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Prednisone masking c diff

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Posted 2/15/2008 4:54 PM (GMT 0)
I was recently put back on prednisone at 40 mg. Usually it puts me into remission within a few days. On top of that I'm on remicade so my symptoms weren't nearly as bad as they have been in the past. I have been on it for almost a week and although i feel 75 percent better I still am not feeling as good as i have in the past on pred (without remicade). Does anyone know if prednisone can mask the symptoms of c diff. or if maybe thats the reason this round of prednisone isn't seeming quite as successful.
Posted 2/15/2008 5:12 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not sure about masking infections, Jefferey, but Pred does lose its effectiveness over time. The more times we take it, the more likely it is that it'll stop working.

Are you also on oral meds? What about rectal meds?
Posted 2/15/2008 5:21 PM (GMT 0)
what's c diff?
Posted 2/15/2008 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
No other meds, but my rationale is this. C diff causes colitis not IBD Colitis but a form of colitis non the less. Colitis is inflammation of the colon and because I am on prednisone isn't it possible that if I did have c diff, the symptoms would be less severe while on prednisone simply because the prednisone is controling the inflammatory response to the c diff. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the symptoms associated with c diff are the same as those in Ulcerative Colitis. I should probably mention to that I have had c diff a two times in the last couple years and this is my first time on pred in almost a year.
Posted 2/15/2008 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
C.diff is a bacteria, and it would be easy to check if it's prolific with a stool sample test. The inflammation may be lowered somewhat by the pred, but it wouldn't have any effect on lowering the c.diff...it would increase the c.diff because it's not being dealt with.

Most who use prednisone as a treatment for UC flares eventually find it's not an effective treatment.

Jefferey...have you never been on any 5ASA meds? Both oral and rectal?

quincy
Posted 2/15/2008 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
I've been on 5ASA and immunosuppressents but neither work for me. I'm on this round of prednisone to try and put me in complete remmission and then will continue to use remicade as more of a maintainance medication. What I'm trying to figure out is why this round of prednisone isn't making me 100 % better like it has in the past. I wasn't flaring too badly in the first place because of the remicade, so I expected the combo of remicade and prednisone to make me feel extremely well. So I guess what I'm asking is if anyone knows if a person has c-diff and goes on prednisone will the symptoms associated with c-diff be diminished. I know pred wouldn't take care of the infection in the least bit, but I'm just trying to figure out if that could be a reason why the combo of pred/remicade isn't working as effectivley as i would have thought. If c-diff symptoms aren't diminished by prednisone then I know I probably don't have c-diff and am just not responding to the pred as well as i used to.
Posted 2/16/2008 1:08 AM (GMT 0)
Why do you think you might have c-diff, Jeffrey? There's usually a course of antibiotic and/or exposure to an infected person that can be pointed to as causing c-diff. Without either of those, it's very unlikely that you have c-diff.

C-diff is pretty infrequent, really. I would imagine less than 1% of the population has ever had or will ever have c-diff. (That's just a guess, but . . .)

I believe that, yes, prednisone might slow down or diminish the symptoms of c-diff, but it will slow down or diminish the effects of any inflammation. Without a precursor, an inciting incident, if you will, I don't understand why you are suspecting c-diff.

Mitz (who had c-diff, and who had a nephew and an aunt who had c-diff)
Posted 4/21/2008 4:27 PM (GMT 0)
I have c-dff and they didn't know it, and my GI doc said the prednisone made it worse. So they tapered me quickly and started the Flagyl. I just finished the Flagyl yesterday, and my D symptoms are better, but the pain in my gut is worse.

I'm not sure where I got my c-diff either, I was not in the hospital (or nursing home) and was put on amoxicillian in January for a sinus infection when all this funness started. There is an epidemic strain of c-diff running around the country that is "community" acquired. Again it's RARE but it does happen. "community" acquired means no health care exposure (no antibiotics, no hospitals, etc.). AGAIN RARE, but it does happen.
Posted 5/16/2008 9:53 PM (GMT 0)
My friend was dying from cdiff. The doctors tried a number of antibiotics over a six month period but my friend would always relapse. We tried probiotics without success. Then I came across an article that said that L. reuteri bacteria generated a substance that killed ecoli, salmonella, and cdiff. I found out that Natures Way sold the strain in a capsule that released the bacteria full strength into the colon. Now my friend was very sick and really wanted to die. He had "volcanic diarrhea" that kept him in diapers. He was very sore and dehydrated and felt very very sick. After three days of taking three of four capsules a day He told me he was symptom free. He still is a year later. Yes it is in Stonyfield yogurt but I suggest taking a big dose by capsule form until the cdiff is completely removed from the colon.
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