Has anyone ever experienced yellowing skin with the use of Macrobid? Doctor prescribed it for my 93-year-old mother and she is now in the hospital because of her jaundiced condition. After several tests, the only conclusion that the medical folks could come up with was that she’d had a reaction to the Macrobid.
Just curious if this has happened to anyone else out there. After three days (and no more Macrobid) she appears to be getting better and her blood levels are improving.
Thanks.
Shar
My email address is smac@chartermi.net in case you want to respond to my question. Thanks.
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Yes, while it’s pretty rare for it to happen, it is possible. The most common side effect is discolored urine. But you did the right thing by taking her to the hospital because yellowing eyes/skin is a dangerous side effect. I attached a link to Macrobid drug information.
Hepatic (liver) damage is listed as a side effect of macrobid. When the liver is damaged it cannot process billirubin properly and the result is jaundice. Sounds like she is being treated properly.
Yes, it happened to my friend’s grandmother, with whom I am also close.
Grandma S. was about 86 when she had this happen to her (it was a few years ago). She had been really, really sick, and she kept getting bladder infections. She was too proud to let anyone help her get a clean catch urine sample, and she was too weak to do it herself, so they could not culture her urine and find out exactly what was causing the infections. The doctors gave her Cipro, which is a pretty broad spectrum antibiotic. The Cipro made her very sick to her stomach, but it didn’t clear out the UTI, and she started having pain in her kidneys, so they were worried that it had moved to them. Her doctor had an emergency and was out of the office, and his younger partner prescribed Macrobid for her over the phone, without reading her charts or knowing anything about her.
I went over in the afternoon to visit with her a few days after she had started the Macrobid, and she had terrible jaundice. My friend has poor eyesight and does not see well in low-light conditions, so she could not see it, but I sure could. Grandma S. prefers her bedroom to be dark when she is not feeling well, so my friend just could not see the yellowing of her skin and eyes. I had hepatitis as a kid, so they never give me Macrobid for UTIs, so I knew that was a possible side effect. We called the doctor, and he asked that she be taken to his office immediately. His office is in the office park by the nearest hospital, so he sent Grandma S. over there, and they gave her several units of fluids, and then helped her into the restroom, and she was able to give a urine specimen which they cultured. They gave her Levaquin for the UTI, first as an IV dose, and then with oral liquid for follow up at home. The jaundice cleared up on its own in a few days.
Macrobid is known to cause jaundice and liver problems, and should never be given to anyone who has a history of hepatic problems. I also suspect, however, that it shouldn’t be given to older people whose organs don’t function as well as a younger person’s normally do. There are a lot of drugs out there that are very hard on the liver and kidneys, so I think you may need to make sure to talk to doctors about that the next time they prescribe anything for your Mom. And make sure that they know that she has had a reaction to Macrobid, as I know from experience that it is often the very first thing offered for UTIs. I often have to tell doctors that I am not supposed to take it.
I hope your Mom continues to recover. My thoughts are with both of you, as I know how scary that can be.