Tamoxifen and bladder infection?

ForHisGlory
ForHisGlory Member Posts: 64
edited March 2015 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

I am a month into taking tamoxifen and have been battling a bladder infection for 2 weeks already! It was treated with an antibiotic but I still have burning at times. I started a cranberry supplement hoping that will help but am wondering could this be related? When tested I also had blood in my urine (hematuria). Anyone else have this struggle

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  • coraleliz
    coraleliz Member Posts: 1,523
    edited March 2015

    The 2 times in my life I had bladder infections, the symptoms lingered. A urologist gave me the drug Uribel. It quieted things down within a day. A drug pyridium works for some(it might even be over the counter). I know cranberry works for some, but if it acidifies your urine, it might be more irritating. I'm sure someone will come along & disagree. But that's my experience

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  • hummingbirdlover
    hummingbirdlover Member Posts: 421
    edited March 2015

    Hello. I struggled with almost a month of yeast infection symptoms which i would bet anything are a SE of the tamoxifen. I've been eating yogurt every day and I stopped using regular soap in the nether regions. I bought a ph balanced feminine wash and those two things have helped. An interesting side note, a BC friend of mine told me that she had same issues while on tamox and her urologist told her cranberry juice wasn't good, although I cant remember exactly why. I'm considering a daily probiotic

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  • new2bc
    new2bc Member Posts: 559
    edited March 2015

    ForHisGlory,

    I have had a lot of bladder infections throughout my life which also involved hematuria. The last time I was prescribed an antibiotic, I became allergic and could not take them anymore. Then I started taking D mannose Powder which is a sugar that bacteria clings to and then exits the bladder. I also take a probiotic, cranberry pills and garlic pills. I don't know if Tamoxifen is causing your problem but you can treat it naturally.

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  • coraleliz
    coraleliz Member Posts: 1,523
    edited March 2015

    My urologist believes that Tamoxifen leads to increased UTI frequency. It causes changes in the tissues, atrophy, drying, pH changes, etc. From some reading I've done, acidifying urine, is more helpful with prevention. Cranberry works by preventing bacteria from adhering to the bladder wall. Vit C is supposed to make the urine acidic & an unfriendly environment for bacteria to grow. For me, I found that making my urine alkaline is more helpful with symptom relief. I use "prelief". It's a form of calcium my urologist told me about. She also told me I could dissolve baking soda in water &drink it. Just easier to swallow pills.... But what gives me the most relief is the drug Uribel

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