What are some common ways to treat a UTI if someone cannot tolerate antibiotics?

Lots of cranberry juice.

What @janbb said, plus large doses of vitamin C and much much water, way more than usual. The excess vitamin C is flushed out through the urinary system.

I Can “tolerate” antibiotics but I tend to react pretty badly, severe stomach distress, nasty yeast infections, etc. during my cancer treatments I was catheterized often, sometimes for days at a time. That set me up for many months of recurring bladder infections, and because of the side effects of chemo and radiation anything that had a negative affect on my digestive system was to be avoided if possible. My physicians suggested the above as a first line of defense. After the first bout, I never let the infection get bad enough to need the drugs. I would be up all night peeing, but it was better than being up all night in pain.

It’s valuable to avoid antibiotics if we can in any case since their overuse is resulting increasingly in the rise of superbugs.

I should have added that she claims she can’t tolerate cranberry juice since she has GERD.

Asparagus

@jca Then she should take cranberry supplements.

@janbb You understand there antibiotics don’t cause “liver pain”, you are being sucked into a hypochondriac’s delusional behavior. Liver pain can come other things but a broad statement all antibiotics can cause it, just does not make sense.

She should see a doctor and not assume what is going to be done by the doctor.

I am not a doctor.

@Tropical_Willie I didn’t say anything about believing that the antibiotics caused liver pain. Where did you get that idea?

I agree, she should go to a doctor.

@janbb My bad, I used auto-fill and hit your name.
Meant to hit @jca

Figured it might be that.

@Tropical_Willie: reread @jca‘s last paragraph in the details.

Probiotics. And apple-cider vinegar

If she really has a UTI and doesn’t feel better within 48 hours with natural remedies she needs to either get a urine culture, start antibiotics, or both. There are many different antibiotics and if the ones she has tried before gave her bad side effects than she can try a different one.

I just wrote on another Q that natural remedies for UTI’s typically do not work and letting a UTI go for days and weeks can be very serious.

The normal script for a UTI is 5 days, she needs to suck it up and suffer for 5 days if she indeed has a UTI. She certainly can culture first and confirm it’s not just a simple irritation before taking medication.

40 years ago when I was a kid doctors over prescribed antibiotics for many different things including colds to prevent a secondary infection, which is ridiculous for the average person. Then there was this big push back and warnings of antibiotic resistance and some doctors and some people avoid antibiotics at all costs and try to wait illness out for weeks and months.

Here’s the thing; antibiotics are a miracle. Certain illnesses should be treated, take the miracle. A person can wait and see if their sinus infection gets better on it’s own for a week or two, but things like strep throat and cellulitis you have to take the drugs. UTI’s are pretty close to being in that category.

Some people say they get better with natural remedies for UTI’s and I guess it’s fine to try, but if there is blood on the tissue when she wipes, or if she has a fever age needs to take the drugs.

I’ll add that the studies I have read say that cranberry can help prevent UTI’s but not beat down an infection that has already taken hold. Moreover, cranberry can be irritating to the urinary tract, so it is counterproductive for some people. My our friend doesn’t want to drink it anyway, so as far as her situation it doesn’t matter anyway.

I’m out of the country so I load up on cranberry pills.

Yeah highly skeptical that someone would not tolerate ANY antibiotic. I’m betting she had a bad experience with one and has written them all off.

The last time I had a UTI, my doctor said pretty much the only way to beat it is to drink tons and tons of water within the first couple of days of having it. If you wait beyond a couple of days to try to flush your system, the chances of flushing the infection get very low. The second thing she said to do is get 100% cranberry juice, not from concentrate and no sugar added – and to take one shot of it (it’s insanely strong when it’s 100% with no sugar added and not from concentrate) a day, for 1 to 2 years. She said it might be excessive for most people, but that she highly recommends it for people who suffer from chronic UTIs like she did.

However, the chances of her ridding herself of the UTI on her own are low, and if she doesn’t have it taken care of, she can develop a kidney infection. As others have said already, there are multiple kinds of antibiotics available for UTIs. Some last 5 days, some last 3, some last 7. She has options.

The common way is to give antibiotics and deal with the side-effects that result. After all, a little pain or diarrhea is far more tolerable than death… unless you’re irrational enough to have your priorities messed up.

@DrasticDreamer Well, odds are that this person has already waited too long already, and I’m inclined to agree with @Mariah insofar as I would wager the odds on getting this anti-antibiotic person to go to a doctor who will likely put her on antibiotics is less than zero.

@jerv Yeah, I don’t disagree. It’s just a shame, since she stands to develop a really bad kidney infection or worse.

@DrasticDreamer That would actually be a win though. Why fake/imagine an illness when you can bring a legitmate one onto yourself?