antibiotics suck!

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BonnieK
BonnieK Member Posts: 655
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

Anyone else have problems after taking antibiotics?  Thanks to Femara, I get a UTI every couple of months and take Cipro for them.  After the infection subsides and several days to a week after finishing the antibiotics I have pain in my uppper and lower abdomen, diarrhea and feel terrible for several days.  I load up on antacids, anti-gas pills and double my prilosec until the pain gets better, but this has happened 3 times now (the first time with a different antibiotic) and it scares the you-know-what out of me every time until it goes away.  Any one else ever experienced something like this?  I haven't talked with my doc about it yet, but do have an appointment set up for later in March.

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  • jenn3
    jenn3 Member Posts: 3,316
    edited February 2011

    Antibiotics tear me up everytime.  I don't have experiene with UTI's so I'm not sure if there is another medication available, but maybe a talk with your dr about something else????

    Good luck and I hope you feel better.

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  • Celtic_Spirit
    Celtic_Spirit Member Posts: 748
    edited February 2011

    I get the opposite problem...constipation. I think the antibiotics kill all the good bacteria in my gut, so everything just shuts down for a few days until I can ingest enough probiotics.

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  • jan508
    jan508 Member Posts: 1,330
    edited February 2011

    Take acidophis (sp?) You can get this in pill form or through Yogurt.

    I've been taking 2 a day for years - good for your 'intestinal flora'..I usually take 3 a day about a week before if I know I'll be on an antibiotic.

    Jan

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  • weesa
    weesa Member Posts: 707
    edited March 2011

    Just be sure what you have is a bladder infection and not a IC--the CranAid would make interstitial cystitis a whole lot worse.  Public Service Announcement from the voice of experience......

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  • BonnieK
    BonnieK Member Posts: 655
    edited March 2011

    Thanks to all of you!  I have tried yogurt, probiotics, acidophilus (sp?), several natural remedies, drinking LOTS of water, etc.,  but nothing seems to help the effects of the antibiotics.  Clindamycin started all of this when I took it to clear up a seroma and now I'm miserable every time I take antibiotics (twice since December).  If my pain and diarrhea aren't gone by later this week, I'll see my primary doc and not wait until late March for the other doc.

    Sherry -- I'm taking something called CranReleaf, but it doesn't seem to do much good.  Is the CranAid available at natural food stores? 

    Weesa -- I don't know anything about interstitial cystitis, but will check it out.  My doc has given me an "open Rx" for Cipro so the UTIs haven't been checked out by a lab for quite awhile.  Thanks for the PSA!

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  • karen1956
    karen1956 Member Posts: 6,503
    edited March 2011

    cipro is a strong antibiotic.....it can wreck havic with the tummy.....try yougurt with live cultures (my DD adds flax seeds) or take probiiotic supplements.....My DD just got finished with a "relative" of cipro due to white blood cells in her urine and threw up the 2nd day on it, and had all sorts of GI problems.. the yougurt and flax seeds helped her...its funny because of the discussion on flax seeds, we got to talking about my ER/PR+ BC and she asked about the risk of the pill....at turning 25, she has so matured and is now concerned about preventative health care.....now realizes that she is not too young to worry about BC (though not loose sleep over it)....

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  • BonnieK
    BonnieK Member Posts: 655
    edited March 2011

    Of course, antibiotics don't really suck -- they just have such nasty side effects that can be totally frustrating.  Today is day 5 of my stomach ailment and it seems slightly better but is definitely not gone.  I'm giving it one more day and then calling my pcp for an appointment.   

    Sherri -- I'm going to the natural food store today for CranAid tea and Uva Ursi -- they are definitely worth a try -- thank you!

    Karen -- you are so right that Cipro is strong and so is Clindamycin, which seemed to start this whole cycle.  I'm allergic to penicillin and sulfa and I get lots of side effects from practically every medication I take, so the doctors really struggle to find medications I can tolerate.

    Take care everyone...   

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  • BonnieK
    BonnieK Member Posts: 655
    edited March 2011

    SherryG -- CranAid tea and Uva Ursi are both part of my regimen now if I start to feel a UTI coming on and so far, so good.  It's actually a very tasty concoction too, especially with a little honey added.  Thanks so much for the tip.  --bonnie 

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