21 replies to this topic

[paraman]

For the last 2-3 months I have urine infection E Coli. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic after going through my urine culture and sensitivity report. The number of pus cells came down but not to zero. My urine still remains cloudy. I have increased my water intake and over a period of 24 hrs my urine output is almost 2000ml. Is this enough or should I be passing more urine?

After researching this issue on the internet I read about D-Mannose sugar supplements. From what I understand D-Mannose is a sugar extract which attaches itself to bacteria. The bacteria then cant attach itself to the bladder and is thus flushed out. So I intend to try this out: http://www.biovea.co...psules&PID=2461

Only thing which is holding me back is a article on WebMD which says a side effect of D-Mannose could be loose stools: http://www.webmd.com...tName=D-MANNOSE

But how can sugar cause loose stools?

Anyone here who takes D-Mannose please respond whether you are facing this loose stools problem.

[dingle]

I started to use D-Mannose and it made me ill and I had to go to hospital,I advise you not to take it as it will give you very lose stool.

Edited by dingle, 30 November 2011 - 08:50 AM.

[Nicus]

Hi Have a look on the web For Tibb Renotone. Also had Allot of uti's not 1 in 6 months with this herbal product.

[goose]

I've been taking D-Mannose for years and NEVER had any problems with a side effect. I take it twice a day. I use it just as a preventive and rarely have to use an antibiotic. I kind of regulate my own doseage . If urine starts looking cloudy , I increase the number of pills I take for a few days untill it looks clear again. I also watch what I drink like no sodas and no coffee if I feel a UTI brewing. You have to learn to listen and watch your own body.

I mainly drink lots of water and green tea. I might have a soda once a week .

I would reccommend D-Mannose. Just start with a low amount and see if you have any side effects.

[paraman]

Thanks for your reply guys! But I wonder how can D-Mannose which is essentially a sugar extract cause loose stools.

My urine infection is proving to be stubborn. 10 day antibiotic therapy reduced it by almost 80% but it is not completely gone. I tried cranberry juice for a few days but it didnt make any difference. At least in theory D-Mannose's mode of action seems logical. Bacteria gets flushed out because it cant stick to the bladder walls. I want to give it a try for at least a week. But the loose stools issue is holding me back. I am sure there are more members here who have taken / are taking D-Mannose. I would love to hear from you guys your experiences, please. Help me make a decision. Thanks!

Note: Tibb Renotone doesnt seem to be available in India..

Edited by paraman, 30 November 2011 - 02:37 PM.

[coffeecups]

I have taken D-Manose and never had any side affects. I have started taking it when I suspect a uti. I haven't had a full fledged uti over six months.

[paraman]

I took a combination of D-Mannose and Cranberry juice tablets (once a day) for 10 days. But it has not reduced my urine infection at all.In fact my latest urine test report shows pus cells have increased significantly. So I am getting a culture sensitivity test which will help the doctor to prescribe me proper antibiotic. I really wanted to avoid antibiotics but now it seems I have no option. :-(

[mcferguson]

A para coworker (25 yrs) recommends grapefruit seed extract as a way to combat UTIs. He takes 15 drops with 8oz of water every night and says it works great. His bacteria has become resistant to typical antibiotics, but he hasn't had a UTI since starting grapefruit seed extract. I have used it as soon as my urine becomes cloudy, and it has cleared it up by the next time I cath.

[Millard]

Microcyn/vetercyn will kill all bacteria and germs. Just run and search and read about it.

For 43 years I have had uti's. Using Microcyn I have been uti free for over a year.

[paraman]

My urine infection is still not going away. I got an untrasound done.

Pre void my bladder was holding approx 512ml of urine and post void it was 112ml. My doctor says this residual urine is causing my UTI.

BTW, I am using a condom catheter/urine bag combo to release urine. I press on my bladder area for almost 10-15mins and release the urine. I have been doing it this way for last almost 10-15 years. But now it doesnt seem to be enough and I have got persistent urine infection.

I have read a lot on this forum about D-mannose and cranberry juice. But I found one article which says cranberry juice may actually cause more harm. Its here: http://www.cystitis-...-cranberry.htm.

Will cranberry really aggravate the UTI and not help get rid of it?

An Indian company has also started making these tablets. http://www.zydusnutr...p?p=product#p21

I am considering taking these tablets but I am not sure about the cranberry. Another option is these tablets: http://www.biovea.co...psules&PID=2461

These are only d-mannose with no cranberry. Which of the two will be better?

Also are oral temps of 98.9 F or even 99 F considered 'fever'?

@Millard

I am not sure whether Microcyn/vetercyn is available in India.

[Tetracyclone]

Paraman-
I am dismayed to read you are still struggling with infection. Only 10 minutes ago I finished reading this article

http://www.bloomberg...biotic-era.html

about anti-biotic resistant bacteria. I too recommend Microcyn if you can find it. I know it is available in Hong Kong and a few other Asian countries. I will try to search for you to find the reference I remember.

All of us will be facing what you are struggling with in he near future. Keep trying solutions and stay as healthy as you can. Your own immune system is your best friend.

[The Black Sheep]

mcferguson, on 23 December 2011 - 03:20 PM, said:

A para coworker (25 yrs) recommends grapefruit seed extract as a way to combat UTIs. He takes 15 drops with 8oz of water every night and says it works great. His bacteria has become resistant to typical antibiotics, but he hasn't had a UTI since starting grapefruit seed extract. I have used it as soon as my urine becomes cloudy, and it has cleared it up by the next time I cath.

I also can vouch for grapefruit seed extract. I didn't take it for a UTI, but I've had an infection on my back for months. I thought it was Shingles at first, but it didn't quite look or feel like it. After a whole month without it fading, I figured it was either fungal or bacterial, but neither topical treatments worked. Someone mentioned grapefruit seed extract a while ago in another thread and I started looking up other results with it. Someone mentioned ringworm or bacterial infections of the skin, so I ordered it. I think I'm on day 6 now and it's completely gone.

From what I understand, Grapefruit Seed Extract is a very potent natural remedy that helps your body naturally fight bacteria and other infections. On Amazon.com, where I ordered it, many of the reviews were from people with severe UTIs that wouldn't respond to antibiotics or conventional treatments. Worth a shot.

[paraman]

Tetracyclone, on 08 May 2012 - 04:33 PM, said:

Paraman-
I am dismayed to read you are still struggling with infection. Only 10 minutes ago I finished reading this article

http://www.bloomberg...biotic-era.html

about anti-biotic resistant bacteria. I too recommend Microcyn if you can find it. I know it is available in Hong Kong and a few other Asian countries. I will try to search for you to find the reference I remember.

All of us will be facing what you are struggling with in he near future. Keep trying solutions and stay as healthy as you can. Your own immune system is your best friend.

Thanks for your words of support Ma'am. AFAIK, Microsyn is not available in India. While I am taking antibiotics my urine is clear and pus free but as soon as I stop antibiotics, pus cells again appear in urine. This is caused by my bladder not voiding completely. As far as possible I want to avoid putting in any catheter. I am really confused how this issue is going to be solved.

The Black Sheep, on 08 May 2012 - 05:29 PM, said:

mcferguson, on 23 December 2011 - 03:20 PM, said:

A para coworker (25 yrs) recommends grapefruit seed extract as a way to combat UTIs. He takes 15 drops with 8oz of water every night and says it works great. His bacteria has become resistant to typical antibiotics, but he hasn't had a UTI since starting grapefruit seed extract. I have used it as soon as my urine becomes cloudy, and it has cleared it up by the next time I cath.

I also can vouch for grapefruit seed extract. I didn't take it for a UTI, but I've had an infection on my back for months. I thought it was Shingles at first, but it didn't quite look or feel like it. After a whole month without it fading, I figured it was either fungal or bacterial, but neither topical treatments worked. Someone mentioned grapefruit seed extract a while ago in another thread and I started looking up other results with it. Someone mentioned ringworm or bacterial infections of the skin, so I ordered it. I think I'm on day 6 now and it's completely gone.

From what I understand, Grapefruit Seed Extract is a very potent natural remedy that helps your body naturally fight bacteria and other infections. On Amazon.com, where I ordered it, many of the reviews were from people with severe UTIs that wouldn't respond to antibiotics or conventional treatments. Worth a shot.

I googled 'grapefruit seed extract' and found that there are a few contrasting articles about it. For ex.:

http://www.terressen...thaboutgse.html

http://www.yesyesyes.org/GSE.htm

The gist of it is that on its own GSE doesnt have anything to help one's body. It is the preservatives that are added to it that 'help'. So I am not sure whether I should be taking this.

Once my current course of antibiotics is over I plan to take D-Mannose for at least a month and see what happens. But I want to know whether I should take only D-mannose or a combination of D-mannose and cranberry.

Edited by paraman, 10 May 2012 - 02:50 PM.

[The Black Sheep]

paraman, on 10 May 2012 - 02:49 PM, said:

I googled 'grapefruit seed extract' and found that there are a few contrasting articles about it. For ex.:

http://www.terressen...thaboutgse.html

http://www.yesyesyes.org/GSE.htm

The gist of it is that on its own GSE doesnt have anything to help one's body. It is the preservatives that are added to it that 'help'. So I am not sure whether I should be taking this.

Once my current course of antibiotics is over I plan to take D-Mannose for at least a month and see what happens. But I want to know whether I should take only D-mannose or a combination of D-mannose and cranberry.

It was just a thought. I am looking at the bottle that I ordered and it specifically says that it does not contain eggs, milk, yeast, corn, wheat, sweetners or preservatives. However, it is a "natural" remedy, and I only mentioned it because of personal experience.

[Maltese Cat]

paraman, on 30 November 2011 - 02:35 PM, said:

Thanks for your reply guys! But I wonder how can D-Mannose which is essentially a sugar extract cause loose stools.

i would imagine that if the d-mannose is able to disrupt the bacteria in the urine, it can probably affect the bacteria in the intestines as well. i.e. all the good useful bacteria we need to help digest our food, and thus cause a possible side effect of loose stools. i'm only guessing though....

[paraman]

Maltese Cat, on 10 May 2012 - 06:01 PM, said:

paraman, on 30 November 2011 - 02:35 PM, said:

Thanks for your reply guys! But I wonder how can D-Mannose which is essentially a sugar extract cause loose stools.

i would imagine that if the d-mannose is able to disrupt the bacteria in the urine, it can probably affect the bacteria in the intestines as well. i.e. all the good useful bacteria we need to help digest our food, and thus cause a possible side effect of loose stools. i'm only guessing though....

AFAIK, D-mannose is useful only against E Coli bacteria. It doesnt work against other infections. So I would imagine that it should not be able to disturb gut flora or bacteria.

[Maltese Cat]

paraman, on 11 May 2012 - 07:07 AM, said:

Maltese Cat, on 10 May 2012 - 06:01 PM, said:

paraman, on 30 November 2011 - 02:35 PM, said:

Thanks for your reply guys! But I wonder how can D-Mannose which is essentially a sugar extract cause loose stools.

i would imagine that if the d-mannose is able to disrupt the bacteria in the urine, it can probably affect the bacteria in the intestines as well. i.e. all the good useful bacteria we need to help digest our food, and thus cause a possible side effect of loose stools. i'm only guessing though....

AFAIK, D-mannose is useful only against E Coli bacteria. It doesnt work against other infections. So I would imagine that it should not be able to disturb gut flora or bacteria.

E.coli is one of the most common commensal bacteria in the gut.

[paraman]

Quote

By contrast, D-mannose doesn’t kill bacteria, “friendly” or “unfriendly”. D-mannose simply helps to relocate misplaced E.coli from inside of our urinary tracts to outside. (Since D-mannose is absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract, it doesn’t relocate the “friendly” E. coli normally present in the colon.) D-mannose treatment of E. coli bladder and urinary tract infections is ecologically sound treatment. (The very small amounts of D-mannose metabolized by our bodies and not excreted into the urine are harmless.) As an extra bonus, D-mannose tastes good!

I found the above here: http://tahomaclinicb...ney-infections/

[Maltese Cat]

paraman, on 12 May 2012 - 03:26 PM, said:

Quote

By contrast, D-mannose doesn’t kill bacteria, “friendly” or “unfriendly”. D-mannose simply helps to relocate misplaced E.coli from inside of our urinary tracts to outside. (Since D-mannose is absorbed in the upper gastrointestinal tract, it doesn’t relocate the “friendly” E. coli normally present in the colon.) D-mannose treatment of E. coli bladder and urinary tract infections is ecologically sound treatment. (The very small amounts of D-mannose metabolized by our bodies and not excreted into the urine are harmless.) As an extra bonus, D-mannose tastes good!

I found the above here: http://tahomaclinicb...ney-infections/

In small enough doses it does exactly that, and should not cause side effects, but if the dose is too high, or for some reason upper intestinal absorption is reduced then some will pass on down to the lower intestine and cause some flushing out of the e.coli down there?

"However, taking huge quantities of mannose (more than about 0.5kg/day) on a regular basis, could reduce the amount of other nutrients absorbed from the normal diet. It would also be likely, as with other sugars, to cause diarrhea, because huge amounts of mannose are not absorbed through the gut, but pass into the lower intestine unchanged, where it attaches to any pathogenic bacteria with 'type1 fimbria' that it encounters, and effectively escorts them out of the body, loosening the bowels by virtue of the presence of greater than normal levels of fecal bacteria"

Found this at: http://www.mannose.org.uk/

i realise that half a kilo a day is a pretty huge dose! I'm guessing more minor dose alterations may affect sci people more due to altered gut motility, absorption plus poss gut routine being more sensitive to changes. Or i'm on totally the worng track - as I said, I'm only guessing

Edited by Maltese Cat, 12 May 2012 - 05:08 PM.

[paraman]

I will be taking one tablet in morning and one at night of D-mannose (600mg) and Cranberry (300mg). I assume these doses are small enough that they wont cause any digestive distress.

Also is it ok to take antibiotics and d-mannose concurrently?

[Maltese Cat]

i'd check with your doctor.

[paraman]

He has said its ok. I was looking for actual user experiences.