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antibiotics causing UC? what do you think?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/6/2010 9:23 PM (GMT 0)
So I have read that some people get UC because of excessive antibiotic usage. I know that is not the cause for me, but my 4 month old daughter has being having issues getting UTI's. She has had 2 in the past month and now we are going to a kidney/urologist at seattle childrens hospital. I was told that if she is to have kidney reflux they may put her on antibiotics to take on a daily basis until she out grows it....My question is ...is it true that excessive use of antibiotics can cause UC? I guess I am just nervous because I don't want to do something that will make her get this stupid disease.

what do you think....would you put your daughter on prophalactic antibiotics??

Posted 12/6/2010 10:12 PM (GMT 0)
Well, if the alternative is recurrent UTI's that could lead to a full-blown kidney infection, then yes. I mean, what else can you do? I think that kidney infections are far more serious than the chance that she might get UC due to the antibiotics. Is there any surgical option? I bring this up because we had tubes put in my son's ears in July, because he kept getting ear infections, and I didn't like him being on antibiotics all the time.

I think that overuse of antibiotics is one of the many possible causes of UC, but who really knows.
Posted 12/7/2010 12:18 AM (GMT 0)
I'm in agreement with Fruitgirl. It the antibiotics are needed, take them. I think that my daughter did turn on the UC gene after a summers worth of antibiotics for acne(not even Accutane), so I won't give them to my son for his acne. That said, I wouldn't hesitate if I had to fix his kidneys or cure an infection with a reasonable course of antibiotics.
Posted 12/7/2010 1:38 AM (GMT 0)
I think it depends on how severe the reflux is and whether or not there is already damage to the kidney(s).

If damage is present and the reflux is severe, then I would try the daily antibiotic and get repeated urine cultures and yearly ultrasounds of the kidneys. In the meantime, I would also have her take Cranberry supplements and try other alternative treatments (if there are any). If her condition improves, then I would seek treatment only when she has a UTI and continue to get repeated urine cultures and yearly ultrasounds to make sure her condition does not worsen again.

If there is no kidney damage present, then I would just get repeated urine cultures and yearly ultrasounds and have her take Cranberry supplements as well as try other alternative treatments (if there are any).

Getting the colon removed is far better than ruining the kidneys. We can live without a colon but not without our kidneys.

Yes. Antibiotics gave me IBD, but I wouldn't be alive today without antibiotics.
Posted 12/7/2010 7:26 PM (GMT 0)
The key problem with antibiotics - especially the broad spectrum variety - is they wipe out the good bugs along with the bad. If you do go the antibiotic route, your daughter really needs to be on a high quality probiotic supplement - taken away from antibiotic doses. This will help restore the good gut flora she needs to prevent GI issues.
Posted 12/31/2010 2:33 PM (GMT 0)

I came across this thread and had to reply.  I had a cat bite that got infected and the doc was off but the nurse said to wait until morning and if it's worse, go to the ER!  I had to wait unti the next day and was put on an antibiotic.  The ER doc said, you may have a bit of diarrhea from the antibiotic.  I thought no big deal.  Little did I know I would get C Diff and then Ulcerative Colitis.  All this from taking one antibiotic!!!  My entire life has changed......

Posted 12/31/2010 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
You might be able to mitigate the risks of antibiotics if you take prophalactic PRObiotics to help offset the antibiotics. S. Boulardii is a probiotic yeast that is immune to antibiotics and may help prevent C Diff and other bad guys from filling the void created by the die-off from the antibiotics.

It may be a good idea to also include more conventional probiotics. There is no such thing as too many probiotics.
Posted 12/31/2010 4:19 PM (GMT 0)
I have never once used antibiotic's in my life (i guess except as a baby). I believe in letting the body repair itself (with curable sickness). I would go to doc for a really bad cold just to make sure it wasn't going to kill me, he would write up a script and i would just throw it out. Always been this way. I still have UP.
Posted 12/31/2010 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
I firmly believe my UP was caused by over use of antibiotics. I took a double strength dosage of antibiotics for around 2 years (intermittently) for my acne. Whilst it stopped my acne for those 2 years, I gradually grew immune to it. Oddly, once I stopped the antibiotics I got UP. Still, I believe the antibiotic killed off my good bacteria...
Posted 1/7/2011 1:58 PM (GMT 0)
I was 55 before I had any UC symptoms. They appeared after I had a round of Doxycycline for Lyme's Disease. GI says it could have been either the antibiotics or my body's reaction to the Lyme that triggered my immune system and started the flare.
Posted 1/7/2011 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
What exactly is the bacteria that's causing the UTIs? If it's e.coli, then large quantities of certain  probiotics can help that.  

I think you have no choice regarding to deal with the infections via antibiotics, but maybe there's something more going on...to eventual interstitial cystitis. ? Just saying to do all the homework...find out the exact cause of her infections, deal with it if you can initially with antis and in other ways.

As well...cranberry juice or tea can help prevent the bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract wall/bladder/kidney.

Hope she improves ... she (and you) need a break.

q
Posted 1/7/2011 6:14 PM (GMT 0)
Could it be possible that after the initial course of antibiotics that her UTI never really completely went away? Hence the 2 within a months time? My 15 year old daughter is prone to them as well and I really hate for her to be on them (antibiotics) because she is already showing some signs of intestinal issues, but like the other poster's have said; what choice is there??? I just recently took her in for a sports physical and I found out that she has acidic urine which can account for repetitive UTI's so I have been hounding her to drink more water...she tends to forget and goes for the soda instead. Be sure to have your daughter drink plenty of fluids including the cranberry juice to stem off possible UTI's. Not sure, but you might have to water down the cranberry juice due to her age though.

Edited to add: I noticed this was a slightly older post so how is your daughter doing now?
Posted 1/7/2011 8:18 PM (GMT 0)
There is much talk of taking probiotics to offset the effects of antibiotics. Although taking probiotics is important, I don't feel they are nearly as effective as fecal transplantation. I guess that's because I've done both. I've done fecal transplantation and I take probiotics.
Posted 1/8/2011 9:03 AM (GMT 0)
Red- my daughter seems to be doing better. We have gone a little over a month with no UTI and we are not doing prophalactic antibiotics yet. I took her to Seattle Childrens Hospital and we all agreed to hold off on treatment and see if this is chronic like other dr's were thinking or if it just so happened she got 2 close together.

Quincy- the first bacteria she had was called Klebsiella Pneumonia. The 2nd one was Ecoli. Funny how you mentioned interstitial cystitis...my mom actually was diagnosed with that when she was about 42. She was having to run to the bathroom all the time but seems to do ok now....after he hysterectomy it seemed to improve some also. 

 

Posted 1/8/2011 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi..great to hear your daughter is doing much better.

I, too, was suspect to have IC...I did have a bladder scope and never had symptoms again, interestingly. Maybe the flush helped..lol.

I also had a hysterectomy...that maybe helped as well.

Lots going on in women in such a small area. Inflammation somewhere can cause something else to join the party. Stress is definitely something that exacerbates things..but it's like the chicken/egg question.

I still think that probiotics and cranberry or something that will help with the bladder wall. My cat has IC...we went through a very difficult time with her over the past year and I read somewhere that the GAG layer integrity (as was discussed here for colons) is something that is being looked into regarding IC.

Our cat's doing well at this point....going on 17 and still as demanding and playful as ever. the break is welcomed.

Be well,
q
Posted 1/9/2011 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
Well, looks like this Anti "cures" IBS symptoms.

A common gastric disorder Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), which is characterized by diarrhea, constipation and other stomachic disfunctionalities can now be relieved by an antibiotic called rifaximin effective in curing traveler's diarrhea and hepatic encephalopathy, reveals a new study.

Source : http://topnews.net.nz/content/211143-rifaximin-cure-ibs-now
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