Suggest Alternative Medication In Place Of Ciprofloxacin
Which antibiotic is best can be decided by culture and sensitivity test
Detailed Answer:
Hello Mr. XXXX,
Yes, there are usually other choices of antibiotics for urinary tract infections.
When a person comes in to see a doctor with symptoms that may likely be a urinary tract infection (UTI), the first thing is to get a urine specimen.
With that urine specimen, the following should happen:
1. A "dip" urinalysis, which is done immediately in the office and can show signs of infection
2. If the dip urinalysis shows signs of infection, then the urine should be sent to the lab for a full urinalysis, a culture, and a sensitivity test
The culture shows what bacteria is causing the infection.
The sensitivity test shows which antibiotics are effective against this particular bacteria. Several antibiotics are tested against the bacteria in the culture. They are rated as sensitive (good), resistant (not good) and partially sensitive (not the best choice).
So - call the doctor's office or clinic where you gave your urine specimen and discuss what other options there are. Hopefully a sensitivity test was done which will guide what to use.
In general, trimethaprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is a good antibiotic for UTIs (unless you are allergic to sulfa); also macrodantin is another good choice.
I am allergic to sulfa. Might there be something else I could ask him about?
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Detailed Answer:
Macrodantin is another common choice.
But ask your doctor what antibiotics showed sensitivity on the test and that will help guide him as to what to prescribe in place of Cipro.