Okay, as someone who gets UTI’s probably once every three months...I have to preach for a sec.
Another user on a post looooong time ago posted about this fucking miracle juice and now the second I feel a UTI comin’ I drink 4 capfuls of this a day and I am GOLDEN. Seriously...MAGIC. It’s gotta be the liquid though. Pills don’t seem to help.
Sorry you’re strugglin’. It’s seriously the worst.
ETA- I read about this supplement here on Reddit somewhere and saved it on my Amazon wishlist. I don't get UTIs often. Only two in the past 15 years...so there it remains, on my Amazon wishlist. Lol.
Edit 2- I just remembered why I added it! I bought it to add to my cats' food since I have one cat that is prone to UTIs and a boy, who by default would be prone to them. Adding the powder version to my cart now.
Also, would "cats' " be right if I'm talking about multiple cats of mine? Or would I just say cats? Halp!
I get UTI's constantly. It seems like I'm always on the verge of getting one, or fighting one off. I've been dealing with this for the past few years now, but I finally got to a point where I rarely get one anymore!
Obviously, water intake is really important. Also, if you have a Safeway/Von's in your area, they sell 100% cranberry juice called Just Cranberry (NOT COCKTAIL) but you could order it online as well. It tastes like shit, but it has saved me many a trip to the doctor.
I'm not big on "naturopathic" remedies, but another thing that has saved me is D-Mannose powder. Buying it on Amazon is the cheapest I've found it. It's supposed to help flush bacteria out of your bladder. I'll mix it in with a glass of water if I'm starting to feel like I'm getting an infection, and usually the feeling goes away after a bit.
On top of these things, I buy a cranberry supplement from Walmart as a prophylactic. It's super cheap, and it's like one of the highest amounts of cranberry I could find in a pill. I think it's their Spring Valley brand, "Super Strength" cranberry concentrate. I take it as soon as I wake up and before I go to bed, and every time after I have sex with my husband. Also, make sure she urinates after intercourse if she doesn't already.
Anyway, I think you should have your girlfriend try some of these things if she's not doing them already. Like I said, it has completely turned my life around. I felt broken for years, and for the past 6-8 months, I've only had a couple infections instead of dozens.
Add d-mannose to your morning beverage. It makes the bladder wall slickery so bacteria don't adhere. It works well for both me and my cat (who has occasional issues with UTIs too, even though he's on a prescription diet). No Rx needed.
yes, this is my first thought as well. You might be having a UTI. But it is nothing to be worried about. Just drink lots of water and take some D-Mannose, which by the way is just a natural sugar that attaches itself to the bacteria causing the UTI, helping you to flash it out when you urinate. Also eat some probiotics like yogurts and kefir. These also fight E.coli bacteria. Another thing that helps too is Hibiscus Extracts. You can get this in Harmony by Eu Natural. https://www.amazon.com/HARMONY-D-Mannose-Fast-acting-Protection-Impurities/dp/B016CCG256
Try to avoid fast foods, processed, frozen foods, alcohol as much as possible. Normally your doctor is gonna prescribe some antibiotics, but in my opinion this is not the best as UTIs are often recurring and continuous use of anti-biotics is really quite harmful
I use to have frequent UTIs for 5 years until I began religiously using D-Mannose supplements. I've recommended this to countless of people, even a woman who chronically had UTIs for 20+ years. Please, PLEASE give it a try. I've attached a link to my favorite brand (https://www.amazon.com/HARMONY-D-Mannose-Fast-acting-Protection-Impurities/dp/B016CCG256)
I prefer Harmony over other brands, because its one of the most potent. Take 2 capsules everyday for a few months and wean off it, taking it afterwards only as needed.
i had chronic uti's that were becoming resistant to antibiotics, and through some in-pain late-night googling, found d-mannose. i havent had to take antibiotics since i first ordered it seven years ago. when i feel a flare up coming on, i take 1 tsp in a cup of water, and repeat every four hours for a day, then eight hours the next, then twice a day. mine usually clear up in one to three days now, where before even with antiobiotics i'd be in agony for two weeks.
this is the one i use: https://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-733739028099-D-Mannose-6-Ounce/dp/B00JWKDF6A/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=d+mannose&qid=1602179757&sr=8-6
Here is the one I have been ordering for the last four years. Check out the reviews and questions, I always find them really interesting!
Ive been researching this a fair bit myself with some real random issues Ive been having and I've run across this stuff called D-Mannose, its mostly recommended for women but i've found reference to men using it as well. Its a type of sugar that bacteria bind to and then get flushed out, seems like a lot of men with random prostate/bladder/urethra issues have had some really good luck with it, you may want to give it a go. I would suggest some googling but seems like it wont hurt, can only help.
Yes! I struggled for several years with UTIs despite doing everything “properly”. I had such a terrible experience with them. I had one that put me in the hospital and another that took 3 rounds of antibiotics! Let alone all the others in between that basically left me seeing the dr at least every 3 months for antibiotics. And, of course when you take antibiotics, you remove both good and bad bacteria from the body and decrease the likelihood that you can fight off future infections in a vicious cycle.
I finally got relief by happenstance. I found a probiotic specifically for urinary tract health on clearance at Walmart. After suffering with multiple UTIs per year for years with back to back doses of antibiotics, I tossed it in my cart figuring it couldn’t hurt. IT CHANGED MY LIFE! More than three years have gone by and I have not had to have antibiotics again for a UTI. And this isn’t a product I take daily- I literally just took as prescribed for the entire bottle (I believe one month) and that was the end of it.
Here is the product I used:
Garden of Life - Dr. Formulated Probiotics Urinary Tract+ - Acidophilus Probiotic Supports Urinary Tract Health, Digestive Balance - Gluten, Dairy, and Soy-Free - 60 Vegetarian Capsules https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LQEJE96/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glc_fabc_lZL.FbBJMAFHF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Thanks. Are you talking about this AZO product that contains methenamine ? AZO Urinary Tract Defense Antibacterial Protection | Helps Control a UTI Until You Can See a Doctor | #1 Most Trusted Urinary Health Brand | 24 Tablets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C8BR84O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_iKAiFb0V2CKE0
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Here's links to the products I use.
D-Mannose is basically the distilled cranberry sugar that helps with urinary problems (and you obviously can't make your cat drink cranberry juice). I use the gelcaps and give him half of one per meal mixed in with his wet food (so about 500mg per day (1/2 tsp) while he seems to be having issues). I only give it to him if he seems more highly stressed out or has been licking his bottom more frequently and it has cleared up those symptoms. Usually for about 5 days until I am certain it won't recur. Unfortunately if he's already blocked or in a more serious state it can't do anything to help that :(
The product linked above is just the powder without the gelcaps, which is slightly less expensive.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013OSMVG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&th=1
Glucosamine Sulfate is the same stuff they give to people with joint issues. It's good for that but also lowers inflammation overall and has been shown to help rebuild the bladder lining. I give him 1/2 capsule twice daily mixed into his food. Again this is only given when he seems to be showing symptoms rather than at all times.
If you're in a city, I'd phone large drugstores/pharmacies that also stock vitamins and supplements, expecting them to carry it.
DuckDuckGo (or yuck!, google) D-Mannose and amazon, and you'll get a flood of offering links. It's simple synthesize and chemically identical to the 'extract' from cranberries (so, please don't spend more money for the "extract" version). example (a common brand I'd expect local stores to stock)
Add d-mannose to your beverages. It works great for me to prevent UTIs.
I think D-mannose is the most important supplement women do not know about!! Cranberry hasn't had the same kind of research to back it up.
Some tips on using D-mannose:
Please do this before doing antibiotics. There is building evidence that antibiotics can lead to more and stronger UTIs.
Off-topic, but this stuff used to be prescription and is now OTC:
https://smile.amazon.com/AZO-Maximum-Strength-Urinary-effective/dp/B0018SGX6I/
Pyridine
It’s a urinary anaesthetic .
It will turn your pee bright red-orange, and possibly stain your underwear.
But it WORKS.
I’m paraplegic and spent a lot of my late teens/early twenties with miserable UTIs
Used to live under the bathtub faucet crying.
This stuff was life-changing.
Be careful, they also sell cranberry pills; you need pyridine.
D-Mannose worked very well for my mother when she had a catheter for several months. Without it she would get get UTIs constantly. With the D-Mannose taken everyday long-term, they were reduced to one every few weeks.
Occasional UTIs will happen sometimes, despite our best efforts. I'm lucky to have only had a couple of UTIs in my life. I used Azo to diminish the pain and discomfort, and it worked really well, as it isn't always possible (where I live) to get in for antibiotics right away.
Just after sex! The research I've read really ranges in dosage, but it can be as effective as antibiotics in some studies! The dosage is pretty high, anywhere from 1.5 grams or more. I've found success with it as a prophylactic at about 2000 mgs (4 of these pills) and that with the anti-inflammatory has literally been life changing for me. It's some sort of sugar that the ecoli in your urinary tract eat or otherwise attach to and it makes them not be able to stick to your insides (very scientific I know, here's more info)
Not to ramble on but I started looking into it around 2016 when I was really desperate and on prophylactic antibiotics that were absolutely destroying my stomach. I found one study that said it worked in rats and went all in and I have never looked back. I tell everyone I know with UTI's about it!
Good luck with the referral.
That is really expensive. Try it on Amazon - you can get 24 pills for a little over $7.67.
AZO Urinary Pain Relief Maximum Strength here.
D-mannose is some kind of sugar that the bacteria bind to - you can buy it on Amazon (reviews are also a helpful source of info on other people's experience with it). Also typically available at health-food type stores (whole foods, sprouts, etc.). When I am having frequent issues with UTIs, I take some d-mannose preventatively. When I have an actual bad UTI, I take it every couple of hours with a little water, then wait 30 minutes, and drink as much water as I can stomach to flush out the bacteria. If it's not working, sometimes I'll take a tums with the d-mannose because it works better when your stomach is a little less acidic.
For BA - I haven't had to use it in years (KNOCK ON WOOD). But yea, I would use it as soon as I started to feel off. I usually would just do it at night because sometimes you can get discharge. I do recommend it with the coconut oil because I can also find it slightly irritating (but not NEARLY as much as some OTC medications I'm talking to you monistat)
Have you tried different antibiotics? Example- from Macrobid to Keflex?
I have found out that when i touch myself while my partner and i are being intimate, I tend to be prone to getting a UTI. Now, i dont "assist" unless we are straight from the shower, with clean everything. Also, I began taking these, 3 every morning, 1 after each time we make love:
I finished that bottle and i didn't develop a UTI at all, for the first time in 1 decade! Now I'm trying these just to see if there is more of a difference:
I also began drinking an apple cider vinegar mixture once or twice per day. 1 & 1/2 shots of ACV, cold water, a splash of cranberry concentrate, a sqeeze of lemon and a turn of sea salt. (At night sometimes I add 1 & 1/2 shots of tequila). I no longer drink beer or wine...just clear liquor :'(
Also......maybe unrelated.....but BV gives me the EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS as a UTI. Foul smell, burning sensation relieved by peeing, bloated. For 6 months i was on macrobid because my urine samples were coming back positive. But it ended up being that i didnt have a UTI at all. I then took flagyl for 7 days, 2 pills of diflucan during that and inserting boric acid suppositories all at the same time that everything finally cleared up for me.
Really, it kind of sucks I have to make all of these lifestyle changes. I so wish i could be as free and relaxed as (i assume??) plenty of women do. I don't imagine many people having to deal with the same amount of gynecological problems for their entire lives. I wonder how women handled this back when medicine was not as advanced.
The 'red purses' is from the dye used in the AZO Urinary Pain Relief Maximum Strength which contains Phenazopyridine Hydrochloride which is the AZO most people are talking about when they say AZO (the one that helps to numb the bladder) not from cranberry. It's the one that turns your urine bright orange/red.
I struggled with UTIs for months in 2019, antibiotics didn’t help but a supplement called D-Mannose has kept them away for years now. You can get it on Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000JN4CR0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_D5KEAVNE6PG7A0F8AJZM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
It’s a total game changer. Basically the bacteria latches to the glucose and you pee it out of your system.
I struggled with UTIs for months in 2019, antibiotics didn’t help but a supplement called D-Mannose has kept them away for years now. You can get it on Amazon and it basically allows you to pee out the bad bacteria. It’s totally natural too so won’t have the same impact on you as antibiotics.
NOW Foods Supplements, D-Mannose 500 mg, Non-GMO Project Verified, Healthy Urinary Tract, 120 Veg Capsules https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000JN4CR0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_D5KEAVNE6PG7A0F8AJZM?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I'm also plagued by this. Two things have helped me: 1) D-mannose powder or pills. I take these.
2) After spending my entire adult/sexually active life getting 4-10 UTIs a year, finally a couple of years ago I found a doctor that agreed to give me a standing prescription to self-treat UTIs as soon as they come on. My symptoms come on really quickly and Macrobid (nitrofurantoin) works really quickly as well so I find if I am able to take a loading dose of Macrobid as soon as symptoms start I am back to 100% within 12 hours or so.
Over the years I've used antibiotics preventatively every day or after sex but I'd rather avoid taking that much antibiotics and I find the D-mannose works pretty well (when I remember to take it), and for the occasional infection I still get at least I don't have to wait for a doctor's appointment and then stand in line at the pharmacy feeling like I'm going to pee my pants.
Hey! This happened to me and led to taking tons of antibiotics that wrecked my gut health- I feel for you :( what ended up saving me was adding d-mannose powder (Amazon link) to my water as soon as I felt any UTI symptoms. D-mannose is the sugar from cranberry so it is a way to get the effects of drinking cranberry without the sugar etc.
Also, it turned out a topical steroid I was using for eczema was impacting my bladder (which is very rare and uncommon) but it may be good to look critically at all of your cleaning or topical products as well- you just never know!
Like she said, AZO makes a bunch of different medications. AZO is a brand name, not a medication name. The AZO product you want is the one that contains Phenazopyridine.
This is what you're looking for; it's the bladder analgesic that turns your urine orange/red:
I can't recommend D-mannose enough for UTIs. You can see the glowing reviews. It only works against e-coli which is responsible for 90% of uti infections from what I understand. It will not interfere with the abx at all. It's totally benign - no side effects, it only helps. It's the simple sugar in cranberries and e coli loves it and clings to it and then you pee it out. Has done miracles for me - a long time uti sufferer. I literally have not taken abx for uti in over 15 years.
Sending you good vibes and hope you feel better soon. You're definitely not back to the beginning though I understand the frustration! Your body has been through a lot. Maybe think about adding in some immune boosters for a little while. Taking colostrum in the morning on an empty stomach is a good thing. Wheat grass is a good thing. Probiotics. Quit sugar. etc. <3