The rise of drug-resistant urinary tract infections has been particularly burdensome for the significant subset of people who suffer from them on a regular, recurrent basis. These individuals, mostly women, can wind up on a carousel of antibiotics, sometimes the wrong ones, and many experiment with homeopathic alternatives that have not been scientifically validated.

These themes were echoed widely in accounts offered by readers of The New York Times in response to a recent article about the rise in U.T.I.s (as they are known) that are not cured by a growing list of commonly used antibiotics. Nearly 600 people responded to the paper’s invitation to share their experiences with these infections.

As an alternative to antibiotics, some readers mentioned they have found relief using a supplement called D-mannose. This compound is a simple sugar, like glucose, that can adhere to bacteria, notably E. coli, which cause the majority of U.T.I.s of the bladder. By doing so, the supplement is intended to interfere with the germ’s ability to adhere inside the bladder and grow into an infection.

D-mannose has provided hope to Margaret Finnegan, 67, from Charlotte, N.C., who seemed at wit’s end over persistent U.T.I.s “My urologist failed to culture a urine specimen and wound up with an antibiotic resistant UTI,” she wrote. “I was referred to an infectious disease specialist who couldn’t see me for a week! I was already in pain for 3 weeks!”