augmentin, bladder infection, scared of everything, please someone respond

[[Je...]]

So I went to the doctor today because I thought I had a UTI or bladder infection. Only symptom was lower abdominal/pelvic pain. I urinate a lot during the day so wasn't sure if this was urgency to go or not, but no pain or burning while going. Well, white blood cells were found in my urine but nothing else, and even at that it was a small amount. My doc says that is nothing out of the ordinary for some women anyway with it being such a small amount. But because of the pain when pushing down on the left side of my lower abdomen, I was sent for a pelvic ultrasound to rule out ovarian cyst, said she really didn't think it was an infection cuz of no fever and none of the other symptoms. Well, ultrasound came back clean and clear, no cysts, no fybroids, no nothing, which was good. Just said take augmentin for 7 days as a precaution. Well, I have had reactions to almost everything. Only antibiotics I know I am safe with are omnicef, amoxicillin, and Zpacks. I talked to the pharmacist and told him I am on a klonopin regimen and about the horrific adverse reactions I had with cipro, bactrim, macrobid, etc. He said that klonopin should have no interaction with any of those and that I would be perfectly fine with this one too. I have never had trouble with augmentin pre klonopin, but then again, I never had trouble with cipro before the klonopin either. I'm scared to death to take it cuz I don't want to go through that hell again, then again, I'm scare not too in case I do have an infection. But with really no signs of infection and the ultrasound coming back clear, why the hell am I having pain in that area. A friend of mine in the medical field said it's probably just anxiety pain. Really??? So sick of all this. Can anyone off advice? Could it just be random pain even way down there, like where a c-section or bikini line would be? It has been coming off and on since yesterday but is tender when pushed. No trauma. Has anyone had trouble with augmentin or similar experiences to mine with these antibiotics? Should I just try to ride it out with water and cranberry juice and hope for the best? All feedback is welcomed and appreciated

[[Tr...]]

Can they change the script to amoxicillin?    That might be an option.

 

 

Try

[[Je...]]

I asked and she said that those three antibiotics, the ones I know I'm ok with are really cruddy for bladder infections. Wouldn't do it.

[[Tr...]]

Huh,  I guess she has her reasons.  I guess you have to give it a try.  It's not fair to you.  I can certainly understand your concerns. 

 

I used to take D-Mannose Powder for my UTI's and to hedge them off.  But, I don't know how that would interact with your Klonopin.  It's a powder, you could Google it. 

 

Sorry, I couldn't be of more help.  Maybe someone else has some more insight.

 

TRY

[[Me...]]

Augmentin is a stronger version of Amox.  It's probably fine.  The down side is it sometimes causes diarrhea so maybe take a probiotic with it.  I understand your fear though.  You reach the point that you don't even want to take an aspirin through all of this.  Nobody can understand it unless they have been through it.  It sounds crazy to be scared of an antibiotic but hey.....going through w/d changes the way you look at everything .  Hang in there.   

[[ma...]]

Hi Jennifer,

 

I honestly could have written that post myself.  The symptoms started for me on July 31.  No infection, more frequent need to pee (though I could hold it if I wanted to), and pain.  Right around the bikini line, like I've had a c-section or something.  Lots of pain - my bladder is actually sore and tender to the touch and feels inflamed.  I went through the same things:  urinalysis (no infection), x-ray (no kidney or bladder stones), pelvic ultrasound (tiny simple cyst on ovary that could not be causing any pain whatsoever on my bladder).  I have an acute fear of cancer (specifically, ovarian cancer, go figure), so you can imagine this particular round of tests was especially maddening.  I had the ultrasound last Tuesday (August 19), and, at that point, my doctor chalked it up to benzo withdrawal.  I wasn't given any antibiotics since there was clearly no infection, and I'm glad, because I'm not a fan of antibiotics, in general.

 

My bladder just continues to ache all the time, with tenderness in that whole area and down into my pubic bone, in general.  I'm too uncomfortable to wear anything with a waistline, so I wear dresses when I have to go out (at least I look nice and it's still summer).  At home, I just wear loose sweatpants all the time.  I find it helps to apply heat in that area a couple times a day.  I've also learned to do some relaxation exercises with the muscles in that area - they tense up if I'm not mindful about it, and I think that makes everything worse.  I just have to remember let go of the tension, and it helps a bit.  Finally, I started drinking more water and trying to wait between peeing for longer periods.  I'm back to peeing just a few times a day without significant discomfort (except for the bladder pain - that's usually there, at varying levels of severity, no matter how often I pee). 

 

Valium is used to treat various urinary and pelvic pain conditions (interstitial cystitis, pelvic floor dysfunction, etc), so it's not surprising that benzo withdrawal would create the symptoms as a sort of rebound effect. Others on this forum have told me they've had similar experiences during withdrawal and that it does go away.  I try to hold on to that.  Apparently when our nervous systems are hyperactively misfiring, as during benzo withdrawal, they can send false messages of pain and urgency to our bladders, as well.

 

As for the Augmentin, we all react so differently to antibiotics, so I'm nervous to share my experience.  It may be just fine for you.  I tried Augmentin a few months ago for a nasty sinus infection while I was in withdrawal and while I didn't get noticeably sick, I did develop a minor, reversible liver inflammatory condition.  But we were testing for it because I had something similar in pregnancy, and we knew Augmentin was associated with it.  It probably doesn't happen to most people, and, again, I wasn't symptomatic.  My liver enzymes were elevated, so I just stopped taking the drug and things went back to normal.  Like you, I've done well on Amoxicillin (Augmentin is Amox with Clavulanic acid - it's the Clavulanic acid that causes hepatic cholestasis for some of us) and Z-packs.

 

I guess the bigger question is whether you need the antibiotic at all if it's not an infection?  Based on your symptoms, you sound a lot like me (withdrawal related symptoms), but, of course, you need to decide what's best for yourself.  You know your body.

 

It's actually a relief to find someone else with a similar symptom, though I'm sorry you're going through the misery.  Keep me posted.

 

Take care,

madmuppet

 

 

[[Si...]]

Hi Jenniferr, if you apparently have no infection, why would you take antibiotics? Urinary problems are fairly common w/d symptoms. I've had all kinds of urinary symptoms since the beginning of my taper. I spent many weeks bedridden with horrible urinary pain and constant urge to urinate. If I recall correctly, I had 4 tests for bacteria over the months with the first 3 being negative and the last one "inconclusive" and there was a small amount of white cell in my urine (considered "normal" by most doctors). After the "inconclusive" test my doctor prescribed me Augmentin, which I didn't want to take, but the doc and my family scared me with stories about the risk of kidney infections, so I took it anyway. Bad mistake. Augmentin ruined me. It happened in April and I'm still not the same. (BTW, it did not help with the urinary problems.)

 

I had taken Augmentin as a child and I don't remember anything out of ordinary. Klonopin has definitely heightened my sensitivity A LOT.

 

This kind of bad reaction is obviously rare and Augmentin is well-tolerated by many during benzo w/d, but it can happen. I talked to (talk? is that the right term on a forum? whatever) a few other members who also had a very bad reaction to Augmentin during the benzo ordeal. I'm not saying it will happen to you (probably not), but it seems pointless to risk it if your condition is probably w/d related and non-bacterial.

 

Hi madmuppet, I'm sorry you're suffering from this I also find that applying heat and relaxation exercises help a little.

[[pa...]]

I took Augmentin with no problems.

[[Je...]]

Thank you everyone for the replies, it really does help knowing that I am not alone. Every time I think I am an expert on all these symptoms something new pops up, I go to the doctor, have the living daylights scared out of me, just to hear there is nothing wrong. Don't get me wrong, I am very greatful everything keeps coming back normal, just feel stupid and dumb after leaving the dr office every time. I haven't started taking the antibiotics, think yall are right that I don't really need them. Just so tired of this. I should have never reinstated but I was desperate because I began having difficulty swallowing so severe that I couldn't even get soup down. I have been holding at .5mg of klonopin twice a day for I don't know how long now and am so sick of these symptoms that I just don't have the strength to make a cut. I really do appreciate all of you