Why nitrofurantoin for uti

Disclaimer: Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current information. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this information includes all possible side effects.

This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always discuss possible side effects with a healthcare professional who knows your medical history.

Nitrofurantoin oral capsule can interact with other medications, vitamins , or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well. To help avoid interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully.

Do not take these drugs with nitrofurantoin. Examples of these drugs include:. However, because drugs interact differently in each person, we cannot guarantee that this information includes all possible interactions.

Always speak with your healthcare professional about possible interactions with all prescription drugs, vitamins, herbs and supplements, and over-the-counter drugs that you are taking. If you have an allergic reaction, call your doctor or local poison control center right away.

If your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room. Taking it again could be fatal cause death. For people with kidney disease: If you have a history of kidney disease, you may not be able to clear nitrofurantoin from your body well. This could lead to a buildup of nitrofurantoin. This raises your risk of side effects. For people with liver disease: You should not use nitrofurantoin.

It can make your liver damage worse. For pregnant women: During weeks 0—37 of pregnancy, nitrofurantoin is a category B pregnancy drug. That means two things:. Animal studies do not always predict the way humans would respond. Nitrofurantoin can cause red blood cell problems in a newborn.

For this reason, women who are pregnant should not take this drug:. For women who are breastfeeding: Nitrofurantoin may pass into breast milk and cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. Talk with your doctor about breastfeeding your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication. Likely because of nitrofurantoin's multiple modes of action, acquisition or emergence of resistance is relatively infrequent.

When it does occur, resistance is thought to be due to loss of intracellular nitroreductase activity via sequential mutations in the DNA regions encoding these enzymes. Proteus , Morganella and Providencia spp.

In Western countries, resistance is still rare in E. A recent population-based survey of in vitro antimicrobial resistance of urinary E. Nitrofurantoin appears to achieve therapeutic concentrations only in the lower urinary tract, restricting its indication to the treatment of lower UTI.

Hypersensitivity reactions such as pulmonary fibrosis and hepatotoxicity were not observed in persons taking short-term nitrofurantoin. Acquisition of resistance to nitrofurantoin is still relatively rare, although is likely to rise given recent increases in consumption. Of note, treatment durations of at least 5 days appear to optimize efficacy.

Shah RR , Wade G. Google Scholar. Med Mal Infect ; 38 Suppl 3 : S — Beckford-Ball J. Management of suspected bacterial urinary tract infection. Nurs Times ; : 25 — 6. International clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of acute uncomplicated cystitis and pyelonephritis in women: a update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Clin Infect Dis ; 52 : e — Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd ; : — Antibiotic use in Veterans Affairs long-term-care facilities: a nationwide analysis using barcode medication administration data, — Abstract Antibiotic use in long-term care facilities. J Antimicrob Chemother ; 66 : — Nitrofurantoin: mechanism of action and implications for resistance development in common uropathogens. J Antimicrob Chemother ; 33 Suppl A : 23 — D'Arcy PF.

Drug Intell Clin Pharm ; 19 : — 7. Cunha BA. New uses for older antibiotics: nitrofurantoin, amikacin, colistin, polymyxin B, doxycycline, and minocycline revisited. Med Clin N Am ; 90 : — Effect of renal function on urinary recovery of orally administered nitrofurantoin. New Engl J Med ; : — 5. Nitrofurantoin—current concepts. Urology ; 32 : 67 — PLoS Med ; 6 : e The Cochrane Collaboration , Google Preview.

Short-course nitrofurantoin for the treatment of acute uncomplicated cystitis in women. Arch Intern Med ; : — Three antimicrobial schemes]. Women's quality of life is decreased by acute cystitis and antibiotic adverse effects associated with treatment.

Health Qual Life Outcomes ; 3 : Isolation of fluoroquinolone-resistant rectal Escherichia coli after treatment of acute uncomplicated cystitis.

J Antimicrob Chemother ; 56 : — 6. A trial comparing low-dose, short-course ciprofloxacin and standard 7 day therapy with co-trimoxazole or nitrofurantoin in the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection. J Antimicrob Chemother ; 43 Suppl A : 67 — Randomized comparative trial and cost analysis of 3-day antimicrobial regimens for treatment of acute cystitis in women. JAMA ; : 41 — 5. Stein GE. Comparison of single-dose fosfomycin and a 7-day course of nitrofurantoin in female patients with uncomplicated urinary tract infection.

Clin Ther ; 21 : — Randomised controlled trial of nitrofurantoin versus placebo in the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in adult women. Br J Gen Pract ; 52 : — Crystalline and macrocrystalline nitrofurantoin in the treatment of urinary-tract infection. New Engl J Med ; : — 7.

Gastrointestinal tolerance to a new macrocrystalline form of nitrofurantoin: a collaborative study. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp ; 9 : — 5. Autoimmune hepatitis induced by nitrofurantoin. The importance of the autoantibodies for an early diagnosis of immune disease. Although it's generally safe to take this medicine while breastfeeding, it may not be suitable for all breastfed babies. Do not take nitrofurantoin while breastfeeding if your baby has a rare condition called glucosephosphate dehydrogenase G6PD deficiency.

Tell your doctor if you're taking these medicines before you start nitrofurantoin treatment:. Typhoid vaccine given by mouth may not work properly if you're taking nitrofurantoin. This does not apply to typhoid vaccines given by injection. There are no known problems with taking herbal remedies and supplements with nitrofurantoin. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements.

When you take it by mouth, most of it gets filtered out of your blood and into your pee. This concentrates the medicine right among the bacteria causing the urinary tract infection.

Nitrofurantoin kills the bacteria by entering their cells and damaging their genetic material. It's important that you keep taking nitrofurantoin until your course is finished. Do this even if you feel better. It will help stop the infection coming back.

Tell your doctor if you do not start feeling better after taking nitrofurantoin for 3 days. Also tell them if, at any time, you start to feel worse. Some people get a fungal infection called thrush after taking a course of antibiotics like nitrofurantoin. It happens because antibiotics kill the normal harmless bacteria that help to protect you against thrush.

Nitrofurantoin does not stop contraceptive pills working, including the combined pill and emergency contraception. However, if nitrofurantoin makes you vomit or have severe diarrhoea for more than 24 hours, your contraceptive pills may not protect you from pregnancy. Look on the pill packet to find out what to do. Read more about what to do if you're on the pill and you're being sick or have diarrhoea.

There's no clear evidence to suggest that taking nitrofurantoin will reduce fertility in either men or women. However, speak to a pharmacist or your doctor before taking it if you're trying to get pregnant and you or your partner are taking this medicine.

Nitrofurantoin can make you feel dizzy or sleepy. If this happens, do not drive or cycle until you feel better. It's unlikely that drinking cranberry juice or taking cranberry supplements helps treat or prevent urinary tract infections. It's possible that a straightforward urinary tract infection may clear up on its own without any treatment. However, it's usually best to treat a urinary tract infection with an antibiotic, or it could spread to the kidneys and lead to more serious problems.

Once treated, there are many steps you can take to stop urinary tract infections coming back:. Page last reviewed: 26 November Next review due: 26 November Nitrofurantoin On this page About nitrofurantoin Key facts Who can and cannot take nitrofurantoin How and when to take it Side effects How to cope with side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.

About nitrofurantoin Nitrofurantoin is an antibiotic. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? The most common side effect of nitrofurantoin is an upset stomach. Gupta K Emerging antibiotic resistance in urinary tract pathogens. Increasing resistance to fluoroquinolones in Escherichia coli from urinary tract infections in the Netherlands.

Uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women: current practice and the effect of antibiotic resistance on empiric treatment. Huang ESStafford RS National patterns in the treatment of urinary tract infections in women by ambulatory care physicians. Stein GE Comparison of single-dose fosfomycin and a 7-day course of nitrofurantoin in female patients with uncomplicated urinary tract infection.

Spencer RCMoseley DJGreensmith MJ Nitrofurantoin modified release versus trimethoprim or co-trimoxazole in the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in general practice. Clinical relevance of laboratory-reported antibiotic resistance in acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection in primary care. Warren J. Save Preferences. Privacy Policy Terms of Use. This Issue. Citations View Metrics. Twitter Facebook More LinkedIn. Original Investigation.

November 12, Hooton, MD ; Pacita L. Roberts, MS ; et al Walter E. Stamm, MD. Study population. Study procedures. Laboratory procedures. Sample size. Main outcome measures. Statistical analysis. Clinical and microbiological outcomes. Tolerance and compliance. Access your subscriptions. Access through your institution. Add or change institution. Free access to newly published articles.