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Does Bactrim Help Cure UTI?
Question: Hi, I was recently on a 10 day regimen of Bactrim for a suspected UTI. The culture came back clear but I was not informed until day 9 of the medication. Since then, I have been very gassy, small hard stools, and pain on my left side. What suggestions do you have?
Brief Answer:
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
Antibiotics can cause digestive irregularities (diarrhea, constipation, gas) because in addition to pathogenic bacteria, they kill some of the good bacteria too, allowing imbalances in the gut micro biome.
Probiotics help most taken during the antibiotic regimen but would be worthwhile to take now for a few weeks to try to recolonize. However, take only as much as is recommended as they can cause some gas in some people too.
You can try a stool softener such as Docusate sodium, or Milk of Magnesia. Both of these are usually tolerated fairly well and are gentle.
Now about the pain on the left side - can you tell me more about that?
Is it in the upper abdomen closer to your rib cage, or lower abdomen?
Does it happen just when you try to move your bowels?
Are you ovulating or were there any "functional cysts" seen on the pelvic ultrasound (sometimes these are not reported if they are small).
Does the pain correlate with eating food?
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,
Antibiotics can cause digestive irregularities (diarrhea, constipation, gas) because in addition to pathogenic bacteria, they kill some of the good bacteria too, allowing imbalances in the gut micro biome.
Probiotics help most taken during the antibiotic regimen but would be worthwhile to take now for a few weeks to try to recolonize. However, take only as much as is recommended as they can cause some gas in some people too.
You can try a stool softener such as Docusate sodium, or Milk of Magnesia. Both of these are usually tolerated fairly well and are gentle.
Now about the pain on the left side - can you tell me more about that?
Is it in the upper abdomen closer to your rib cage, or lower abdomen?
Does it happen just when you try to move your bowels?
Are you ovulating or were there any "functional cysts" seen on the pelvic ultrasound (sometimes these are not reported if they are small).
Does the pain correlate with eating food?
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
The pain is mid to lower left side. No cysts were shown on the ovaries. I am about a week out from the start of my period but this has been going on for about 4 days. It is somewhat relieved when I do have a bowel even though they are small.
Brief Answer:
Suggestions
Detailed Answer:
It doesn't sound as though it is related to a pelvic problem that is contributing to the pain then. I asked because there must have been some pelvic concern that your doctor was exploring to order the ultrasound, and sometimes a cyst can form for a little while after ovulation (which happens around 2 weeks after the start of the period) that can be painful in the left pelvis. I also asked about correlation with eating and left upper quadrant abdominal pain because sometimes the stomach can be upset after antibiotics too.
But most likely the left lower abdominal pain is related to the gas and bowel flora disruption from the antibiotics, if there is some relief after having a BM.
So I think taking a probiotic, and a stool softener is the thing now, and keep an eye on if anything you are eating makes the symptoms worse. Vegetables are fine, but possibly avoid fruit and a lot of sweets or simple carbs and alcohol for now because if the bacteria are off, there can be some fermentation and more gas formation. You might want to avoid gas forming foods like beans and raw cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage).
I hope you are feeling better soon. Most often this type of digestive disruption lasts only a brief time.
Suggestions
Detailed Answer:
It doesn't sound as though it is related to a pelvic problem that is contributing to the pain then. I asked because there must have been some pelvic concern that your doctor was exploring to order the ultrasound, and sometimes a cyst can form for a little while after ovulation (which happens around 2 weeks after the start of the period) that can be painful in the left pelvis. I also asked about correlation with eating and left upper quadrant abdominal pain because sometimes the stomach can be upset after antibiotics too.
But most likely the left lower abdominal pain is related to the gas and bowel flora disruption from the antibiotics, if there is some relief after having a BM.
So I think taking a probiotic, and a stool softener is the thing now, and keep an eye on if anything you are eating makes the symptoms worse. Vegetables are fine, but possibly avoid fruit and a lot of sweets or simple carbs and alcohol for now because if the bacteria are off, there can be some fermentation and more gas formation. You might want to avoid gas forming foods like beans and raw cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage).
I hope you are feeling better soon. Most often this type of digestive disruption lasts only a brief time.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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