get him into the A&E department and a doctor was waiting for him. My husband was immediately hooked up to an antibiotic drip and fitted with a catheter. Within the space of less than eight hours he had gone from perfectly normal to deaths door. The doctor said another hour and we may have lost him.

It’s primarily supposed to be a precaution Win

Thanks, Bazza and win. I will get some and use them if I get another UTI. If they do start to recur I'll take them every day. It's great to know that there is something that works if you can't get to a GP.

I'm very prone to uti's especially on holiday. I discovered you can buy a 3 day course of uti antibiotics from an online pharmacy called Dr Fox. If you are over 65, as I am, they won't send them out within 4 months of a previous order.

I’m 77, and here, in Scotland, I’ve been prescribed an antibiotic for a UTI more than once. I don’t recall being asked my age, but, as it’s where I get repeat prescriptions, they have all my details. However, when I asked there a few months ago, the pharmacist saw from my records that they had prescribed for the same problem within the previous six months, so said that I’d have to contact the surgery in this instance.

l keep d-Mannose in powder form in the cupboard and if I think I am on the verge of a UTI I take several doses of it and drink loads of water. Sometimes it wards off the UTI - which usually of course threatens at a weekend, or, worse still, a Bank Holiday! Thanks to the OP for highlighting the Pharmacy regulations - I recently found these out when I couldn't get the antibiotics I reckoned I needed. Luckily, it was not a weekend so I was able to get a 'bottle' from the pharmacy, and take a sample round to the surgery. If patients do this before midday (having said they are coming) the sample is then 'dipped' and antibiotics are prescribed if needed. So I got them! Luckily it's not too far to travel to the surgery for me - we are in a rural area and some people in villages must have problems, particularly as some don't any longer have a bus service.

Pharmacies also have limits on when they can prescribe for infected insect bites, which I am prone to. I had one last year and went to my local pharmacy the day after the bite when the area was very red and swollen. The pharmacist agreed it looked bad but said they could not prescribe until 48 hours after a bite.

The next morning I called the GP surgery but they had no appointments. When I went back to the pharmacy they said it was too bad for them to treat and I should go to the minor injuries unit some miles away.

Bazza

'I would lie about my age under the circumstances now I know!' It wouldn't work if it's via the 16-64 system, as the chemist told me your details need to go through the computer. That was after telling him in that case, I'm 63 when he said I didn't look 70.

It's also women only for the UTI