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May 2016 Moms
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Any issues with antibiotics?

khochanadelkhochanadel member
in May 2016 Moms
At my last OB appointment they found some white blood cells in my urine which revealed a UTI (I didn't know, I just figured a little discomfort was normal with two babies dancing on my kidneys and bladder). My OB's office called in a prescription for ampicillin for me but now I don't know what to think...

I'm probably being paranoid but I read somewhere that while it's classified as category B for pregnancy (not known to be unsafe), "Ampicillin is only recommended for use during pregnancy when benefit outweighs risk." Surely if my OB was the one who prescribed it, it's safe for me and my babies, right??

Then, they want you to take it 4 times a day on an "empty" stomach. Yeah... I'm 25 weeks pregnant so I never have an empty stomach or bad things happen. Took one 2 hours after dinner last night and it made me super queasy. Anyone else been on ampicillin in the latter half of pregnancy and have advice? 
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Re: Any issues with antibiotics?

  • JessicaB0627JessicaB0627 member
    UTIs can definitely cause some problems and need to be treated, so I would say the benefits outweigh the risks here. There are a couple antibiotics that are not as safe during pregnancy but ampicillin is not one of them. 

    I have no advice on the empty stomach predicament though. It may be worth calling your doctor and asking.
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  • kbrands7kbrands7 member
    I have no advice about the empty stomach predicament, but I'm also being treated for a UTI, but with Macrodantin, which is also pregnancy safe (unless at term). It's twice daily with food. If you're really having problems with the rx you've been given, you could try asking your doctor if you're able to switch treatments (I'm not really sure how switching antibiotics works).
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  • dsmith211dsmith211 member
    I didn't take that particular antibiotic but I did take another class B (Cephalexin) earlier in the pregnancy for a UTI. Honestly, I talked to the pharmacist when I picked up my prescription and they said pretty much anything you get is going to have that disclaimer on it even as a class B medication bc they obviously do not test medications on pregnant women and they have to put it to cover themselves. If you got a flu shot earlier in pregnancy and you take a look at the insert for the one you got, even it was preservative free, it will probably say the same thing but pregnant women get them all the time and never really question it.

    The benefits here definitely outweigh the risks though. Untreated UTI's can sometimes increase your risk of pre-term labor, obviously something you wouldn't want to deal with right now.
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  • mondo77mondo77 member
    I've had to be on a maintenance dose of macrobid (another antibiotic) my entire pregnancy. I'm very prone to UTIs and had one at the start of pregnancy that wouldn't go away. There haven't been any issues so far and my doctor assured me it's safe, safer than having UTIs  :/
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  • khochanadelkhochanadel member
    Heh thanks, all. Guess I'm just breaking in my mom jeans with all this healthy paranoia...

    While it sucks we have all had to deal with UTIs, I am glad I am not the only one!
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  • okcountrygirlokcountrygirl member
    During my first trimester I was put on macrobid. It made me terribly sick and my cultures came back that my uti was resistant to it anyways. Then I was put on two rounds of ampicillin which didn't work either. I know a lot of people who have said that it doesn't work for them. Finally a shot of rocephen took care of it... It was a huge pain. I basically had the uti for a month.
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  • JoMunsonJoMunson member
    I had to take azythromiacin (sorry if I spelled that wrong) for bronchitis in my second trimester. The doctor told me that it is a level 2 drug for pregnant women, but the alternative was getting sicker and sicker and having your baby start being starved for oxygen. I took the risk. 
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  • Knottie42051437Knottie42051437 member
    I was on a z pack last week for bronchitis,  couple upset tummy issues but nothing baby-wise and it sure helped, I feel like congestion has moved up but it feels like it's on its way out which is good. 
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  • jenl1681jenl1681 member
    ayeshaohara said:
    Pharmacist here: ampicillin is considered safe and like PP mentioned benefit of treating the UTI definitely outweighs risks of the drug. In terms of taking on an empty stomach while it is "ideal" it's not mandatory. Usually we just tell people if you can't handle it on an empty stomach then a few crackers is fine. Just try and avoid taking it right before or after a big meal. It's more important that you don't skip doses and make sure you finish the course :) hope that helps 
    With my first pregnancy I had a UTI (I had no idea!) I was actually sent to L&D because I was contracting and in pre-term labor caused by the infection. I had a shot to stop to labor and dilation, then antibiotics to treat the UTI. 
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