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Macrobid for Bladder Infection User Reviews (Page 5)

Macrobid has an average rating of 4.9 out of 10 from a total of 203 reviews for the treatment of Bladder Infection. 33% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 46% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Macrobid

  • Anonymous
  • October 9, 2009

"This drug makes me very drowsy, headache, backache, severe nausea even when taken with food. The pain after urination is still there after 4 days on the drug. The only positive thing so far is that I have not gotten a yeast infevtion which was common with other uriniary tract infection drugs."

3 / 10
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  • juju
  • August 24, 2019

"I have taken Macrobid, at least twice, in the past to treat my UTI’s {it had been 10+ years though}. FF >> 4 days into a 5 day script... I started to feel itchy, within 6 hours I broke out in terrible hives. I changed nothing else. Macrobid was the ONLY difference. Yes, my UTI seemed gone but I had to deal with hives for almost a solid week. I went to an allergist and while there’s no way to prove it was the Macrobid, he said with 99% certainty, that the antibiotic was the culprit. He also told me that the hives could last and reappear {after my course of steroids} for weeks. :( Here I sit 5 weeks later... with another UTI, about to take Bactrim and I’m petrified. Who knows if it really ever even cleared up 100% from before? Like mentioned.... I did take this a couple times before a long time ago (I tried to think back to remember if I was itchy or anything - but can’t remember) I will never take Macrobid again."

1 / 10
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  • Maralem
  • June 9, 2011

"It is a very effective antibiotic, but you really have to take it with a food. It has relieved all the symptoms of my urinary tract infection, but it gives me heart pains and on third day of taking it, I started feeling faint like and thought I almost was going to pass out. I immediately went and bought a Gatorade drink and the electrolytes in the drink helped me feel better. Had to stop taking it. "

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Frequently asked questions

  • GaiaM
  • October 24, 2015

"I took this medicine for a bladder infection and took it for the full five days prescribed. The first day I felt immediate relief and reduced discomfort of about 50%. However with each day that followed my relief did not increase and within 12 hours of completing perscription my symptoms were back by 90%. So either the dose wasn't strong enough (100mg) or the prescription wasn't long enough. No way of knowing if either or both of these conditions were changed I would have experienced more success with this particular antibiotic."

3 / 10
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  • Orango
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 24, 2015

"Horrible. After two I came down with a fever (102.6) and awful chills. The worst was the body aches - in particular my upper back, My gut told me it was the medicine and not a sudden case of the flu. I went off immediately and within 15 hours felt 100% myself again. Everyone is different and this drug is not for everyone."

1 / 10
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Are you taking this medicine?

  • macro...
  • March 31, 2016

"I was prescribed Macro bid for a bladder infection. After I took the 2nd pill, I got severe shortness of breath, chest pain, high fever and diarrhea. Although not as bad as the first day, the symptoms continued into the second day of taking them. On the 3rd day, out of the blue, my vision was blurred/impeded by what I can only describe as bursts of light/sunbursts for about 20 minutes followed by severe headache and fatigue. Very scary! My bladder feels a bit better so I decided to stop the medication after only 3 days. Will ask the doctor for something else with less side effects if it continues."

4 / 10
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  • Am1989
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 23, 2015

"Presccribed macrobid 100mg for bladder infection. Took the first dose at 5pm after a full meal (on the advise of my Dr who warned slight stomach irritation) around 2 am I woke up vomitting yellow bile which lasted for several hours. I was shaking and sweating and couldn't even keep water down. I'm on my 4th dose and symptoms are subsiding..I feel like I'm going to vomit, have a headache and am extremely dizzy. Please be careful when taking this its like a flu in pill form!"

2 / 10
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  • Bless...
  • January 27, 2018

"Worked great for me and I did not notice a single bad reaction at all. I was pretty surprised to read all these terrible reviews. Painful and frequent urination eased about 24 hours after my first dose. 72 hours after my first dose I started to feel back to normal and now I'm 6 days in and feel completely normal! UTI's are so annoying and inconvenient. AZO was doing nothing for me and I was hardly sleeping at night. After 2 days of being miserable I had enough and called my dr first thing Monday. I think most people leave a review when it's really bad but I'm sure there are a ton more like me like that didn't think twice about writing a review because they're back to living their lives without having to urinate every 5 minutes."

10 / 10
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  • Granm...
  • July 31, 2016

"The first few doses made me feel like I had been hit by a truck. Things improved and now I am in the third day and fine. Burning, urgency, leaking GONE so I will finish my 10 days of medication. I had Cipro for 7 days previously and after I finished-- in three days I had symptoms again."

8 / 10
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  • Anonymous
  • July 22, 2009

"I had a urinary tract infection (e-coli) and was taking Macrobid, but after a week, I was still having very discomforting symptoms. In previous UTIs my doctors had given me Bactrim and symptoms cleared up within days. I researched the medicine as soon as I ran out of it, and found that it was more effective in preventing than in treating, and users were prone to recurring infections. I promptly called the doctors the next morning and got a prescription for Bactrim. I was fine not too long after that."

1 / 10
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  • Meano
  • September 1, 2009

"It works! I do have the wonderful side effect of diarrhea a few hours following ingestion of it (even with food) but it's a small price to pay. I am allergic to sulfas and penicillins so there aren't many options. I've taken it before and it works, so I'm happy with it overall. Good thing I only have to take it for 3 days, though."

9 / 10
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  • Sam
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 6, 2019

"I have a bladder infection and Cipro didn't clear the infection, keflex didn't clear it, now I'm taking macrobid. I've experienced no side effects so far. I already had nausea with the infection - the infection went from urinary to bladder and then I started having kidney pain - so I can't attribute that to the medication. I feel like it's helping."

7 / 10
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  • SAVAN...
  • July 29, 2016

"I've take this before with no side effects. This time the doctor recommended me to take it for 90 days, 100 milligrams once a day for recurring UTI. By the second dose I am in the bed feel like I have the flu, a virus at the same time and vision going. Not going to take anymore of this microbid. Wish I had only filled 30 days of meds instead of 90 day. Spent to much money on something I can't take. Take with caution."

1 / 10
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  • MzzKi...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 12, 2016

"I was diagnosed with a bladder infection and had been given the script for Macrobid. Right after taking the first pill I had the worst headache that NOTHING would help. I did take a 2nd pill and that about put me down with the headache. I took Advil, Tylenol. I ended up taking a Tramadol which helped a little. I felt very weak, out of sorts, nausea, NO appetite, gassy stomach and my neck hurt like crazy. Over all I felt like I had a real bad case of the flu. I also want to mention that I had extreme anxiety. I am already OCD and this medication magnified everything. I would rather suffer from the bladder infection than go through this again. I thought Bactrim was bad. The ONLY thing Macrobid helped with was my low grade fever."

2 / 10
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  • Jblue
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 14, 2018

"After having various antibiotics over the past 2 week for recurrent UTI’s a new GP prescribed Macrobid as my previous sample had been sensitive to it. I was desperate as going to the toilet and burning sensations when peeing every 10 mins. I have so far taken 3 pills out of 14. I noticed symptoms subsiding within about 6 hours of the first pill and a few hours after the 2nd feeling almost back to normal but not quite completely. On side affect at the moment is slight headache which is much more bearable than the UTI."

8 / 10
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  • Black...
  • February 9, 2018

"Had brand years ago for UTI & no problems but this generic is awful! It was prescribed due to a small number of leukocytes in my urine but my MD wasn't concerned about infection yet recommended I take it to be safe. Had zero symptoms whatsoever but took the 1st dose after a full breakfast... mid morning I was lightheaded with aching neck. By afternoon I had a dizzying headache, loss all energy, legs felt like noodles & got winded walking around the house. Night... barely could eat but took 2nd dose & prayed it wasn't the flu. Next day I woke up fine, but after breakfast... 3rd dose & was feeling flu like again but with intense cramping on & off the rest of the day (like ball up in a fetal position & just cry until it stops). I let my doc know I refused to take another capsule & left it at that. I've worked in pharmacy for 15 years & know not all manufacturers create their generic meds equally & these shouldn't be acceptable side effects."

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  • Anonymous
  • August 10, 2009

"I had a low-grade urinary tract infection for weeks that I mistook for a yeast infection, finally went in for a culture, and then took a week's worth of Macrobid. The infection subsided after 3 days, but came back almost immediately after I stopped taking the medicine."

3 / 10
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  • bbart...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 20, 2022

"Complete waste of time in curing of UTI. I am on last 7th day, and there is no improvement in symptoms at all, plus side effects. I wish I have checked reviews before start taking this medication. Avoid like a plague"

1 / 10
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  • Hannah
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 5, 2021

"I’ve had a bad experience with antibiotics before and held off on taking this for almost two days after it was prescribed for my mild UTI symptoms, due to fear of side effects and hoping it would go away on its own. Well it didn’t and got worse, so I had to take it. Woke up at 2am with lower abdominal pain and awful burning urination, popped one of these pills, and woke up the next day with no more pain, burning, or urgency. It really helped in less than 6 hours. Of course you have to keep taking it as prescribed to make sure the infection is gone, but it got rid of the symptoms that fast. I’m on my last day of taking these and have had practically no side effects. I always took it with a full stomach and had no nausea. I’m not trying to dismiss the negative reviews. It’s important that people know what can happen and monitor themselves. But this is a VERY commonly prescribed med, and unhappy people are far more likely to leave a review, which is why I left this."

10 / 10
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  • Misy
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 23, 2019

"I was prescribed macrobid for a bladder infection. Took the first dose at 10 p.m. and within a 30 mins I started itching. By 11 pm I was covered in a full body rash and hive - allergic reaction. Went to the ER was given steroids to subside the effects. It was the longest discomfort/pain I have ever been through. Usually for other medical conditions there are pain killers, etc. but not for this. Went back home and had another allergic episode at 4. I wanted to jump in a cold pool or jump out my skin. This medication has made me nervous about taking any medications."

1 / 10
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  • lmbwife
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • March 29, 2016

"I was prescribed Macrobid for a bladder infection. By 3rd day in med I developed a horrible dry cough. I stopped taking at that point. I am now on another antibiotic for an upper respiratory infection. I will be sure to never take Macrobid again"

3 / 10
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  • Pusha...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 28, 2015

"Was prescribed this for an e-coli UTI but had never received this in the past. BAD choice of color of pill. It forewarns issues. Had what I thought was the flu this weekend. Twelve hrs then the fever broke. Did know know that flu symtoms could be a side effect. Have had head aches (top of head) since beginning. Now have vaginitis of some ilk. Now don't know what route the Dr will suggest: Worried, in pain, and not sleeping waiting for the dr's office to open. I will always put macrobid in my medical records as an allergy. Took in generic form to keep costs down. Still expensive and now must start over with another drug, delaying both the cure of the UTI and causing the vaginal discharge."

1 / 10
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  • Alexa
  • August 9, 2019

"I’m allergic to penicillin so took Macrobid for urinary tract infection. Got itchy hives after a few days . Got rid of infection . It’s bern a month since I finished but I have itchy places on my body. Itchy bottom of my feet but no visible rash . Then it goes away and itchy stomach, then itchy palms. Please help with opinions and advice."

5 / 10
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  • Athen...
  • December 7, 2016

"So I just had a breast reduction 3 weeks ago, & two weeks into the healing process I got my 1st UTI. I consulted friends of the pain after urinating & they suggested lots of water & cranberry juice which didn't do much at all. A few days later after consuming all that liquid my kidneys started throbbing. I couldn't take it, & went to the doctors. They prescribed me Microbid. I'm currently on day 3, twice a day with food. I've experienced fevers, chills, constant abdominal & kidney pains to the point of tears. Only thing that's stopped hurting is going to the washroom. I'm on this medication for 4 more days & hoping I recover soon. My body's under enough stress with the reduction/infection so I'm hoping that this med will clear the UTI up"

5 / 10
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  • Lisa...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 12, 2016

"I've been having repeat bladder/kidney infection... 5 in 4 mths.. have no idea the cause..being sent for kidney scan.My last lot of antibiotics ( currently) were these.. I got to day 4 and was hit with a high fever, uncontrollable shivering, every muscle in my body hurt, sore back & neck and thumping headache. took paracetamol and ibrofen and within 3 hours started to feel my temp come down. The next morning I read the side effects..OMG..I was experiencing most of them the wheezy breathing and cough now started. Because it's a Saturday and it says consultant your doctor if you experience any side effects. I've just stopped taking them... it was really scary. From reading the other comments I think it'll take 2 days to start to feel better."

3 / 10
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14 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.