Nitrofurantoin and Chills: What Users Say

• TMa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2020

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS DRUG. I feel like my feet are plugged into an electrical socket - the worst pain I've ever felt. Side effects mentioned tingling, but I feel like I'm being electrocuted - it's THAT PAINFUL. My vision is blurred. I spent days sweating, with fever and chills. I thought I had coronavirus and a UTI. The first pill delivered the most intense headache on earth - I needed a pain pill to counteract it. Dizziness and fatigue hit me where I slept all day after the second pill. It wasn't until day 3 that I realized it was Macrobid making me so sick, as I was fine before. When my feet began feeling like they were literally set ablaze from the inside out, I stopped taking this stuff immediately. I stopped yesterday and still have an excruciating burning pain in my feet and a tingling sensation in my hands. If this still has me in this level of pain on Monday, I'm calling a lawyer. I've never experienced ANY side effects from medicine, and with this one, I've experienced them all. This is poison! Do not take it."

• Sad...
• February 25, 2021

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "NEVER TAKE THIS DRUG!! After taking my second dose, I developed VIOLENT vomiting, diarrhea, severe body aches, extremely high heart rate, low oxygen levels, and shortness of breath. Fever, chills, an inability to move with severe fatigue. It’s now 42 hours after my last dose and I am better. We are in a pandemic and having all these symptoms sure did scare me. I do NOT EVER recommend this drug to ANYONE! Horrible! I’m obviously not the only one. I wish I had read the reviews before I took this Med!"

• Tru...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 26, 2020

Nitrofurantoin for Prevention of Bladder infection "Was put on Macrobid when my yearly physical lab showed a slightly higher WBC in urine. After 2 doses, I began with chills and fever. I had three days of 104 temp, nausea, and vomiting, even water would not stay down. As a senior adult living alone, I feared the need for IV and hospital treatment but would not go due to Covid. I called my doctor back and was told to go get tested for Covid. They offered no other reason for my ills. I did my own research and took myself off of the drug. 24 hours later, no chills, fever is normal, no vomiting. This was like poisoning my body. Never again! My daughters had similar experiences also. Be aware if taking this drug. I do not think it should be on the market."

• Flo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 13, 2020

For Bladder Infection "This is the 2nd time I have used nitrofurantoin. I start off with a water infection, take the 1st tablet, and it starts to ease some of the symptoms. Then evening comes, and I start to feel really unwell - loss of appetite, like I have to get into bed as I feel so ill - achy, flu-like. Both times on the first night I have gone shivery, burning up with the worst fevers ever, my body feels like it is going into shut down and I feel like it is the end of my life. I have lots of visits to the bathroom in the night and leak so much. I am so weak the next day. I am out of it, asleep. Still no appetite, and the only drink that satisfies me is orange juice. This antibiotic helps with the infection, but the tablets attack my system in a way that frightens me."

• Ast...
• September 24, 2020

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "Macrobid was the worst antibiotic I've ever taken. I have never had a UTI, and when I saw my doctor, she prescribed Macrobid 2x daily for 7 days. I have taken plenty of antibiotics in my lifetime and have never had any significant side effects. Within 4 hours of taking Macrobid, I had terrible diarrhea for about 2 hours. After that, I was nauseous to the point of vomiting (and I never vomit). No medication has ever made me this sick before. I had chills, weakness, diarrhea, and vomiting all within the first 12 hours. However, I know you're not supposed to stop taking medications, so I took my second dose, and the symptoms proceeded to the point of not sleeping at all overnight. I stopped taking it the next day, and my symptoms resolved completely. I went back to my doctor and got a different antibiotic that I had no problems with."

• Alw...
• January 26, 2014

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "For everyone posting bad reviews, did any of you take it after eating a complete meal? I made the mistake of taking one before after eating a light snack, and I got the fever, chills, etc., like everyone else, but if I take it after eating a good-sized meal, then I'm fine. DON'T TAKE ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! These antibiotics do work great! Don't let the bad reviews stop you from taking them, just do what I said and eat real food, and if you still have side effects, then call your doctor. But from my experience, as long as I eat, no problems with them."

• No ...
• June 6, 2016

Nitrofurantoin for Bladder Infection "Prescribed for a UTI. Long story short, I thought there was something seriously wrong with me. Severe body aches, joint pain, back pain, chest pain, fever up to 101.7, major chills, headache, feeling anxious, feeling depressed, crying, feeling irritable, fatigue, weakness, night sweats, tight jaw. This medication is dangerous, and I'm glad I stumbled across this site because I thought I was going crazy. I have one more day of this horrible medication, and I'll stick it out because I don't want to have to take any more antibiotics. 100mg twice a day for seven days."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 4, 2017

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "Very good experience with some minor side effects... minor and worth having rather than being in the hospital with a kidney infection! I read some of the reviews on here. I have health anxiety and a bit of hypochondria, and I am afraid to take medications. I was hesitant to take this one as well after reading the reviews. The only side effects I felt were some mild diarrhea, headache, some muscle aches, fatigue, mild pelvic and side pain, and chills (which could have been from the UTI rather than a side effect of the medication). Please take the bad reviews with a grain of salt. Everyone responds differently to medications, and my experience was good with this. Don't take UTIs lightly, as they can lead to more serious problems."

• Pol...
• November 22, 2013

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I am currently taking Macrobid for a urinary tract infection. I've been taking it twice a day for going on 4 days now. I was very very leery of this medication, because when I was pregnant 4 years ago, it was prescribed to me for a UTI. I took it and was really ill. I felt like I had the flu...weak, chills, nausea, horrible headaches. My doctor gave it to me and I was scared to take it, but with my last UTI the Cipro didn't knock it out. I'm happy to report that this time, I am doing fine on it. No side effects, but the UTI symptoms are pretty much gone. Make sure you take this ON A FULL STOMACH! Not with a glass of milk, not with a snack, not BEFORE eating...a full stomach!"

• Wha...
• July 30, 2014

Nitrofurantoin for Bladder Infection "I was prescribed Macrobid for a bladder infection on a Friday. I took the first dose that evening after dinner. I woke up Saturday morning feeling fine, took another dose, and it went downhill from there. We went out for breakfast, and the fun began: nausea, chills, etc. I had to go home and get in bed for the remainder of the day. I had a fever of 101.3. I had a terrible headache, joint pain, etc. On Sunday, I was so freaked out that my husband took me to an urgent care clinic. I was told that it wasn't the Macrobid, but that my bladder infection had become systemic. Baloney. I would wake up and feel fine, take the medication with milk, and whammo! Down for the count. I am now on day five and finally went to work today. I totally felt hungover."

• Ash...
• November 22, 2016

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "Okay, I never ever post on review boards, but with all these high-level ratings for this drug, I just had to speak out. This drug is poison, literal poison. I'm only on my second dosage, and it feels like my body is shutting down. Right this moment, I am vomiting every ten minutes, my head hurts constantly, and my body is riddled with chills and shakes. I have followed the doctor's directions to the tee, taking it with food and all of that, and it still has made me feel miserable. Yes, it has healed my UTI almost instantly, but now the rest of my body is suffering and breaking down because of it. Please seek other options before taking this medication. Please, I beg you, this is a very strong, dangerous drug."

• Ros...
• November 9, 2019

For Bladder Infection "Prescribed Macrobid 100 mg x 2 daily (first time ever) for a mild bladder infection. Had the first one at lunch (didn’t read or anticipate any side effects). I was busy at work; began to feel increasingly ill with flu symptoms (way worse than how I’d felt with my UTI). I then developed shivers, aching with nausea and stomach cramps. I thought it strange I was getting the flu at the same time as a bladder infection! That night was horrific after a second dose; thought I was having an asthma attack (never had asthma before but felt like it), palpitations, tachycardia. My upper back and neck hurt so much, terrible headache (unusual for me). Having read these reviews, I’m 100% convinced this was a side effect of the antibiotic; no other explanation. Still feel dreadful and ‘poisoned’. Started large doses of D Mannose as it’s a weekend. Anyone who thinks the symptoms are placebo are wrong! I wasn’t anticipating any reaction! This is a truly scary drug which I will never touch again."

• mer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 24, 2012

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I have taken this medication twice. I started feeling unwell after 4 days the first time around. The second time, I thought I had the flu as well as a urinary tract infection. The last pill of the day was taken at supper time. By bedtime, I was feeling ill, and then by midnight I felt very ill, delirious, with nausea, chills, and a rapid heartbeat. I went to the doctor and was told to discontinue the medication."

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

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "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."

• Can...
• October 13, 2013

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "My urinary tract infection symptoms were not nearly as painful as the side effects of this medicine. It cleared up the UTI in a day, but by the second day, it was nausea, extreme fatigue, no appetite, joint and muscle pain, stomach pain, complete weakness, chills, and fever. The pharmacist said it was probably the UTI. Now it's day 5, and I'm in agony. Stopping Macrobid and calling the doctor in the morning."

• Anonymous
• September 3, 2011

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "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."

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

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "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."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 8, 2019

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I felt the medication would have worked, my symptoms of UTI were easing. Unfortunately, after just 1 day of taking Macrodantin, I had the most awful sudden reaction: cough, uncontrollable shaking, chills, high temperature, body aches, and chest tightness. I didn't have enough energy to shower or leave my bed. I decided to stop and felt I was getting better from the side effects. Twenty-four hours later, I started the medication again. After the 2nd dose, I woke up during the night with the same symptoms. I had pneumonia years ago, these symptoms felt the same. I know I can never take this medication again."

• Anonymous
• November 15, 2011

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I had a severe reaction to this medication. Chills, very high fever, bright redness on both legs from ankles to knees, and red blotches on upper legs. Also, red blotches and hives on both arms. Fatigue."

• Cyn...
• August 14, 2017

Nitrofurantoin for Bladder Infection "I started taking the medication, the first day was okay. The second day, I don't know what happened, but I started getting a fever, then chills, it got worse. I couldn't eat, my body hurt so bad, tossing and turning. Not to mention that I lost ALL appetite to eat, and that was yesterday! I'm awake now with still a killer headache, can't sleep. My stomach hurts, and I'm heading to the doctor because the medication just isn't for me if it's making me feel worse than when I had the bladder infection."

• TRS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2019

For Bladder Infection "This pill is awful! I just finished a 5-day prescription. The list is so long of the side effects: non-stop headache that didn’t respond to anything, chills and trembling, hot spells, stomach pain, diarrhea, foot cramps, loss of appetite, numbness in hands and feet, restless nights, moodiness, reduced vision. Although this medicine got rid of my UTI, I would never take it again or recommend it to anyone. I’m a healthy 54-year-old!"

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

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "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!!!"

• WGD...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2015

Nitrofurantoin for Bladder Infection "Haven't had a UTI in probably more than 10 years. Have recently been diagnosed with 2 in the last 3 months. Had Macrobid both times. The first time I ended up with fever and chills, but thought I was unlucky and had picked up a virus. Symptoms went away by the end of the treatment. When the UTI came back, I was given the same medication. Within 12 hours of taking the first dose, my fever and chills became so bad that I almost went to urgent care. Advil reduced the fever temporarily, but I won't take it again."

• pal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 23, 2019

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "Macrobid was the worst experience I have ever had with any drug. Breathing problems developed on day 2 of a 3-day course, coughing, palpitations followed by chills and fever. Unable to do anything for three days and thought I had a very bad dose of flu, which is all you need when you have cystitis, but no, it was just the side effects from this antibiotic. Never again!"

• Ano...
• May 6, 2015

Nitrofurantoin for Bladder Infection "First day worked fine, although will say my pee was neon... wasn't expecting that. Second day, however, tired all of the time with a killer headache that doesn't seem to go away and very cold and achy. Good that I can finally sleep after three nights of not being able to (great bank holiday that was), and pain went after the first two tablets were taken. This is the second time I've been on these, would definitely take again."