Urinary tract infections and imuran

[Panda33]

Since being on Imuran (3.5months) I have gotten 2 UTI's. before Imuran I have had 1 UTI in my 33 years of life. Is there a link between UTI and Imuran?
Also any suggestions on how to avoid them, And to combats them without constantly having to go on antibiotics?

 

[David]

That must be miserable, you poor thing

Imuran lowers your immune system, so the chance of infection is certainly increased. Painful urination is a listed side effect here so my question would be, do they actually test to see if you have a UTI before giving you antibiotics? I forget the specifics, but I know UTIs aren't always bacterial but can be (I believe) fungal as well. I'll call in Judith for the specifics on that one.

Have you ever had a fistula? Have you noticed any air or dark discharge associated with the UTI?

 

[Judith]

Panda33,
Wow, 2 UTIs in 3.5 months. That is a lot.
I agree with David. Since UTIs can be caused by bacteria or fungus (sometimes from vaginal Candidiasis), I wonder if they are testing you for the microbe in question.

One of the most imortant factors to remember in prevention of UTIs is to drink a LOT of water. The best thing is to urinate a LOT so any microbes that are present will not be able to take hold and multiply.

Another question is whether your original UTI was actually cleared by the antibiotics or if they were just reduced in number and the ones that survived came back when you discontinued the antibiotic.
I hope you are feeling better soon.

 

[Bustersmom]

I've had repeated kidney infections and many uti's myself over the past year. The cipro isn't working at all for me now and my doctor says I will need to go on a stronger antibiotic which is very scary because my Crohns is just now under control. I'm taking D-mannose supplements three pills 3 x a day and juniper nano drops with very good results so far. Two weeks with no uti. Im also drinking lots of spring water . I also take lots of probiotics which help with the yeast. Bree

 

[Judith]

Great! Keep drinking that water!

 

[PhoenixBird]

I had a continual UTI on both Aza and MP6 for 12 weeks. I spent the entire time on anti-biotics and nothing happened. Turned out that a few months later my doctor realised there was no bacteria in the urine samples, just the presence of blood which actually meant that it was my kidneys upset with the Aza (a not so good side effect). So it might be worth checking the two haven't been confused.

 

[Judith]

Oh no! I would be less than pleased. Checking urine samples for bacteria is very easy! I hope you recovered quickly after stopping the meds.....

 

[Sascot]

I was watching a food hospital programme on TV and they recommended drinking cranberry juice (I think it was a couple glasses a day) and also taking a handful of dried cranberries a day as well.

 

[Judith]

There is evidence that Cranberry juice can reduce the adhesion / attachment of certain strains of Escherichia col bacteriai in the urinary tract.

Cranberries and UTI

I would just ensure you dont drink the sweetened cranberry juice. It may increase microbial growth in the GI tract and will exacerbate any issues with diabetes if you have them.

 

[littlemissh]

It is possible that rather than having 2 UTI's you have had one that was not effectively treated and has flared up off treatment. This is quite common.
It is always worth getting your urine checked about 5 days after finishing your antibiotic (any sooner it may affect the result) to be sure the infection is completely cleared.

 

[kh216]

I find cranberry pills very helpful in preventing UTI. If I am taking antibiotics or are having a "funny feeling" in the urinary tract, I start taking them right away and they help. They could be helpful to take in conjunction with prescribed antibiotics but they are better at preventing them. I also find the pills more helpful than the juice. (Although I love drinking cranberry juice, too.)

 

[nitty]

Hi!
Can you identify any triggers for your UTIs? Unfortunately sex is a definite trigger for me, despite taking all the usual post-coital precautions (good hygeine, passing urine straight afterwards...).

I now have few problems as my GP prescribes me preventive Trimethoprim. I take a 200mg tablet just before or after sex and it stops any bugs in their tracks.

You will see that Trimethoprim is listed as a drug that can interact with Azathioprine. My friend is a pharmacist and she has investigated this and found that it is only a problem for patients on higher doses of Aza (transplant patients) and who are generally unwell. We also figured that the occasional (and it is very occasional - ha! ha!) 200mg is better than regularly ending up needing a few days course of the stuff.

Maybe a diary could help you find any links - sex, swimming, any foods/drinks, other activities.

Also, (although I'm not a doctor and we all have different problems with different drugs), if you do respond to it you might find trimethoprim better than other antibiotics as it does not affect the whole body like other antibiotics and so is less likely to interfere with the bug balance of other areas of the body - gut, mouth, etc (I am also prone to thrush and Trimethoprim doesn't cause this in me). Anyone medical out there might be able to put me right on that if I'm wrong.

Good luck.

 

[j.bug]

Hi!
Can you identify any triggers for your UTIs? Unfortunately sex is a definite trigger for me, despite taking all the usual post-coital precautions (good hygeine, passing urine straight afterwards...).

I now have few problems as my GP prescribes me preventive Trimethoprim. I take a 200mg tablet just before or after sex and it stops any bugs in their tracks.

You will see that Trimethoprim is listed as a drug that can interact with Azathioprine. My friend is a pharmacist and she has investigated this and found that it is only a problem for patients on higher doses of Aza (transplant patients) and who are generally unwell. We also figured that the occasional (and it is very occasional - ha! ha!) 200mg is better than regularly ending up needing a few days course of the stuff.

Maybe a diary could help you find any links - sex, swimming, any foods/drinks, other activities.

Also, (although I'm not a doctor and we all have different problems with different drugs), if you do respond to it you might find trimethoprim better than other antibiotics as it does not affect the whole body like other antibiotics and so is less likely to interfere with the bug balance of other areas of the body - gut, mouth, etc (I am also prone to thrush and Trimethoprim doesn't cause this in me). Anyone medical out there might be able to put me right on that if I'm wrong.

Good luck.

I have not found any triggers. until recently, i didnt know that i was getting them. i have never had any kidney, or bladder infections before. this has all happened with the introduction to remicade to my system. i can deal with utis, especially when i figure what i was dealing with pre remi.

 

[emmalouwho]

I'm been on Imuran now for 1.75 months.

I have had a UTI for few weeks due to misdiagnosis.

My GI said at first he thought my pelvic pain (bladder pain and uterine spasm w spotting) was due to my colon spasming, as he said the colon can cause all kinds of pelvic organ issues.

The Emergency Room said there were White Cells in my urine so they gave me Microbid.

My white cells have gone from 15K in February to 8K now (May) on Imuran. At what level of WBC drop will I start having trouble resisting and fighting infections?

Emma

 

[JaimeM]

I drink so much water now that I'm on imuran. I drink 7 20 oz bottles of water a day.

 

[emmalouwho]

I'm doing that too. I've always been a water drinker (carrying a bottle), but I think it's wise to do so with Imuran. It's supposed to be a toxic drug and the way to deal with toxins is to dilute them.

 

[JaimeM]

I'm doing that too. I've always been a water drinker (carrying a bottle), but I think it's wise to do so with Imuran. It's supposed to be a toxic drug and the way to deal with toxins is to dilute them.

exactly.. my liver enzymes were really high for awhile, now that i'm drinking a ton they've gotten better.