Nitrofurantoin and Chills: What Users Say (Page 5)

• Tot...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 3, 2015

For Bladder Infection "This medication was prescribed for a UTI. I was given 10 capsules to be taken 2 a day for 5 days. The WHAM hit me shortly after the first pill. Within hours, I became totally lost. I shook with chills, my head pounded with a horrible headache, my eyes just wanted to stay closed, and I spent a very unrestful night. When I had to go to the bathroom or to get water, I dizzily stumbled into furniture. I had absolutely NO appetite, but made myself eat enough to take three more pills before I QUIT! The list of possible side effects on the package read like a checklist of my issues. I realize each person can experience different side effects, but I think any responsible doctor should discuss these before prescribing. DO NOT EVEN TRY!"

• Ang...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 9, 2016

For Bladder Infection "Doctor prescribed this antibiotic for me for my UTI. I must say it did take away my UTI painful urination very quickly, but after a day of taking it, I felt like I had the flu. I was shaking, freezing, very nauseous, bloated, had back pain, and extreme gas. I actually thought I was dying. It backed me up so bad I couldn't make a bowel movement for 4 days and had to take a laxative to get everything out of me, which made me feel worse. I still have 2 days left of taking it, but I think I'm stopping today because I'm in so much pain from this antibiotic. If your doctor prescribes this to you, ask for something else because it's god awful."

• SF_...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 13, 2017

For Bladder Infection "I've never reacted to any antibiotic, so I had no idea what I was in for with this. I made the mistake this morning (day 3) of taking pill 5. I had no appetite yesterday and was very lethargic and agitated. Really out of sorts, but 1/2 functioning. Today has been a nightmare of nausea, chills, body aches, and joint pain, exhaustion, headache, ear and jaw pain, etc. That's not the full list. The doctor pulled me off and moved me to Augmentin, but I have a lot going on in the next 4 days, and I came here hoping to figure out how long it will be before the side effects are gone. I can't get anything down; nothing helps the pain; I'm essentially useless. Also: hasn't anyone heard of Pyridium? You don't need to suffer! OTC and numbs the urinary tract!"

• Dea...
• March 31, 2019

For Bladder Infection "Took for a bladder infection that a culture later reported I never had. Odd. After two doses, I woke up with fever, chills, nausea, pain along the spine and neck, all over muscular pain, headache, excessive belching, chest and abdominal pain, and excessive peeing with bladder lining burning and urgency. Bladder infection, flu, and mono tests negative on two separate doctor visits. Abdominal CT scan and chest x-ray did not show any abnormalities. Blood work did show red blood cells in urine and elevated liver enzymes. I do not drink alcohol if you were wondering. Today is day 7 and I still have a 101 fever, with no diagnosis, but I do not plan to ever take this antibiotic again regardless."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 29, 2018

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I took this drug twice a day for seven days without any noticeable side effects until the last day. I developed a horrible headache near the back of my neck and came down with chills. After two days being off the medication, I still felt bad and had developed a dry cough as well as a temperature of 100.8. Today, my third day off of the medication, I’ve developed hives! If this had all happened early on, I definitely would have stopped the medication!"

• Cra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 24, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "Within 24 hours, I started with severe shaking of hands, then entire upper torso, followed by chills (worst I've ever had), vomiting, fever, and severe aches and joint pain. I thought I was having a stroke! I will not take again and have never had a reaction to any meds taken. Always had Cipro or Bactrim with no problems and asked for one of these, but the doctor ordered Keflex. 48 hours later, I'm still very weak, couldn't eat for 24 hours. It was scary."

• Fri...
• October 15, 2015

For Bladder Infection "Will never put another pill in my mouth. Painful muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, fever, chills, night sweats, tired, the list goes on. I have been off it for 3 days and the muscle aches and fatigue are still here. Never, never again."

• UK...
• February 28, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed Genfura (Nitrofurantoin) after a previous antibiotic was ineffective in curing a UTI. UTI symptoms were completely gone within 3 days, but I had major side effects within hours of taking the first pill. Side effects: worst flu-like symptoms of my life, and I nearly went to A&E, I was so sick. I had a high fever for 2 days, chills, shallow labored breathing, no appetite, nausea, constipation, extreme weakness, severe headache, and I couldn't leave my bed for 2 days. Strangely, the side effects went away as soon as they came on, and 4 days into the medication, I feel fine."

• Ros...
• July 11, 2019

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I have had this prescribed on three different occasions for UTI over the past couple of years, and each time I wound up with worse symptoms (higher fever, chills, stomach pain, and severe headache). I always assumed it was just not the correct antibiotic for the bacteria, as results from the culture had not been received. The last time I gave this a try, my fever increased, and my white blood cells went sky high, as did my blood pressure and heart rate. I was hospitalized for three days to prevent sepsis. It took quite a while to get my heart rate and blood pressure back to normal. Obviously, this antibiotic doesn’t agree with me for some reason. I will have it listed as a med I am allergic to, as I’ve had these miserable symptoms each time I’ve tried it."

• Nik...
• November 29, 2017

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "Can't even explain how bad this made me feel. Seriously thought I was dying. Chills... Sweating... throwing up... I actually passed out on my bathroom floor. My chest pain was so bad I thought I was having a heart attack. No desire to eat... I've never had a problem with meds like this before in my life. Never again. I took it for 2 days and stopped. Be cautious."

• Leo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 11, 2019

For Bladder Infection "I've taken this drug before and don't remember any side effects. Boy, was this time different. After my second dose of nitrofurantoin for a UTI, I started feeling unusually exhausted and achy and started getting the chills, and if I'd had any coughing or sneezing, I'd have been convinced that it was the flu. I had to skip a family dinner. Overnight it got much, much worse. Everything hurt, and I started running a fever. I had such a bad headache that I feared it was meningitis. I suffered through all of this on the day of my son's graduation. Horrible symptoms. That night, I fell asleep and missed my dose. Now feeling much better, and I'm realizing it was a reaction to this drug. I came very, very close to missing a big life event because of this drug."

• Luc...
• January 12, 2019

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "This is my second experience with Macrobid. The first time I took it, I was fresh out of the hospital after having a hysterectomy. And I assumed that the side effects that I was experiencing were from that surgery. But I’ve ended up with some bladder problems three months post-op and an infection. My doctor put me on Macrobid yesterday, I took my second dose this morning, and I am sick as a dog. Heaviness in the chest, trouble breathing, headache, chills… This is the worst I have felt in three months. I called my doctor and said, get me off this garbage."

• Jme...
• December 20, 2016

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed Macrobid (100 mg two times a day for 10 days) for a pretty severe UTI. The first day I took it, I felt like I had a fever, and I had chills and body aches. I figured it was just my UTI causing the symptoms. Today I am on day 10 (last day), and I am going to the doctor's for a different medication because after taking one of the pills last night, I developed what I thought was the flu: severe body aches, fever, chills. I really considered going to the ER because I was that sick. I woke up this morning feeling better than last night, but I refuse to take another pill. As far as cleaning up my UTI, some days I have felt normal, and other days I still have the burning and frequency."

• Bac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 28, 2016

For Urinary Tract Infection "Started four days ago with a UTI. Started taking Nitrofurantoin Mono/Mac 100 mg twice daily. I've been taking it at 9:00 am and 9:00 pm for two days. Today I woke up feeling absolutely horrible! Burning, clammy skin, chills (without fever), bad pain in left side of lower back. Pretty much can't get out of bed! I've had UTIs before and can still function. These meds are risky. Went to the doctor this morning, and he confirmed that it's most likely this med. Just wanted to put my review out here to help if someone might feel the same."

• Dar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2019

For Bladder Infection "I started taking nitrofurantoin on a Friday. I kept saying this medicine is kicking my butt. I felt a little wobbly and like I had a virus. By Thursday I had a fever, chills, wicked headache, trouble breathing. There were moments I felt like I was going to explode. I went to the doctor, and she gave me another medication and told me to stop the nitrofurantoin. That was yesterday. I still have a fever, headaches, and feel horrible. I would not recommend this drug to anyone. I’m trying to find out how long it remains in the system."

• Eri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 20, 2023

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "Would recommend against using this drug, as it's a roll of the dice whether the side effects will be serious or not. I began taking it for a UTI, and after the second dose, started running a high fever of 102-104 degrees F, having chills, body aches, and fatigue. None of these symptoms were present until I started taking it. After doing some looking and seeing that those were all possible side effects, I stopped taking it and changed over to amoxicillin. I only took four doses, but it was brutal. The only silver lining, if there was one, is that 400 mg of Advil was all that was required to bring the fever down and take care of the body aches and chills."

• Kga...
• September 10, 2018

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed this for a UTI. I became sick right away but thought it was the UTI getting worse. By the 3rd day, I had such severe body aches, chills, chest pain (I could barely breathe), and an extremely high fever. I went to urgent care and could barely walk. They checked my temp, which was slightly over 103, and told me they were going to call an ambulance for me if I didn’t race to the hospital right away. My husband drove me there as fast as he could, and I thought I was dying. Not only was I in extreme pain, but my anxiety was through the roof. I got to the ER with a 104 temp, and they did every test on me (including a CAT scan) and found nothing wrong and told me to keep taking it. I went home and took 1 more dose, and that was it. I was so sick I didn’t take any more. I thought I was going to die. Twelve hours after my first skipped dose, I finally felt like I wasn’t going to die—like I might actually live. I never took another pill and got better fairly quickly."

• Jay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "Scary drug for me. I took it for a UTI one month ago and developed a small rash around my ankles and felt 'winded,' breathing feeling for the first two days, but then was fine. Unfortunately, contracted another UTI this month and took Nitrofurantoin again-terrifying experience! After the second dose, I developed long-lasting chills, but my skin felt very hot. Painful cramping in my legs. Red rash all over my thighs. Migraine headache. Extreme fatigue, but could not fall asleep. The worst part was that I eventually could barely breathe, my heart was racing, and had to administer an Epipen, then head straight for the ER. This medication works, but I unfortunately experienced severe side effects and therefore cannot recommend it."

• MLA...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2018

For Bladder Infection "Aug diagnosed with a UTI, prescribed Nitrofurantoin. 3 days I was very ill. Trip to ER. Fever, nausea, chills, body aches. UNBEARABLE pain. CAT scan, blood work, urine checked. Dr said the infection was in my kidney. Given IV antibiotics, pain, nausea meds & fluids. Days feeling terrible. Sept I saw urologist for recurring blood in urine. Dr said I had elevated bacteria in my bladder. Nitrofurantoin again. I took one pill at 8 pm. At 3 am I was in such pain I told my husband I was dying. I had chest pains, couldn't breathe, fever, chills, back pain, headache, ached all over. I thought I was having a heart attack or a blood clot in my lungs. Another trip to the ER. Two EKGs, CAT scan, blood work. IV. Dr said I seemed to be having anxiety with pleurisy. I asked several times if it could be a reaction to the nitrofurantoin. She said no chance, and sent me home with prednisone & told me to not take the antibiotic. She said I should have another EKG and chest X-ray in three days."

• Sdm...
• June 25, 2017

For Bladder Infection "I was prescribed 6 pills for a bladder infection I got after a surgery. I took the first dose, 1 pill, on Friday evening. Everything seemed fine until Saturday afternoon. By this time, I had taken 2 pills. A severe headache settled in, so I took some Tylenol. I started to notice I was getting really gassy. The medicine also started working at this point. It was no longer painful urinating the entire time but rather only as the bladder became empty. I took my 3rd pill and went to bed. I woke up around 4 am feeling like I had the flu. My skin was hot, I had body aches, and I had chills. The headache was also back tenfold. Now the gas has turned into painful gas cramps. I won't be taking more until I talk to my doc Monday morning."

• Anonymous
• January 11, 2016

For Urinary Tract Infection "It's day two today, and I have been running a high fever. I have the chills, extreme nausea, and I feel dizzy to the point of passing out. My UTI symptoms are still very much there. I've missed three days of work now. I've taken it with a big bowl of soup every time now as well. All I want to do is sleep. I'm pretty sure I slept over ten hours today so far, and I'm starting to get a headache now."

• Zzz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 14, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed 1 tablet nitrofurantoin twice daily for 3 days. I went to the walk-in center on the last day of the antibiotic course as I was panicked and concerned severe symptoms I was having were part of the water infection and needed more antibiotics. The nurse tested my urine to say no infection was now present, so the antibiotics worked!...but I have felt extremely sick, with major loss of appetite, chills and shakes, and had a panic attack in the walk-in center waiting room, which was mega embarrassing. I have just taken my last tablet at dinner today and had lower abdominal pain, so back in bed with dizziness too. Hopefully from tomorrow the symptoms will subside. So glad to learn I’m not alone!"

• los...
• November 30, 2020

Nitrofurantoin for Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed 50 mg Macrodantin capsules to be used over the course of 7 days for treatment of a UTI. Let me tell you right now that this medicine not only doesn't work and that I still have a UTI after completing the course; the side effects were like nothing I had ever felt before, and my infection actually progressed to a kidney infection. First off, I started to feel nauseous while taking this medicine and thought that it would be alright after a few days. However, by day 3, I was in agony with abdominal pain, chest pain, lower back pain, fever, and chills. The nausea was also still there. I decided to call my doctor, and they advised that I finish my 7-day course and then call back if symptoms did not stop by day 7. By day 7, I still had a UTI, as well as chest pain, abdominal pain, headaches, nausea, dizziness, fever, and chills, all of which only started to happen once I took these antibiotics. This medicine may as well be a placebo."

• dee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 2, 2018

Nitrofurantoin for Bladder Infection "I had taken this drug once before and seemed okay, but this time I had a bad reaction. My first pill was okay, no problem, but the second pill I thought I might have to call for help. I couldn't move off the couch for 8 hours as I was weak, shivering, joint pain, bad headache, and a few other things. Really scared me, and I will ask for something else next time."

• Mun...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 17, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "Went to the doctor's with a UTI, and she prescribed Nitrofurantoin for a week. After 2 tablets, I was feeling not well. Felt nauseous, very bad headache, and shivering. After the 3rd tablet, was feeling really bad, being sick and bad headache, so went to bed. Rang up my surgery and spoke to a triage nurse, who changed my prescription to Trimethoprim. Never again will I take Nitrofurantoin."