Brief Answer:
The answer is Yes, ALMOST ALWAYS

Detailed Answer:
Hi there XXXXXXX Thanks for coming to HealthCareMagic,

The simple answer is YES! Emphatically YES! A Urinary Tract Infection is an infection of the urinary tract, going all the way from the urethra (the tube the urine passes out of) up through the bladder.

The worst fear is that the same infection can move even farther upward and enter the kidney, causing a pretty severe infection.

Now, your immune system (if it working well) can overcome many an infection and with plenty of fluids.. you may be able to fight this off before such a complication happens on your own.

But why take the risk??? Its much safer to take the antibiotic and end the infection faster before it can migrate.

Make sense? Let me know what you are thinking,

Vinay

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Brief Answer:
Nitrofurantoin is the best first line drug for a UTI

Detailed Answer:
Hey there, thanks for writing back,

Nitrofurantoin is the traditional first line drug for the management for UTI's. It's been used forever and it's incredibly effective against the bugs that commonly cause UTI's.

It does have side effects, though. In my experience, the drug seems to make people FEEL like they have the 'flu' while they are on it. Its not really the flu of course.. But the flushing, the fatigue and the muscle pains seem to mimic the flu. But that's it. You feel flu like for awhile.. but your UTI goes away. It's not a fun trade off.. but its a safe one.

If you want the statistically most common side effects of Nitro.. here they are:

Changes in facial skin color (Flushing)
Muscular chest pain
chills
fever
general feeling of discomfort or illness
hoarseness
itching
joint or muscle pain
skin rash

I hate just listing out a bunch of possible side effects. It almost makes me feel like I'm suffering from them, just by typing them in. You have to remember, the chances of getting a side effect are really, really..... really low. It's a drug that has been used for a good long time and it's being used to deal with a real problem (your UTI).

So if you were my sister.. I'd be telling you to take the meds and relax for a few days , pretend you really have the flu.. Of course if you were actually my sister you wouldn't be listening to me. She never does :-) .

Relax and take the course of medication. Finish it off and finish the UTI off. Rest and drink plenty of fluids while you are on it and if the symptoms become unbearable.. then remember, there are other good meds out there that we can fall back on.

But just leaving the infection untreated is a risk that I don't think you should be taking.

I hope this makes sense. And don't tell my Sis I was cribbing about her, :-)
Let me know how else I can help.

Vin

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Brief Answer:
Takes a few hours each way

Detailed Answer:
Hey there, so the absorption time depends on a few things. An empty stomach and you absorb things faster, a full stomach would be the opposite.

If you, exercise regularly, absorption would be faster, etc.

Overall, the average is about 4 hours to get into your blood stream. But the cool thing about nitrofurantoin is that it gets filtered by the kidney and gets concentrated in the urine. Thats why it's such a good drug for UTI's. The majority of the drugs action is in the urine where it's concentration is the strongest.

Takes about 8 hours to get out of your blood and urine over all. The more water you drink, the faster it will get evacuated from the body overall.

Make sense? Hope I explained things clearly enough. Let me know how else I can help.

Vin

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Brief Answer:
The labs are showing no trace of an active infection.

Detailed Answer:
Hey there, I took a look at the Urinalysis.

In a test that showed an active infection, you would see pus cells, high levels of sugar, high Nitrites and High levels of Leukocyte Esterase (that's an enzyme which is released by WBCs when they are fighting an infection).

Here the only thing that is shown to be positive here is a residual level of Esterase. That means that the infection has been resolved and the body is slowly getting over it.

So in this situation, it's a smart idea to cut down your exposure to the drug and avoid the chances of getting all those side effects we talked about.

So is the doctors move making more sense now?

Vin

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Brief Answer:
Yup, but take those last few doses!

Detailed Answer:
Yup, that test shows that the infection is gone or like 99% gone. But If I were you, i'd take those last few doses.

Vin

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Brief Answer:
Depends on the duration of symptoms and earlier test results.

Detailed Answer:
Hey, so that's a pretty interesting question.

I'm assuming that this is the first urinalysis you've had done for this issue. Based on the test alone, there's really no way to tell.

You're symptoms and their duration would be the clincher here.

What made you seek treatment for this UTI? What symptoms have you had. How long have they been going on?

That kind of information would help me figure out if you are ending the infection or if it's starting up.

Vin

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Brief Answer:
Sounds like this is the beginning, will need another urinalysis after meds

Detailed Answer:
OK, yhea, if your symptoms have just appeared, its probably that the infection has started out at a low level.

I'm hopeful that the short course of Nitro would be enough to knock the infection out entirely. The best way to see if the treatment has worked is to get a repeat Urinalysis after finishing the shortened course of Nitro. If the esterases have gone away.. presto.. enough is enough, no need for more antibiotics.

Some doctors don't really feel the need to get the repeat labs though. They go by symptoms. If the burning has stopped, then the infection is gone. I don't think that's a bad idea either.

So you can follow the effectiveness of this therapy by following the symptoms or doing serial tests or better yet both. That decision rests with you and your doctor.

I'm hoping this is helping arm you with some peace of mind. Remember, it's just a minor infection. The antibiotics will help and you WILL get better.

I'm here if you need me.

Vin

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