If you stop taking nitrofurantoin too soon or if you skip doses, your infection may be more difficult to treat and the bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics. Take nitrofurantoin until you finish the prescription, even if you feel better. If your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse, call your doctor. You should begin to feel better during your first few days of treatment with nitrofurantoin. Use a dose-measuring spoon or cup to measure the correct amount of liquid for each dose not a household spoon. Shake the liquid well before each use to mix the medication evenly. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.
Try to take nitrofurantoin at the same times every day. Nitrofurantoin usually is taken with food two or four times a day for at least 7 days. “We continue to learn more about the safety and efficacy of prescription and non-prescription drugs used during pregnancy, and as always in obstetrics, we have to be mindful that there are two patients we are taking care of by maximizing benefits and minimizing risks,” Ashton said.Nitrofurantoin comes as a capsule and a suspension (liquid) to take by mouth. But, Ashton emphasizes that if women are sick during pregnancy and need a medication, the well-being of their pregnancy may depend on collaborating with their doctor and taking what’s needed. “Always err on the side of caution,” said Ashton.Īrmed with this information, women can also play an active role in knowing about medications they take while pregnant.
Remember, some of the prescriptions may be appropriate if there are no other safe or effective antibiotics available for that particular patient’s infection, but this data should encourage health care providers to “consider that they might be ‘treating for two’” when prescribing antibiotics for pregnant women or those who might become pregnant, according to the CDC and Ashton. “Plus, doctors might not be aware of these recommendations,” said Ashton. And, early in pregnancy, the patient may not even know she is pregnant. “Health care providers might not know the person is pregnant when they prescribe these medications and might even treat over the phone,” Ashton said. More than 10 percent of first trimester mothers received ciprofloxacin, according to the CDC report. Jennifer Ashton, chief medical correspondent for ABC News and an obstetrician-gynecologist, points out, the risks of ciprofloxacin to the growing baby have not yet been ruled out. The most frequently prescribed antibiotics during the first trimester were nitrofurantoin and the sulfonamide trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (the ones that may be dangerous), along with ciprofloxacin and cephalexin.Ĭephalexin is thought to be safe in pregnancy, but as Dr. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.ĬDC researchers studied almost 500,000 privately insured pregnant women in 2014 and found that about 70 percent of women in the first trimester received antibiotics for UTIs. Those numbers are from a new report released Thursday by the U.S. In 2017, ACOG revised their committee opinion to state that nitrofurantoin and sulfonamides may be used in the first trimester when “no other suitable alternative antibiotics are available.”īut with about 35 percent of privately insured first trimester moms getting nitrofurantoin and 8 percent getting the sulfonamide trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole for treatment of their UTI, it seems that some doctors are not following the recommendations. Advanced urinary tract infections that spread to the kidney can cause serious illness in women, putting both the mom and baby in danger.Ī stock photo of a pregnant woman holding pills and a glass of water. Asymptomatic bacteriuria has been associated with premature birth, low birth weight and death in newborn and developing babies. These conditions are more common in the first trimester of pregnancy and pose risks to both the mother and the developing baby. UTIs, characterized by a burning sensation and frequent urination, are not just uncomfortable - they can also be dangerous. About 8 percent of pregnant women get UTIs, and many more are found to have bacteria in their urine without symptoms, so-called “asymptomatic bacteriuria,” which can later lead to infection. - Early pregnancy can come with its fair share of challenges: nausea, exhaustion and urinary tract infections (UTIs). CDC researchers studied almost 500,000 privately insured pregnant women in 2014 and found that about 70 percent of women in the first trimester received antibiotics for UTIs.