UC -> Antibiotics + Probiotics - Appreciate your suggestion

Hi Happy living,
The antibiotics will likely make you feel better very quickly, but I can't tell you if the dose is high or low. And, your healthcare is in your hands. You do have a right to question, accept or deny treatment from your doctor...it's your body. It doesn't make sense to take them both at the same time; you'd restart the probiotic as soon as you finish the Cipro. That said, talk to your doctor about getting a prescription for VSL #3 DS (double strength formula)...it's possible that your insurance will pay for it. My daughter has gone through the jpouch surgery and I tried in vain to get her GI doctor to help me sort through how much probiotic to take etc etc and he was no help at all (entrenched in the idea that it was "alternative medicine at the time). But, there are studies (check out the vsl #3 website) out there that confirm that VSL #3 can help repopulate and maintain good gut flora so that you won't need the antibiotics. After my daughter had the surgery, her surgeon prescribed this for her and said that she'd have to take it the rest of her life. This "medical food" is marketed for the management of UC and ileal pouches. She is doing fantastic digestively and has not had a bout of pouchitis (basically UC with the jpouch) since her surgery in 06. Hope this helps!

cipro definetly screwed with my gut.  The pain was noticed about 5 days after I started.  Everyone is different.

Absolutely antibiotics will mess up your UC. I can't believe a doctor would casually prescribe it just for D, let alone a GI treating you for UC! That's Crazy, irresponsible.
Why can't you go against your GI's call? Trust your instincts, doctors are not omnipotent.

Antibiotics kill good and bad gut flora indescriminately. If you must take antibiotics, continue to take your probiotics, but space the doses as far apart as possible. And once you've completed the course of antibiotics, plan to increase your probiotic dose to rebuild the good gut flora.

Antibiotics target bad bacteria but may also kill the good bacteria in the large intestine, leading to diarrhea.

Probiotics may help; however, Probiotics contain only a certain number of strains. Our colons need far more strains of bacteria than what we get from Probiotics.

Antibiotics is one of the main reasons I have Colitis, and it is the reason I got my last flare.

Why can't you go against your GI's call?

happyliving,
I know that docs all say it's not diet related...but what's your diet like? It didn't work for my daughter partly I believe, because she had pancolitis, but I have a couple of friends with UC who are doing very well on the SCD diet. I'd be very careful about what you're eating, take out any breads and eat only cooked veggies and canned fruit so as not to irritate an already inflammed intestinal wall...kind of like passing a brillo pad :) If you haven't already, look into the diet...look into getting a rx for VSL #3... I believe wholeheartedly that bacteria play a huge role in UC. Have you figured out any offending foods? Kept a diet journal? Dairy and gluten are often culprits that make UC worse.
Try not to get yourself too worked up over this...maybe finish the antibiotics, but I'd get a better probiotic. Many who can't get a rx for VSL 3 use Culturelle which you can get at CVS or Walmart and it's not that expensive. My friend who recently went on the SCD had just gotten out of the hospital, started on the diet and is taking Culturelle and noticed immediate improvement. You might try that after the antibiotics.

I'm with Peety on this one, Antibiotics are bad news with UC. I can't believe your GI would give them to you just because you have some diarrhea. HELLO, that's all this disease is, diarrhea after diarrhea. You may just be starting a new flare, and that certainly doesn't need any help by taking antibiotics. I say stop taking them and call your doctor and say, why am i taking these poop inducers? it doesn't make sense to me please explain it. Unless you've done a test for something that actually needs antibiotics, don't ever take them.

LondonRed said...
I am taking antibiotics due to an infection in the duedonam ulcer I have.... sometimes you have to take them.

Yes. Sometimes you have to take antibiotics. I will take them if I have a bladder infection, which could ascend up to the kidneys if I don't take antibiotics. I'm now taking cranberry supplements to prevent another bladder infection.

In happyliving's case, I didn't see any strong evidence as to why she needs to take an antibiotic. Yes. Some antibiotics target the bad bacteria in the colon, but they still kill good bacteria. I also don't understand the rush to take them before making a solid decision as to whether or not to take them. Antibiotics are supposed to be taken for a set period. You aren't supposed to stop taking them midstream. Otherwise, the bad bacteria will come back.

I would do fecal transplantation or at least take Probiotics to get the good bacteria back into my colon.