posted
What is the likeliness of either of these with the anti-biotic treatments? How many people on here have had either of these issues while being treated (despite using pro-biotics)?
I wish they could find a way to treat Lyme while completely eliminating all risk for C-Diff (due to the seriousness of that complication if it does arise). Same for Candida but that one is at least less serious a complication (depending on how bad it is).
posted
Both are risks associated with treatment. Many, if not most, Lyme sufferers already have candida by the time they start treatment -- I did. As for C.Diff -- it does happen, and it's nasty as heck. It can happen with or without treatment, though -- and for many of us, untreated Lyme was leading to a life barely worth living, so the risks associated with treatment were well worth it.
-------------------- "Looks like freedom but it feels like death.. It's something in between, I guess"
Leonard Cohen, from the song "Closing Time" Posts: 822 | From California | Registered: Jan 2006
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GretaM
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posted
I have not had problems with either so far.
Diet is very very important.
As are major amounts of probiotics and fermented foods.
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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posted
Greta, what is your usual probiotics (brand etc) and fermented foods and how much do you use daily?
Posts: 65 | From Southern NJ | Registered: May 2014
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GretaM
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posted
And sometimes one can do everything right, and still have candida and c diff.
But the risks of those are worth it if I can reduce the hell of my neuro lyme.
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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GretaM
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posted
I take 400 billion cfu probiotics per day plus.
Lately it has been more because Mepron messed my belly up.
HMF Forte Primadophilus Renew Life Innate Clinical
Plus two cups of kefir a day.
Sauerkraut (non vinegar kind) every day.
Posts: 4358 | From British Columbia, Canada | Registered: Jun 2013
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posted
Messed up your belly even with probiotics? How did it mess up your belly? Like what did it do to it?
Posts: 65 | From Southern NJ | Registered: May 2014
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posted
Taking probiotics is an absolute MUST. And take them 2 hours away from any antibiotics.
You CAN get candida or c.diff even when you watch your diet and take probiotics .. but your chances of that happening will go way down.
Clindamycin is one of the worst at causing c.diff .. not everyone has to take that one. I did not even know it was bad for causing c.diff and I took plenty of it. Never got c.diff .. whew!
I did begin with candida and still battle it today. I've been off antibiotics for years. So the main thing is WATCH YOUR DIET and TAKE PROBIOTICS.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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Lymetoo, when you say watch your diet you mean that you have to permanently change your diet for the rest of your life? Or just moderation? I am a pizza guy and caffeine free sierra mist. After Candida I can never have pizza (or anything made with flour or sugar) again? That seems like a quality of life destroying change for me. I don't know how I would live on just veggies and animal protein for the rest of my life. Posts: 65 | From Southern NJ | Registered: May 2014
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
"SAFETY
Over two decades of experience in treating thousands of patients with Lyme has proven that therapy as described above, although intense, is generally well tolerated. The most common adverse reaction seen is allergy to probenecid. In addition, yeast superinfections are seen, but these are generally easily recognized and managed. The induction of Clostridium difficile toxin production is seen most commonly with ceftriaxone, but can occur with any of the antibiotic regimens mentioned in this document. However, pulsed dose therapy and regular use of the lactobacillus preparations seems to be helpful in controlling yeast and antibiotic related colitis, as the number of cases of C. difficile in Lyme patients is low when these guidelines are followed. Be sure to test stool for both toxin A and toxin B when evaluating for C. difficile colitis." (page 22, Burrascano Guidelines)
I took high dose antibiotics for 3 years to treat lyme and its coinfections. I got yeast because my lousy lyme doctor didn't tell me to eat an anti-yeast diet and didn't tell me to take probiotics. I had it for 4 months before I figured it out and told him to give me diflucan. Cleared it up in days. The doc didn't even know what was wrong with me.
Then, while on the anti-yeast diet and probiotics and kefir with my final wonderful Burrascano type lyme doctor, I got yeast when I was on flagyl and broke the diet. A few days of diflucan took care of it.
This happened a few times.
It taught me that I could NOT break the diet on flagyl. Not one deviation.
(See page 15 of Burrascano. Discussing flagyl he says: "3. Yeast overgrowth is especially common. A strict anti-yeast regimen must be followed.")
So, take the diet restrictions to heart.
6 years after getting rid of lyme, I got C diff when an ENT got impatient to get rid of a nasty sinus infection I had. It was MRSA and 2 other infections.
He blasted me at the end of 9 months of antibiotic treatment with the maximum allowable dose of Augmentin. That gave me C diff. I went to the ER. They gave me a week's worth of treatment (flagyl) and suggested a gastro who could see me quickly.
My first gastro (bottom of the barrel) didn't know what to do. But, when I finally got in with a good gastro (2 month wait), he treated me properly and I got rid of the C diff in 3 weeks. He gave me 3 weeks of vancomycin, tapering it at the end.
He said that if that didn't work, he would go directly to a fecal transplant. These are 95% effective. There are posts about it on LymeNet. It is an easy out-patient procedure, like getting an enema.
One lyme patient I know had C diff before BEGINNING her lyme treatment. She had a successful fecal transplant. Then, she went on to treat lyme disease and had no recurrence.
So, C diff is nothing to worry about in my opinion as long as you have a good gastroenterologist who knows what to do.
I know that people in nursing homes can die from C diff, but the case I know of personally, the nursing home didn't recognize it as C diff and didn't treat it until the patient was beyond rescuing.
This should not happen in the normal course of a person living in their own home and able to get medical treatment at will.
In case you didn't know, you can search the Burrascano Guidelines to see what he says on any subject. For example, using "find" (Control+f), you can type in the word "difficile" to see all that Burrascano says about C. diff. or "yeast" to see all he says about candida.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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posted
Thanks again TF, always attentive with excellent information. I know I had read about that part in the guidelines but I wasn't sure how often it actually occurred during treatment, since there weren't any actual statistical numbers given. As for my GI doctor, I honestly couldn't tell you how good mine is. I went one time for some gut issues I was having (found blood in stool), and he did a colo and found that it was caused by hemmeroids. Other than that my gut looked normal. If you know any good ones in my area and I am in need later down the road I'll definitely hit you up for their contact.
Posts: 65 | From Southern NJ | Registered: May 2014
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Same for Candida but that one is at least less serious a complication (depending on how bad it is).
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