Clindomyacin question: please help!

tomatojuice

Clindomyacin question: please help!

tomatojuice

I have a fever and watery eyes. My most recent infection started in the same way. I realize having had 3 infections this year that I need to see an infectious desease doctor. But in the meantime If another infection comes on fast this weekend i don;t want to end up in the ER. I do have a prescription for clindomyacin. Has anyone ever taken this. I heard it can cause associated diarrhea more so than others. Please respond very worried!

glennie19

TJ:  yes, it can cause diarrhea. Are you taking a probiotic?  Keep on it, just in case you need to start another round of antibiotics.  I hope you are able to find an infectious disease specialist and get in soon. 

Please don't be afraid to take the clindamycin because of the diarrhea. Not everyone gets it.  You want to get the antibiotic in you before the infection gets worse. Hit the ER again if you have too.

Spookiesmom

I took it for 10 days last month for cellulitis. MD said to take probiotic with it. Had no problems. 

Kicks

Call your Dr!  Fever says 'infection' With a fever and your history with infections recently, waiting is not a good idea.

Luvmydobies

TJ, Clindamycin is a bad antibiotic. It gave me C Diff. I also read a lot about it on a c diff forum. It is notorious for causing c diff. Someone also told me there's a black box warning on it. I've actually had c diff three times and Clindamycin is what started it. Once you get c diff you are prone to it again. If you don't know what it is, it's a horrible intestinal infection that is very serious and very hard to cure. Some don't have problems with Clindamycin but my own PCP said she didn't know why they didn't take Clindamycin off the shelves. Any antibiotic can cause c diff but ones like Clindamycin, Cephlasporin's such as Keflex and Quinolone's such as Cipro are supposedly the biggest culprits. They say C Diff is rare but it's becoming more common and it is a super bug, according to my infectious disease doctor. I'm terrified of infections now because if I take an antibiotic I'll most likely get C Diff, so IF I do get a bacterial infection then I have to take Vancomycin with whatever other antibiotic they give me and for seven days after just to try to prevent C Diff. Enough of my rant about C Diff, sorry, so yes like Kicks said call a doc ASAP! So sorry you're having so much trouble.

Lojo

I took clindamycin this summer for an infected spot on my ankle (2 inch diameter, red, angry boil that was getting some cellulitis around it). Keflex was tried first, didn't work (I'm allergic to sulfa so the initial choice of Bactrim was out). After Keflex failed they said they had to treat as if it were MRSA, so a 10 day cycle of Clindamycin and Levaquin. It stopped the infection almost immediately, but it did a number on my GI tract, at least temporarily. Nothing as bad as C diff, but some diarrhea and yeast infection (in the typical place and oral thrush). The diarrhea lasted a few days and was never really bad (nothing like a stomach virus). I ate lots of yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and took several probiotic pills a day. I did end up needing a single pill of antifungal meds for the yeast. N It wasn't horrible -- and much preferred over a systemic infection.

glennie19

Wow,, lovemydobies,, I'm amazed that your PCP would say that. Clindamycin is a much needed antibiotic, especially for people who are allergic to the penicillin family.  Yes, some people will get diarrhea or possibly C. Diff from it, but is worse than a life threatening systemic infection?   Bacteria keep mutating,, and developing resistance to antibiotics, and the medical community often has to scramble to find one that works.  A day will come where it will be like the early 1900's again, where people die from simple infections cuz the bacteria have all mutated and become resistant to our drugs.

 

Luvmydobies

Glennie I understand what you're saying. I tried to edit my post but my phone messed up on me. Sorry. She just said she's heard of so many getting C Diff from Clindamycin so she didn't know why they didn't take it off. There is also a black box warning on it. I am allergic to penicillin, cephalosporin's and Cipro so yes there is a need for certain things. However C Diff can also cause a systemic infection and sepsis, so for ME personally C Diff is very scary. It was by far the worst thing during my cancer treatment, and there are only a couple of antibiotics that they use to treat C Diff. Some even have to get fecal transplants. I have bad anxiety about C Diff just like I do about cancer, so it's like a double whammy for me. 

I wasn't telling TJ not to take it. She asked about it so I was only telling her my experience and what my doctor told me. I'm so sorry if I ruffled any feathers. That wasn't my intent. I just hope TJ can find relief soon. She's been through a lot lately. Sorry for the rant. I just hate what all of us ladies on here have to go through because of freaking cancer! Ugh! TJ keep us posted and hang in there!

Luvmydobies

TJ, sorry my phone crapped out on me last night again after my second post. I was going to edit it and tell you not to let my experience about Clindamycin scare you. I was going to edit my first post too and say Clindamycin may not agree with everyone instead of saying it's a "bad" antibiotic. You SHOULD take it if it was prescribed for you because infection is worse than a possible side effect of a particular antibiotic and your prescriber obviously thought the benefits outweighed the risks. My doctor saying it should be taken off the shelf was ONLY her opinion. Any medicine has potential side effects. We probably wouldn't even take Tylenol if we read all of the "possible" side effects. So with all this said contact your doctor to find out what's going on, take the meds and I sincerely hope you are ok. Keep us posted. Also to add my doctor also said taking probiotics will help with any tummy upsets while on antibiotics. Ask yours what they recommend though. 

naiviv

tomatoe juice,

you don't state where you are in treatment ? or if your are post surgery?  Differernt antibiotics are meant for different things. . Why were you given clindimycin before ? Why do you still have some? Why were they not finished?   I don't mean to sound harsh, but if your immune system is already compromised and you have an infection and take the wrong medicines, the only thing you may be doing is creating a super bacteria that will be that much harder to cure and will make you sicker.

If you are either in Chemo, Radiation or post surgery, please contact your doctors.They will know which antibiotic is best for you.

I have had a whole host of infections since my first surgery/ mastectomy: pseudomonas aurenginosa, MRSA, ecoli, staph and combo's thereof.  I have taken many pills (allergic to sulfa) some worked others didn't. Some infections have to be cultured to find the culprit and what they are suseptible to.  I have an infectious disease md and it is the best. they have up to date stuff on all of the bacterias and many can do a fast culture in office to start you on the right antib track. Most cultures take a week to get results. I ended up hospitalized  for a week after my TE was removed and this is where I got consult with INF Dis. He put me  on IV antibiotics for 1 month. I was still on chemo and very susceptible to C-diff due to all antib I had been on.  Since I have a port, I learned to administer myself.  Not bad and cured inf.

I have had an infection post Diep in my belly button. Been packing and taking antib thru surgeon , went in to see Inf Dis. he cultured it, told me anti b were correct but dose was not, great improvement in 3 days since I saw him.  From now on I will go to see him first.

Tomatoe I wish you the best, please let us know how you are doing.

Vivian

tomatojuice

Thank you all for posting. still not feeling 100% today. Eyes still a little watery. Have to believe its just a cold. My hand a little swollen. Going to a outpatient clinic today for LE, see if they will take me,or at least give me an appt. Had my oncologist fax over referral. The weekend is approaching, and my doctor is not in today, and all I have is script for Clindomyacin. Cannot reach any DRs. on weekend, so ER would be second alternative. I also fear C.diff, as my doctor explained it to me. The antibiotic I just finished, ZYVOX also causes C. diff and even blindness if taken for more than 28days. I took it for 7. On last day had one bad watery diarrhea and thats it. I have been on Probiotics(RAW VEGAN)for many months before  all this, so I think it helped. Have read different opinions about staying on probiotics while on antibiotic therapy. I actually went off for the 7 days, then resumed at the end of treatment. Sorry to anyone who has had to deal with c.diff. very scary, but it is a risk I will have to take. This last infection spread lightning fast. Thank you everyone!

glennie19

TJ,, you can continue the probiotics while on antibiotics, just take them at a different time. Space the meds a few hours apart.  Like take the Clinda at 7am,, then the probiotic at 10am,, etc.   That will be ok.

Remember the posted side effects are ones that have happened to even one person related to the med.  Not everyone gets every side effect. Please take good care of yourself. We mother hens worry.

Luvmydobies

Well said glennie! TJ listen to this woman. Keep us posted. XOXO!!

tomatojuice

This is the only place I get real understanding. Thanks to all ..aaah its a damn shame, but a blessing too, for all of us that we support each other!

jarris77

I don't know if anyone has heard of a probiotic called Florastor. It is a yeast and is not killed by antibiotics. I got c-diff from IV antibiotics when hospitalized for diverticulitis several years ago. I am not recommending that anyone take this. Just wanted to mention it as an option. I take it every time I have to take an antibiotic. So far, no more c-diff. Our Walmart carries it now. When I was doing my research, I found an article that stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) had evidence that Florastor was helpful in fighting recurrent c-diff infections. Again, I am not recommending that anyone take this without checking with your Dr. My surgeon had never heard of it and said he was going to do some research himself.

Luvmydobies

Jarris, I take Florastor once a day but couldn't take it during chemo because my Onc said the ID docs don't recommend it during chemo. It also says on the paper that comes with the Florastor to check with a doctor before using if you are taking chemo. I've heard also that it helps with C Diff.  I did take it with my first bout of c diff and I got over the c diff fast. That was before I started chemo though. Like you say always check with a doctor before taking things. 

TJ how're you doing?