Macrobid for Urinary Tract Infection User Reviews (Page 3)

• Alo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 4, 2021

"I thought it was the end of me. Macrobid is one of the worst experiences I have ever had. I could hardly walk, I was short of breath, I felt confused and weak, and had bright red cheeks. I think they should be removed from sale. My friend had also had a UTI a few weeks before and told me how poorly she had felt when taking the antibiotics. I rang her to see what they were called, and yes, they were Macrobid. How can these be allowed to be prescribed to the general public? It's shocking. I only took them for one day, was frightened to take any more."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 28, 2019

"I haven't experienced any of the side effects others have mentioned earlier. After just one dose of Macrobid, within hours, all of my noticeable symptoms were virtually gone. It may have helped that I got my prescription at the first sign of a UTI, before the pain became terrible. Zero side effects during treatment."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 19, 2023

"100 mg, 2x per day, 5 days - although it treated the UTI, the side effects might have been more debilitating than the UTI itself. My side effects were chills, sweats, body aches, non-stop headache, extreme fatigue (could barely get out of bed for 3 days), nausea/dry heaves, loss of appetite (the only time I ate was to take the med so my stomach would be able to handle the meds), head/ears HOT to touch, ringing in the ears, itchy hands and feet. There were just too many side effects to make this antibiotic worth recommending when there are other drugs that can do the same thing. This med just did not agree with me, and I will never take it again or recommend it to others."

• Lit...
• March 10, 2021

"I’ve had a bad reaction twice to the drug, it’s now on my records not to be given it. Nonstop being sick, a really painful headache that does not respond to any pain relief. I ended up in A&E the first time, then was given it again and had flu-like symptoms, and the worst bit by far again the excruciating headache. Today I feel a little better, my eyesight has gone funny, like my glasses are not working properly, and it was fine prior to taking the drug. Alarmingly, these are on the side effect list!!"

• sir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 23, 2025

"The first night taking Macrobid, I woke up extremely nauseous with bad diarrhea. I'm on my fourth day now of a 5-day regimen. The nausea has been less bad (still there), and diarrhea is gone, but having constant headaches, low-grade fever (100-101), and extreme tiredness/feeling generally sick. It's making me wonder if it's even helped my UTI because the symptoms I had before, it's hard to tell if they're gone now. I should've asked to change the medicine earlier. I'm worried this one made me call out of work and didn't even clear the infection, and it's been a week just to potentially move on to another antibiotic and start it all over. If a bladder infection changed to a kidney infection, I wouldn't be able to tell because the side effects feel so similar to kidney infections (I've had before). I'm so tired of feeling ill. I'd rather not ever take this med again with UTI."

• Mar...
• December 19, 2018

"Please don’t take Macrobid! I just got out of the hospital after taking a full dose for a UTI. I started itching in my head on Friday, by Sunday morning, I had a severe rash, and my joints and muscles hurt so bad my legs gave out on me, and then I started having shortness of breath and chest pains. Went to the UTC where I got the prescription, and they had me rushed to the ER. I was having a heart attack. They gave me an epinephrine pen. I ended up staying in the hospital and did have a heart attack, but because I did not have blocked arteries, it was not a major one, but this drug caused some cells to die in my heart, and now I have to go to a cardiologist to find out what is next for me. Please, please be careful taking this drug."

• Mis...
• November 27, 2016

"I have never posted a review, but I wanted to let people know out there that you don't have to be afraid to take this if you need to. I am one of those who always Googles medicine reviews, and I scared myself half to death with the horrible reviews on this antibiotic. So worried that I almost didn't take it. Well, I'm glad I did. It took away my UTI that was going into my kidneys, and I had absolutely no side effects. Yes, everyone is different and some people will have bad effects from it, but I am very sensitive to medications, and I had no issues whatsoever. Always be sure to take it with food and just let it do its job!"

• GCa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 6, 2019

"I was prescribed Macrobid for a UTI. I know medications affect everyone in a different way. But this antibiotic made me so sick. I had severe headaches, nausea, and weakness. I was unable to go to work. I took the entire 7-day treatment even though it was making me feel so terrible. I thought it would be worth it if it cleared up my infection. But it didn’t clear it up! I still had the same symptoms, so I had to go back to the doctor. This time I was prescribed Cephalexin. It worked and with no side effects."

• Anonymous
• May 8, 2012

"This medicine worked really well. It did take about 3 days to kick in and make me feel 100% better, though. I took it as directed and did not have any problems. I did have nausea about 8 hours after taking the pill, but I would eat something and the nausea would go away. Make sure to drink lots of fluids in order to get rid of the infection and continue to drink lots of fluids to prevent the infection! I took the medication twice daily for seven days."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 30, 2021

"So this is my 3rd time on these tablets this year. The first two times were for a UTI, this time for a kidney infection. The first two times, no side effects at all. This time, I’m on day 4 of taking these, and I feel dreadful: dry mouth, stomach ache, cramps, pain, diarrhea, and this morning I woke up and felt like I had the flu, with fever, chills, and severe aches and pains from the stomach down. I’m going to have to continue taking them due to having a kidney infection. I did ring my doctors, but they refused to change my antibiotics. This is just my experience, everyone is different, but I definitely wouldn’t take these again, and I can normally take any tablets and have no side effects."

• Anonymous
• September 3, 2011

"Cleared up my urinary tract infection quickly, but I had a severe reaction to the medication. High fever, profuse sweating, chills, blurred vision, muscle aches, skin sensitivity (it was uncomfortable to touch my skin), rash, tingling and burning in my hands and feet, racing heart, confusion. Most of these symptoms started on Day 2 of the 6 days I took it. I thought all of these symptoms, with the exception of the rash, were from the flu."

• Hap...
• May 24, 2015

"Rx paperwork does not say take with food, even though it is very important to do so. My UTI symptoms were gone after taking the first pill. I only have to take it for 3 days, but I am experiencing some side effects. I feel achy and very sleepy. Just have no energy in general. I had diarrhea after the first dose, but not terrible. I just don't want to get out of bed. I still rated this med a 10 because it did take away my UTI symptoms almost immediately. Just remember to eat a full meal before each dose, and it makes all the difference in the side effects. Two pills to go, I can do this."

• M V...
• October 6, 2015

"I have been suffering on and off with UTIs for about 4 years now (my mother and grandmother are prone to them and I seem to have inherited that, unfortunately), and I mean SUFFERING. My symptoms get to the point of missing work and making trips to the ER. This past infection was the first time that I was put on Macrobid, and I have nothing more to say than that it is a miracle drug. Within 2 hours of taking the first dose, the urgency of needing to urinate had diminished tenfold. On day two now (fourth dose), and all of the pain is gone. I am on many more medications, and the fact that my doctor could find an antibiotic that wouldn't interact with anything I was currently taking (including birth control) was incredible. Will use in the future."

• Gir...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2018

"Read the reviews and was so scared to even take it! But I took the medication and not a single side effect! Great medication... I’m 5’5 and 135 lbs... very prone to headaches... nothing happened. Don’t let the bad reviews scare you!"

• Rxx...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 16, 2025

"I too was reading the reviews and getting a little scared to start, but I honestly had no issue with this med, and it resolved my UTI very quickly! I had strong, frequent urination; pain while peeing; and it eventually progressed to a low-grade fever, aches, and chills. I went to urgent care, and they started me on Macrobid as they waited for the urine culture. One pill BID for 14 days. After one dose, the pain and urgency were halved, and the fever and chills broke. As I continued taking it, the pain got better each time I peed, and the urgency went back to normal. The reviews are going to be skewed negative, so I am writing this to balance it out. Yes, there was a little bit of nausea and gas, but that’s literally with any medication (including OTC meds!). Give it a try. It’s cheap and effective."

• Kat...
• April 30, 2017

"Had abdominal discomfort, burning sensation, and blood after urination. Urgent care diagnosed me with a UTI. They prescribed this for me, and after taking one pill, my symptoms started to subside. I have only experienced a slight headache, but no other significant side effects. My urine, however, did turn a different kind of yellow, but when looking at the packaging, this is normal and doesn't warrant concern. Great antibiotic."

• chr...
• July 23, 2014

"I am 11 wks pregnant, and after my first OB/GYN appointment, they called me with results that I had a urinary tract infection. I was shocked because I didn't have any symptoms other than pressure by my bladder, which I was relating to the pregnancy. I was prescribed 100 mg of Macrobid x 3 days, taking 1 capsule every 12 hrs. The first night I took it a couple of hours after dinner and went to sleep. BIG MISTAKE! I woke up vomiting, ate a bagel right away, and took the second pill. I felt nauseated all day, tired, and had a mild headache. The remaining pills I took directly after a full meal and felt a little better. If it wasn't for the medicine only being for 3 days, I don't think I could've taken it any longer. I just kept telling myself that if I don't finish it, a UTI can be much more serious."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 25, 2019

"This medicine was absolutely horrible for me. I had extreme diarrhea, with nausea and vomiting every time I took it, and I had to take it 2x a day. The abdominal pain it caused, no matter how much food or water I took with it, was the sharpest pain I’ve ever felt, like 7/10 on the pain scale. I lost weight and was severely dehydrated."

• Ang...
• September 11, 2013

"I've never had a reaction to any antibiotics, but this one brought me to the ER. After 24 hours, I began feeling flu-like symptoms, 48 hours later, I had symptoms of bronchitis. After 4 days, I was covered in hives. I had assumed that I picked up a virus from the clinic when I went in for the urinary tract infection, so I didn't correlate all my symptoms to reactions from the Macrobid. When I broke out into hives, I finally realized something was going on. After a visit to the ER and steroids, I'm feeling better. It's been 24 hours off the Macrobid, and I can breathe again, flu symptoms gone, and I have my energy back. That was a rough 6 days in bed."

• Gig...
• February 26, 2012

"I took Macrobid for 7 days, and it alleviated my urinary tract infection (very happy about that). Four days after finishing the Macrobid, I started to itch all over my body, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. There's no rash present, but my skin gets very sensitive and red even before I scratch (super red). Five days after taking the medication, I am experiencing tightness in my esophagus and burning; as if I had a bad case of acid reflux (I have a minor level of acid reflux)."

• Pun...
• January 24, 2017

"After reading all of the horrible reviews on this site, I was terrified to take Macrobid. I waited two days, hoping that the symptoms would clear and I wouldn't have to take this 'awful poison.' Everything I read talked about flu-like symptoms and high fevers. Scary stuff. I finally gave in and took my first dose around 9:00 a.m. By around 1:00 p.m., I had a bit of a headache, which was mostly controlled with Advil. Same side effect with the second and third doses. By day three, I was side effect-free and nearly symptom-free too. I would take this again in a heartbeat. Don't let the reviews scare you. Everyone reacts differently, and you can't base what your experience will be off of the bad experiences others had."

• beb...
• March 10, 2012

"I have had a urinary tract infection since January, and it is now March. First, I was put on a Z-pak with no relief. Then I was put on Cipro. The test came back as if I hadn't taken anything. Now I am on nitrofurantoin, and the symptoms have subsided. I have a headache and am tired, but so what, they will go away when I finish taking this. It worked great for me."

• Stu...
• March 31, 2016

"Took 2 pills... TWO PILLS!! Spent 3 hours in the ER with rapid heartbeats (over 100), chest tightness, anxiousness, and the shakes. The hospital did an array of tests and told me to stop taking... No sheet. Now the bad news... Another doctor told me it can take up to a week to get the drug out of the system... My advice... Take one and wait a day or so to see how the body responds... In my case, this pill was garbage and dangerous... I have never had a reaction to a medicine like this... Stay away from this antibiotic..."

• Joo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 1, 2019

"Prescribed for 7 days, my first time taking them. Didn't read reviews until day 2 as I started feeling odd. I felt as though I was coming off antidepressants, my anxiety levels went into overdrive. Headaches, pain in joints/muscles. It was fine day 1, but as days went by, I felt unsafe to drive. But after 2 hours of taking meds, it hits you. Heart races with shakes. Abdominal cramps, feeling sick as well, feel jittery and impending doom feeling. I have continued to finish the course as my last day today... I am so poorly that I couldn't tell you if my UTI is gone. It was a blessing off work this week as I doubt I could have gone in. Won't be using them again."

• Asd...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 29, 2020

"I didn't appreciate the fact that you need to eat a proper meal or a sandwich when taking them. I had half a banana with the first dose, and throughout the day, I thought I felt so sick. Sick 5 times, chills, sweats, stiffness, dizziness, tiredness, and many other things. I called the surgery as I thought I might be allergic to them, but they told me I hadn't eaten enough. Relief!!!"