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What Are The Repercussions Of Prolonged Use Of Nitrofurantoin?

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Posted on Fri, 14 Aug 2015
Question: Hi, just wondering about an antibiotic medication for urine infection. My grandma was prescribed nitrofurantoin 100mg three times daily for 30 days. She has taken this dose before in march/april too. She has lost track of when she started, but we worked out that from the time she visited the doctor it has been about 40 days. She had a full bottle and continued to take it at that dose. She hasn't experienced any problems or anything. She does have a few other medications for her heart and for melanoma. She is due to go to the doctor next week, but should we take her tomorrow? Just a bit worried about the extra ten days of the antibiotic and if it's going to have a bad effect, especially because she is on so many other medications
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Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
You should not be worried!

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about your mom taking this medication for a longer duration than recommended by her doctor. There is no reason to be afraid. This is prescribed for longer periods for persons with a urinary catheter. 40days, though longer than recommended poses no additional risk. All is done and there is no need to bring her appointment closer. Simply stop the drug and all is fine. In other words, there is no drug interaction between nitrofurantoin and her other medications.

I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Ivo Ditah

Internal Medicine Specialist

Practicing since :2002

Answered : 3984 Questions

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What Are The Repercussions Of Prolonged Use Of Nitrofurantoin?

Brief Answer: You should not be worried! Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query. I am so sorry to hear about your mom taking this medication for a longer duration than recommended by her doctor. There is no reason to be afraid. This is prescribed for longer periods for persons with a urinary catheter. 40days, though longer than recommended poses no additional risk. All is done and there is no need to bring her appointment closer. Simply stop the drug and all is fine. In other words, there is no drug interaction between nitrofurantoin and her other medications. I hope this helps. I wish you well. Thanks for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.