UTI not going away! Help

I've suffered from UTIs constantly having to get antibiotics from the Doctor. Then I saw something about Gina which are low dose (10 micrograms) vaginal tablets. They are a low dose of oestrogen and have changed my life. I've given up going to the doctors as it is so difficult to get an appointment and it is not made any easier when all they want to do is prescribe antibiotics which then becomes a vicious circle and not getting to the root cause.

I get Gina from Boots online pharmacy where I do have to fill out a detailed form every time I get more and it does have to be approved by a Pharmacist panel however I've never had a problem getting approval. They are then available for me to collect at my local Boots pharmacy. It does cost - its about £26 for 24 vaginal tablets which you insert twice a week - well worth it in my opinion. Because of all the GP funding problems I'm not sure they would prescribe them for me at my Dr's surgery but I'm happy to get them through Boots online pharmacy. It's definitely a game changer.

My dear mum had exactly that 8 wks in total I then pushed for hospital app as wanted to know why it wasn’t going away after intense courses of antibiotics. She was 77 and healthy. Long story short she had lumber puncture when the consultant was suspicious. Please push for hospital appointment don’t keep get fobbed of with more antibiotics.

I've had the same problem with a UTI and been through all the various antibiotics. But, as soon as the course of tablets stopped the UTI would return. Eventually my GP prescribed a long term preventative course of Methanamine, a different kind of antibiotic which I take twice a day. Plus, vaginal oestrogen cream applied twice a week to keep the vagina healthy. It has worked. She also suggested I buy D-manmose, but I haven't had to use it as the UTI has not returned.

Same problem for me. Multiple antibiotics later it would clear up. Dr put me on vagifem and this helped. However I would occasionally forget to use it and almost immediately a UTI would happen. Then the nurse practitioner suggested an E-string which is inserted 3 monthly. Game changer for me! Hope you get it sorted, it plays havoc with your stomach too using all the antibiotics. 😬

I had very frequent UTI’s and countless antibiotic courses, but since taking high dose cranberry tablets I haven’t had one at all. I get them from Amazon, as high dose as possible, I take four a day. To be avoided if you take warfarin though. Good luck!

JamesandJon33

MsBee When you get your UTI sorted, ask your GP to prescribe a low dose vaginal HRT. I had your trouble plus a dreadful allergic reaction to anti biotics. The doctor at the hospital made me promise to ask my GP for the prescription. 3 years later not even a hint of a uti.

Hi, I’ve had constant bladder irritation, constant antibiotics, blood and urine tests and Cystoscopy. Finally diagnosed myself with vulvar atrophy, in conjunction with female GP. Started on vaginal oestrogen and although not perfect it’s a MASSIVE improvement. I’m 65 and it’s a low dose. Apparently unlikely to cause any harm. I’m very grateful to be on it.

I was in agony suffering from repeated UTIs and nothing helped until I saw a new doctor at our practice who suggested I tried Cefalexin 500mg for a week three times a day then one every night before bed. This was 17 years ago and I followed the advice and I still take the nightly tablet and fingers crossed I have not suffered since. To be doubly sure I also drink cranberry juice and water through the day. I still see that doctor and thank him every time 😊

Did your doctor just write a prescription, or was a sample of your urine tested first to ascertain exactly what bacteria are causing the infection?

If a sample was not tested, request that this be done, as antibiotics these days are designed to target specific infections.

Drink as much water as possible, so you wee frequently and make sure you empty your bladder completely each time by sitting a couple of minutes longer on the toilet - often if you do this, you pass a little more urine.

Keep warm around your lower back - the region of the kidneys, and try cranberries or cranberry juice, or add a half teaspoonful of apple cider vinegar to each glass of water.

With 'UTIs' going back over 60 years I have found that they cannot always be diagnosed in the laboratory

My best solution is to buy Potassium Citrate mixture ( Mist Pot Cit) from the chemist when I feel the symptoms coming on. I respond positively to the first dose.

My pharmacy tried to sell me potassium citrate tablets costing 2 or 3 times as much as the Mistpot cit. liquid but I respond very quickly to the solution when available so choose to buy liquid

A hospital doctor from Liverpool in the 50s said that each women's ward had a large container of Mist pot cit available which was doled out when needed

I mention this as someone who finds that Nitrofurantoin is no longer effective but Mist pot cit usually is! Strange that itis sometimes so difficult to get hold of

At the beginning of the year I had the same problem along with what I thought was thrush, it turned out to be a medication that I was on for diabetes, Forxiga. I stopped taking it after I read about it's side effects online and got an appointment with my GP and diabetic nurse. But in 2008 I had an UTI and it turned out to be an e-coli infection brought on by antibiotics giving me diarrhoea, it took nearly six months to get rid of and I don't have that antibiotic anymore. Have a look at any side effects of medications and talk to your GP about it and get them to send a water sample away for testing to see what sort of infection it is.

I managed to get rid of my last UTI by drinking copious amounts of plain water. A glass every hour for as long as you can. I had the anti Bs but did not need them. First time I have had this success. It was in the early stages but I flushed it out it seems. All the advice says drink lots so I did. Hope this helps you.

Another one for D-Mannose.

The simplest solution, which often works, is to apply plain yoghurt, and not wear underwear, and enough drink water so that your pee is transparent.

Some resistant UTIs require you to be on Nitrofurantoin for months and months.

When your infection does go. Ask to be referred to a urologist. They could look at why your getting them. Then then, you could ask to be put on Hiprex. The tablets are to prevent getting them back. Unless your GP puts you on them.
Also buy Mother nature,Turkey trail capsules. 1 to 2 a day with breakfast.
They help with your immune system, pain ect.. I was on tablets for cysts on spine. Since taking them I've come off the tablets and take them. Guess what no pain.. They also will help with urine infecting. Plus menapausal problems.. Good luck..

I had a UTI for over a year and my doctor was useless, kept giving me antibiotics, which in turn were giving me thrush. I was at my wits end, I spent a fortune in the chemist buying canestan, dr wolf, vaginal wipes, you name it I bought it, nothing worked. In the end I saw a lady doctor who gave me a bottle of surgical scrub/iodine wash. I have now been clear from UTI for 18months.Just wipe yourself with it after going to the toilet. Brilliant stuff. Good luck hope you get rid of it soon.

Could it be bladder stone? This was my problem.

I had UTI’s on and off for two years. Even the doctor was at her wits end. Kept becoming resistant to antibiotics- they should always send sample to lab before dishing out antibiotics to test which they did and it was always E. coli. In the end I found online an E. coli vaccination trial and signed up - 50% get a placebo. I obviously didn’t - it was like a switch being turned off. That was almost a year ago and I’ve been clear of infections since. Have no idea how long it will last. Also take one antibiotic after sex and D-mannose out of habit. Let’s hope these E.coli vaccinations are rolled out soon - no side effects.

Perhaps they need to send you for scan to ensure that you are emptying your bladder properly. As we get older we often get pockets in our bladders which prevent the urine leaving them easily. Bacteria in the bladder increases exponentially in a short period of time so then you get UTI's. If you are in hospital, you are in the best place to get this done quickly. I hope you recover quickly.

Another vote for Vagifem here.

Luckily my GP prescribed it for me 8 years ago after a second UTI in a short space of time.

No problems since.

I went through this for about 3 years, and every time I went to the doctor they would tell me, "well there is not culture, but here are some antibiotics". Then one day my doctor decided that I was actually into menopause and it was not UTI's it was actually menopause related and she put me onto a hormone called Vagifem and it has made the world of difference. What happens is we experience vagina wall thinning and for me it felt very much like the beginning of a UTI. No wonder antibiotics failed me.

Sparklefizz

After 3 courses of antibiotics years ago, a friend suggested D-Mannose. I ordered some of that and it got rid of it. Since then I always keep some D-Mannose in the house to start if I have the slightest twinge.

Since then I've been clear for 14 years! The best D-Mannose is Waterfall brand I've found.

I totally agree with you, I had 12 months on and off antibiotics, had UTI's non stop, was even sent to a clinic for something inserting in my body but nothing changed, just living on antibiotics. I could not go anywhere as I needed the toilet all the time, and was shivering as though I had the 'flu and was becoming a recluse then I went on the web and typed in having regular UTI's and found D-Mannose advertised.

I bought some and I have not had a UTI for 12 months. I also purchase the Waterfall brand and buy it on Amazon.

I have chronic cystitis and have had it for years. I’ve tried everything and belong to a support group. Luckily the infection doesn’t usually affect my kidneys, but has on occasion. Not all standard lab tests used routinely show an infection if it is not a common one.

I don’t drink lots when I’m taking antibiotics because it washes them out too quickly, but I do drink plenty when I haven’t an infection as a preventive. The best advice I had also was to use vaginal oestrogen, because UTIs are more common after the menopause and this works well in keeping tissues around perineum healthy and not too thin or dry.

I also agree that research shows that cranberry juice or tablets is of no help. There is some research that D-Mannose can help prevent infections.

As I said up thread vaginal oestrogen is an absolute life changer
Demand it

I am also wondering whether you need vaginal oestrogen. I hope you get sorted soon as I’m sure it’s just miserable for you.