Antibiotics

Here's the background for this question. I have been very sick with mono for about three weeks. My doctor prescribed a 10 day course of amoxicillan because my throat was totally ravaged and she didn't want me to develop an abscess. Antibiotics have always played hell with my GI tract and vaginal flora, and now I am finding I have a near total inability to take more than a quart of plain water, and I cannot seem to hold it at all. I'm wondering if this is related to the antibiotics destroying my intestinal flora and if anyone else has ever noticed this effect.

I don't know the specific answer to your question, but I would suggest that you listen to your Colon and lay off the Enemas for a little while. Just a suggestion.

Try eating yogurt or take tabs that contain the lactobacillus. Another avenue woul be a yogurt(active cultures only) and water enema (about 1-2 Tbsp yogurt per pint and mix well). To reduce the acidity of the yogurt/water mix, add 1/4 tsp of bicarb; don't be alarmed if it fizzes. The bicarb should allow better retention; just don't overdo the bicarb as it can kill the desirable critters.

I have an article on line about this, Candida, will be expanding it later, but the jist, yes---the colon is the home of a large amount of friendly bacteria, the ones that make your B12, critical if you are a vegan like me, and digest everything your GI tract can't before expelling the waste, any you need. They are vital for good health, but usually ignored by the medical profession.

Antibiotics do kill this flora, particularily the broad spectrum ones like amomocillin, but don't take this as personal advice. I don't prescribe prescription drugs or recommend what to do with them to individuals. But, I do take them when needed, ie a course of penicillin this summer for a tooth extraction, followed by lower right quadrant problems (cecum) and leg pain, which I relate to the damage to flora in my cecum. But better than getting rheumatic fever again, so I use them.

The enemas, it's not the enemas that are likely the problem, it's the colon. If you are still on the antibiotics, check the PDR and see for yourself when the antibiotics are active. Usually you take the pills, an hour or so later the effect is the strongest then it tapers off, and you have a few hours before the next pill. If you take acidophilus it will be killed, but if you time it, it may have a few hours of it working before the next antibiotic pills. You can always do this by enema injection, retain it, and get the most benefit.

Then after you are done with the antibiotics eat all the fresh, lightly washed, without chlorox etc, veggies you can get. Acidophilus (good bacteria) is on uncooked veggies as they come from the garden, this makes it through the stomach and goes on to set up house keeping in the colon. If you have a garden this is simple. If you don't, two problems, are you sure the unwashed greens are bad bacteria free, and how to they process them. They may sterilize them before sale. Also you may want to take a range of good supplements of live bacteria for the colon from the health food store to restore the balence.

And an accurate diagnosis is important. A cause of severe throat pain may be candida. If the antibiotics fixed it, it's not candida. If they make it worse. Likely it is. For that you need to go on a regime to treat the candida, and yes, colon problems like you are describing would go with this. Most antibiotics kill normal healthful flora, but don't bother candida---the usual cause of candidiasis is antibiotics, either taken via prescription, or eaten in animal products (vegans don't get this). So if the throat and colon are worse with the antibiotics look in to candida. I've never had a case of that not improve with the proper care, but it is the opposite of antibiotic care. Instead of killing bad bacteria, you work to get good flora back into your colon and all the other symptoms fade.

Lifeknox and vito,

I tried your suggestion of the yogurt enema injection, and it seems to have worked great! Thanks for the good advice.

Glad to hear that you are on the mend! Just received my regular flu shot today and even received a substantial(near $15) AAA discount at Walgreens.

In this environment I rather be safe tan sorry. Next objective is the H1N1....provided I don't start sounding like a pig..... :😃

I'm not a medical professional, but it sounds to me as if Anne B. routinely has a "C diff" reaction to antibiotics.

C dif is a verbal abbreviation for Clostridium difficile, a ‘germ’ found everywhere. Some people harbor it in the colon with no ill effects except when they take an antibiotic. The antibiotic kills off the colon’s normal bacteria, which permits the C. dif to multiply until its large numbers make a poison that irritates the colon and produces mild to severe diarrhea. There may also be fever and abdominal pain, and vaginal involvement with its own 'invasive species' taking over, the good-guy germs killed by the antibiotic.

The onset is usually between day five and day ten of the period in which the person takes the antibiotic, but it can occur as much as ten weeks after a course of antibiotics has been completed. If it starts during the antibiotics, stopping treatment may stop the diarrhea without resorting to other medication. When it starts after the course of antibiotics is completed, or when discontinuing the antibiotics doesn’t end the diarrhea, then a prescription for an antibiotic to treat C dif specifically is usually effective. (Metronidazole is one.)

C dif diarrhea is also call pseudomembranous colitis because the infection can cause the formation of a yellowish membrane that clings to the colon.

If you routinely have GI trouble with a course of antibiotics, make sure you tell the doctor or dentist prescribing them. They can issue you a prescription to prevent or treat the C diff reaction right along with the antibiotic Rx.

Maryn, who also has the C diff reaction

Merlot: Great explanation! I've sold oral & I.V. antibiotics for 30 years and knew about this condition, but I had colon cancer in 1997;got surgery, chemo. and radiation. They "cooked" my gut so that I have & will always have, radiation colitis. Ever since that time, everytime I take an antibiotic, within 2 days I get uncontrolable pseudomembranous colitis attacks. Whenever my M.D. puts me on an antibiotic, he automatically gives me a second script for Flagyl (metronidazol) and I take both courses of therapy. Some medical professionals call this condition "The Cellophane Shits".

C diff reaction sounds exactly like what I have. Thanks Merlot! Next time I will ask my doctor for an rx to treat c diff and maybe have a different experience.

In some people, the antibiotic wipes out the normal flora found in the colon which causes c dif and a miserable bout of diarrhea compounded by eating anything. The treatment is the drug called Flagyl. You should not use any enemas until the bowel returns to normal which should be in a couple of weeks.

With my history of C. Diff., the last time I got antibiotics for bronchitis, my Dr. said lets try some "Probiotics" instead of Flagyl, because, as you know the only thing we have left when the Flagyl stops working is Vancomycin (an I.V. only drug) that is very expensive and is almost always done in a hospital. I am happy to say that the probiotics worked fine.

Jim

Antibiotics can take out the useful bacteria in the digestive tract. There is often not a means for it to re-grow.

There is a product, available at the pharmacy without prescription, but sold from behind the counter because it has to be refrigerated,that is lactobacillicus culture in a tablet form.

There are several trade names on it. The one I am familiar with is Bacid.