I am on bicillin & have developed SEVERE nerve pain & inflammation in my colon & intestines.
Before I had nerve pain in my colon occasionally, such as right after taking an oral antibiotic. In fact, we went to bicillin after 2.5 years on orals to try to avoid this inflamation of my colon & intestines. But this has been constant for the past 2 days & is the worst pain I have ever had.
I cannot work or sleep. Meds I've taken for nerve pain before do not help.
Is it pseudomembranous colitis caused by the bicillin?
Or have any of you suffered burns to your mucous membranes from abx? I've noticed skin inside my mouth & lips peeling off since I've been on bicillin & wonder if the same could be occuring in my colon & small intestine.
If it is pseudomembranous colitis, I know I have to take flagyl. But in the past, flagyl & tinnidazole were the WORST abx for causing nerve pain & inflammation in my colon & intestines.
I'll be calling both my LLMD & my local doc tomorrow. But I have some flagyl & could start it tonight & see if it helps or not. That might help the docs sort out which is causing the colitis.
What has your experience been?
Thank you! Tempe
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
I have C. diff. You can ask your doctor to order you a C. diff test, which requires you to turn a stool sample into the lab. You should get the results by the next day.
C. diff is no fun.
My mucous membranes inside my mouth are fine.
I've never used flagyl, only vancomycin for the C. diff.
Good luck....Timaca
Posted by Jill E. (Member # 9121) on :
Like Timaca, said, C.Diff. can result from antibiotic use and cause severe diarrhea.
There is another very serious potential disorder that can be caused by antibiotics. I believe it is called Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The peeling you described could be somewhat consistent to that, based on a woman I had met who developed it.
Edited: I just looked up Stevens-Johnson in the Merck Manual. It talks about lesions of the oral mucosa, pharynx, rectal, genital areas and fever. Eyes may become painful. I don't know if this sounds anything like what you're describing, since you seem to be suffering more from colitis. It was just the mouth/lips issue that made me think of this.
Please call your doctors immediately. Personally, if I were you, I'd stay off Bicillin until you've spoken to your doctors. Bicillin-LA stays in your system a fairly long time.
Also, I presume you are not allergic to penicillin? I had to go through a whole penicillin allergy work-up before going on Bicillin, but that's because of a suspected childhood allergy.
Please let us know what happens.
Jill
Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Hi Tempe
I agree to get checked out for C-diif.
Another condition if you are anibiotics is a flora inbalance in your intestines. My aunt got this. She wasn't taking pro-biotics and ended up in the hospital near death.
I hope you talked to your LLMD and he can help.
In the mean time make sure to drink alot of extra water and make sure to replace your electrolites.
And also make sure to take tons of pro-biotics at least 3 hours apart from your abx and meds.
Hope you feel better soon
Posted by beachcomber (Member # 5320) on :
Hey Tempe:
I have been off all abx and Babs meds for 5 weeks now because of colitis. I too was on IM Bicillin. My colon was not happy. So, after 3-1/2 years I am taking a break from meds (again). I don't necessarily feel good but, I really need to heal my colon.
I do a C-Diff test every month and it always comes back negative. I was treated prophylactically for it with Flagyl once. I think that was the worst Rx I have ever experienced.
Anyway, yes, I think it is very plausible that you have antibiotic induced Colitis or maybe C-Diff. You may need to take a break from the meds to help you heal - just a thought. You can't get well (from Lyme) if your body is so stressed from the meds. Got to find a balance.
JMHO
Posted by timaca (Member # 6911) on :
Beachcomber~
As you know, I've had my share of GI issues too (C. diff). I'm still on the one shot of bicillin weekly.
I spoke with Dr. Z this past week, and today consulted with my LLMD, and I'm going to add in Dr. Z's protocol to the bicillin.
Dr. Z says it's fine to take his herbs with or without antibiotics. He feels it will even help to clear the C. diff.
And, hopefully, it will help with the lyme. I have a friend who has been doing only Dr. Z's protocol for the last 6 months, and she is seeing improvements in her lyme issues.
If I can't clear the C. diff while staying on the bicillin, then I'll try to go off it, and hopefully the herbs will be enough so I won't lose too much ground lyme wise.
I mention this, for it might be something for you to consider as well.
Timaca
Posted by tempe (Member # 5000) on :
I tried tinidazole -- thinking it would help if I have C Diff, & would be good for cyst form of borrelia that likely have formed after 4 weeks on bicillin.
WOW!!! The colitis & nerve pain skyrocketed! I don't think I can stay on that drug at a dose high enough for C Diff! Ouch, ouch ouch!
Posted by Jill E. (Member # 9121) on :
Tempe,
I am concerned about you. Why are you self-medicating when you don't seem to have a diagnosis yet, be it C. Diff, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, allergic reaction or anything else? Your symptoms sound severe. Have you gotten through to your LLMD or other doctor?
Is your mouth and lip area still peeling? It sounds like something has burned or inflamed you. Why even try another antibiotic until you know more?
Tinidazole is very hard on the liver. Your GI area already sounds like it's dealing with something very challenging, why stress out your liver, too?
I know it's scary to go off all antibiotics because of the backslide with Lyme, but I and others have had to do it from time to time and you will make up lost ground.
Please keep us posted when you get tested for C. Diff or anything else your doctors recommend.
Jill
Posted by dontlikeliver (Member # 4749) on :
Tempe,
I really think you ought to contact your doctor or go to ER if things are that bad.
Keep us posted and be careful about selfmedication for a condition that you are unsure of what it is.
DLL
Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Tempe
You sid in your first post that you would be calling your LLMD thurs. Was wondering if you got thru and what did they suggest?
Worried about you too.
Posted by JimBoB (Member # 8454) on :
I sure HOPE you do NOT have Colitis. I had Chronic Acute Colitis back in 1994 and had to have my colon, appendix, rectum, and anus ALL removed. It was terrible. I had been given Cipro by my GP and then he was treating me for diverticulitis, which I had had for about 16 years. But yes, Some abx are VERY bad for the colon. And Cipro has been known to cause Colitis.
I don't know about YOUR abx, but it sounds like it is not compatible with you. I would stop instantly, call your doctor and get help.
And be sure to stay away from Cipro.
Jim Posted by HaplyCarlessdave (Member # 413) on :
I had some pretty serious GI issues during treatment for Lyme. What saved the day for me was Yarrow-- I made tea of 1 tablespoon of this herb steeped for 5 mintes in a large cup of initially nearly boiling water. You can get it at most "health food" stores or "natural grocery" stores such as 'Wild Oats'
Acidophilus is also very important- not TOO close to abx, but perhaps a couple hours after.
I hope you find a solution that allows you to keep fighting the lyme!
DaveS
Posted by Health (Member # 6034) on :
Hello,
I was on Ceftin for about 7-9 days, and when I had a bowel movement I thought I was going to pass out and die. My lower colon felt so inflamed, my vagina was raw red, the itch was so terrible it was bleeding, and ozzing,
sorry to be graphic but this happened. My breathing was getting worse too.
I have an allergy to penicillin, and believe that I was reacting to the Ceftin.
When I stopped it, and went on Minocycline, the colon got better, the vaginal itch went away,
Maybe you are having some kind of reaction to it, or maybe a herx.
I know that I felt SO much better off Ceftin, and continued to herx with other antibiotics.
Trish
Posted by dontlikeliver (Member # 4749) on :
Tempe -
Can you let us know what's going on?
DLL
Posted by tempe (Member # 5000) on :
Thank you to all who responded and cared.
The reason I tried self-medicating with tinidazole was that my LLMD's office was closed on Friday, and I knew with the holiday weekend I'd likely not get any help there before today.
I did go to the ER on June 30. They did not do anything after deciding that my labs suggested the pain was not life-threatening. The ER doc did not think it was C Diff because I didn't have the "right" type of diarrhea, and just gave me pain pills for colitis.
Then, that afternoon I did get in to see local lyme-friendly doc. He's not an LLMD, but the leader of our state lyme disease support group found him & has now sent about 20 to him. He also thought it was not C Diff, but nerve pain from die off from the Bicillin IM. He said to stay on the tinidazole for 5 days -- he thought that would help either C Diff or the cyst form. And, he'd trying to get a colonoscopy for me next week, rather than August which was the soonest I'd been able to arrange anything myself.
I'm still having a lot of colon & intestinal & other nerve pain, but the reassurance that I was doing the right thing let me go ahead & take pain pills so I could manage traveling out of state for my father's 80th birthday.
Thank you again.
Posted by dontlikeliver (Member # 4749) on :
Still, get tested for C Diff (on 3 consecutive days).
My LLMD said that you do not have to have diarrhea all the time with C Diff, it can be intermittent, or just 'loose'.
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