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Severe Diarrhea on Azithromycin- what to do?

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Posted 4/24/2016 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
Almost two weeks ago we had our second visit with the LLMD and learned that my sister was positive for Mycoplasma and had a low CD57. The LLMD prescribed 30 days of Azithromycin 500mg. At first, my sister didn't seem to have a problem with it and we started right away giving her probiotics twice a day. But on Thursday night she had diarrhea, and again yesterday and today, with it being much more severe today, to the point that she can barely make it to the bathroom on time. I guess if we can't get things under control by tomorrow, we'll call the LLMD and get her advice (we're actually seeing her on Tues for the rest of the test results). We're pretty sure it's the antibiotic, though my sister has been having cramping issues for a while. We've basically stopped the herbal protocols (we can barely get food in her right now--she's afraid to eat). We honestly don't know what to do anymore. We just seem to be sinking deeper into sickness and misery and don't see much progress. The antibiotic hasn't really made much of a difference in her symptoms, except for instead of the constant humming/buzzing in her ear, she has had some chirping and there might be a slight improvement in her light sensitivity. I honestly don't even know which symptoms the mycoplasma is responsible for (and we forgot to ask, but maybe there's simply no way of knowing).
Posted 4/24/2016 1:58 AM (GMT 0)
I don't know if it would be easy to get, but maybe anti-inflammatory enemas. I have a history of GI issues, which at one time was considered ulcerative colitis but which I now blame on lyme and coinfections. The last time I took the Zpack for 1 week for a "cold" I felt great for 2 weeks then had 1 week of a pretty bad flare that I only got under control with the enemas (but I also take an anti-inflammatory drug called Colazal 9 pills per day already).

Now that I think about it, the best advice is to get medical attention if the diarrhea is severe and won't improve on its own.

You need to be careful, dehydration and probably electrolyte loss seem to happen quickly for me if I'm "flaring." You also need to be mindful that sometimes people get something called "C dificile" which can be very dangerous. I hope that is some help, I have no medical training just my own personal experiences.
Posted 4/24/2016 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
BRAT diet. Bananas, Rice, Apples and Toast

This is the prescription for antibiotic or any other kind of diarrhea. I just went through a horrible bout of it last month and this is what the LLMD nurse advised.
Posted 4/24/2016 3:31 AM (GMT 0)
Calcium helped with some fiber ...if it is cdiffficle they will culture and may be a wait...neem ? ..Do you have tinidazole? May help if it is...ivermectin did the same to me...do you know what species of myco it is ? Succeptability varies...some is only touched by clindamycin. ...the ear ring i was told is the auditory nerves does she have vertigo too? and frequency medicine for bart has seemed to help some
Posted 4/24/2016 11:36 AM (GMT 0)
So sorry to hear of these developments!!

I think you were wise to stop treatment until everything settles down and you speak with the LLMD.

In the meantime, yes, the BRAT diet can be very effective....although my memory is telling me the "A" stands for applesauce (not sure what the ultimate difference between apples and applesauce could mean)

Good luck and please keep us posted!!!
Posted 4/24/2016 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all of the suggestions. Last night, we gave my sister two saccharomyces boulardii in a spoonful of yogurt and then she ate one and a half bananas. This morning, I gave her two of another mixed probiotic with acidophilus and then she ate some banana slices. A little later, we gave her another saccharomyces boulardii in yogurt. This afternoon, she had another banana mixed into a small amount of a fruit smoothie (strawberries, oranges, grapes). So far (3pm Sunday), she hasn't had any diarrhea (no output at all), but she's now refusing the Azithromycin (and it's hard to sneak past her, since it's blue and doesn't look like any other pill).
Posted 4/24/2016 7:16 PM (GMT 0)
cd, you are so right!! It is applesauce.

Laura, glad the diarrhea stopped because that can be scary.

Hope it all goes better.
Posted 4/24/2016 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
Do you think maybe it would be a good idea to stop the zithro for a few days...and make sure the diarrhea has completely gone?
Posted 4/25/2016 1:44 AM (GMT 0)
Okay, so far, so good. It's 9:30 and still no diarrhea (no output at all). She ended up taking that Azith at 5 pm.

Girlie- Yeah, we thought about it (stopping the Azith) and decided that we would try one more day and if there was diarrhea again, then we would stop and call the LLMD tomorrow. Though seems like the Azith is the obvious culprit, we're still not completely sure. My sister has actually been having gut issues for a while now (mainly cramping, often quite severe, but not diarrhea), and we honestly have no idea what was causing her problem (perhaps too many herbs or capsules or fillers for her gut to handle). We actually delayed starting the Azith for a day because we were already having problems with severe cramping throughout the day. Anyway, we have about one more hour left to go. If we make it through today, then we'll have to try adding more normal foods tomorrow.
Posted 4/25/2016 11:33 AM (GMT 0)
It's good that you found that saccharomyces boulardii was helpful. I took up to four capsules of Florastor a day to get my AAD (antibiotic associated diarrhea) under control. Augmentin was what gave me the most problems, then I had to stop it. Then I reduced Florastor dose.

Also keep up with the best probiotic you can afford (i.e. VSL#3, Theralac, Custom Probiotics, Dr Ohhira) until things get under control.
Posted 4/25/2016 5:53 PM (GMT 0)
Laura - I just want to say that you are providing wonderful care for your sister. She is fortunate to have you looking after her. I hope we are helping you..help her.
Posted 4/27/2016 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
Girlie- Thanks so much. And without a doubt all of you are helping me help her. Honestly, I'd be lost without this forum.

Anyway, looks like we are getting her gut back on track. She finally had normal output this morning. So, it looks like the probiotics and magnesium are working to normalize things. That severe diarrhea had us so scared--we were afraid the Azith blew out her gut and that we were going to end up with a bacterial overgrowth and have to go back on the SCD diet again (this is what happened after Tamiflu).

Anyway, things seem better, so today we are adding back the tinctures in water/juice, and only a few of the most important capsules. We are still thinking that prior to the Azith, her cramping might have been from either too many capsules or one of them irritating her (it's hard to know). We also saw the LLMD yesterday and were told that the Igenex WB was positive, so we're going to be adding Cefdinir.
Posted 4/27/2016 4:01 PM (GMT 0)
That is good news that she's doing better now.

Cefdinir is in the Cephalosporin class of abx...and is good for lyme.
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