Avoiding C-Diff

[UglyDan]

I had an abscessed tooth last week, and was placed on Clindamycin 300mg. 4/day to treat it. The first 3-4 days were fine, but by the 4th, I started experiencing soft stool. I had the two teeth pulled and the dentist said most of the infection came with the teeth. He advised me to complete the rest of the anti-biotics. I have had soft stool up to the present. I stopped taking the meds a day early, for fear of catching C-Diff (I've never had it). I've never had any issues with anti-biotics in the past, and I've had some of the heavier hitters like Zithromax. I've never had Clindamycin, however.

After a lot of research, I started taking Florastor and Culterelle twice daily the 5th day in, and added 1 yogurt in the afternoon (Chobani, with S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidolphus, Bifidus and L. Casei). My stool is still soft and yesterday, I had watery stool with burning, but no blood or dark coloration (today, back to soft stool). My appetite is kind of meh, not really hungry, but not put off by the thought of food.

I'm thinking it's likely it's just typically the self-correcting diarrhea people often get while taking anti-biotics but the thought of getting C-Diff terrifies me.

That being said, are there any known ways to actively avoid getting C-Diff in the first place, and how do you really know when you've gotten it? How long after taking anti-biotics should I take pro-biotics to insure my best chance of avoiding it?

My thanks to those that have experienced it and have any opinions/help they can offer.

[seekingcure]

This is just my opinion and I'm not a medical person at all, but I think you are doing exactly what you should be doing to avoid c-diff. My husband has had to take some pretty strong antibiotics in the last couple of years since I first got c-diff and he has never gotten it, even though we are in close contact. During any course of antibiotics he has had, I gave him s. boulardii twice a day and a VSL-3 capsule twice a day. What you are doing is very similar to what he did. He took Levaquin twice for pneumonia and never got c-diff, even though Levaquin is one of the worst offenders for c-diff. He also took a couple of z-paks. I wanted him to continue the probiotics for 2 weeks to a month after he finished the antibiotics, but he started having loose stools. Once he was off the antibiotics, he apparently no longer needed the probiotics. I would just play it by ear and continue the probiotics for a month or so or until you notice that they seem to be causing symptoms themselves. The yogurt you can continue indefinitely and you could also add some other fermented foods to your diet once you come off the probiotics. Like I said, this is all just my opinion. Very few doctors will agree on whether or not probiotics will help, but my feeling is if they don't hurt, it's worth a try. I'll bet your stools will return to normal in a few days and you will be fine.
Good luck!

[beth22]

Probiotics can give some people loose stools. I also gave my husband probiotics when he took antibiotics. I gave him a liquid one called BioK+ soy formula because he is lactose intolerant. It agreed well with him and he did not get c diff.

[UglyDan]

Thank you for your replies. They are greatly appreciated.

I'm assuming if I had C-Diff at this point, I would likely know it, as the research I've done indicates painful, watery diarrhea multiple times a day. So far, I only had that one day, and only for a few hours. I'm still taking the Florastor and Culterelle twice daily, with that Chobani yogurt in the afternoon. I still feel bloated a bit and my appetite is not really that strong. Still having soft stools. My stomach seems to feel a bit better closer up to the time I take the probiotics, and worsen slightly after.

I have been doing more research, and I've come across Kefir, Coconut oil and L-Glutamine as potential help. Hopefully, further research will indicate if any of these do help.

Thanks again for your comments, they are appreciated.

[roy]

If you think you have c.diff ask your Drs advice Simply washing your hands is the best way of avoiding c.diff, along with norovirus, flu, colds, and most other diseases.

[seekingcure]

Kefir is good for digestion in general, in my opinion. I like to drink about three ounces before meals. It seems to help prevent heartburn for me. But any probiotics can cause GI upset in some. You just have to figure out what works for you. I would consult a physician before using L-glutamine. Consult a physician if symptoms continue or worsen.

[UglyDan]

Thanks all for your replies.

So far, my stomach is behaving rather well, no bloating or pain. My appetite is coming back. My stool is still soft, but my stomach feels absolutely normal. I'm hoping I dodged a bullet. I'm able to eat my normal diet with no issues (I'm a milk drinker, can't help it). I am seeing some white/pale specks in my stool, but I'm guessing that it's stuff not getting digested yet, or small bits of fat that slipped through.

[justme]

Hi Dan: If you don't have the C. Diff spore, you likely will never get C. Diff. It isn't that easy to pick-up and usually hangs out around hospitals. It sounds to me like you are doing what you should to avoid getting a reaction to over-use of antibiotics by taking probiotics. Whether they work or not is still debatable, but I think they kept me from relapsing when I had C. Diff. I was really sick and lost 40 lbs. in 6 weeks and could barely eat anything, but I took very strong capsule probiotics and avoided a relapse (even being old and with underlying health issues).
Anne

[UglyDan]

Hi Justme!

So you're saying if I do not interact with a person/surface that has the spores, I will not catch it? Hmm, I was under the impression that you could singularly develop it from strains of bacteria already in your gut that get out of control since the good guy bacteria are dead. If that is indeed the case, then it's likely I will not develop it, as I don't go anywhere near hospitals, or generally deal with people all that much. Yeah, I'm something of a social recluse :P

[beth22]

Anyone can have c diff spores in their intestines and they lie dormant until you take antibiotics and then the c diff bacteria overgrows. But, if you don't have the spores, then you can't get c diff. However, you don't know what bacteria is in your digestive tract, so doing what you are doing is not a bad idea after taking antibiotics.

[UglyDan]

That's what I had thought. Without knowing what's in your gut, it's safer to just assume you might have it and take appropriate steps.

I still am experiencing soft stools, and occasionally, very mild upset stomach (it's been 5 days since I stopped taking Clindamycin). Several sites I've read indicate that it's likely that if I'm suffering from that while taking probiotics, then I may be experiencing what's called the Herxheimer reaction, or Herxing for short.

"Herxing is believed to occur when injured or dead bacteria release their endotoxins into the blood and tissues faster than the body can comfortably handle it. This provokes a sudden and exaggerated inflammatory response."

Hence the diarrhea and mild stomach discomfort. People taking probiotics can suffer from this, and end up stopping the regimen before taking it long enough (essentially clearing out the excess bad bacteria). It was suggested that those taking probiotics could lower their dose, pretty much not killing the bad bacteria so fast, giving your body the time to rid itself of it without killing too much, too fast.

Edit: Of course I could be suffering from a mild case of C-diff and the probiotics are minimizing the impact, but I don't think that's the case. C-Diff seems too nasty a disease to be mild in any definition of the term.

[ResearchGrandma]

My experience started out very similar to your experience in mid-June 2011. I took 4 days of clindamycin, and experienced soft stools and stomach upset (stopped the clindamycin after 4 days due to these issues). I didn't take probiotics, but was eating lots of yogurt before, during, and afterwards. Unfortunately for me, the soft stools persisted, and after a few weeks I noticed increased frequency, loss of appetite, extreme tiredness, unusual stool color, etc. Near the end of July, 2011 I tested negative with the older toxin test, but positive with the pcr test. I never had typical watery D.
Hopefully your symptoms will improve over time, but if they do not or slowly worsen, then you might see doctor and request a DNA based test for C. diff.

[UglyDan]

Thanks for the reply ResearchGrandma!

So far, no real signs of stomach pain/upset, still soft stools though. One thing that is troubling me, is that in a lapse of judgement, I ate some of my wife's McD's french fries last night. This morning, I could see bits of them undigested in my stool, which is still soft. Is this something typical from a depleted gut flora, or am I looking at something new?

I have had very little in the way of antibiotics in my like, so I've never experienced a wiped out gut before.

[getwellsoon]

That could be anything in the stool. If you were getting CDiff YOu probably would be very ill and have multiple watery D episodes. Many people are hospitalized, as I was , since they get so ill. My advice is to stop looking in the bowl, it only adds to the anxiety. Soft stools could continue for a few months, they did with me for a year. It takes the gut a very long time to recover but you sound like you are doing great. If you start to get ill or multiple D episodes then its time to test. Otherwise, go on with your life and try not to worry. Hope you continue on this good recovery you are having. My Dr. said I could eat anything I wanted as long as it didn't upset my stomach. Since you didn't get D I would say the French Fries were ok to eat. Enjoy life and have some fries with that. LOL

[UglyDan]

Hi Getwellsoon!

Thanks for the post. I'm sorry to hear you were hospitalized with C-Diff. It truly is a terrifying disease. Here's hoping that the research they're doing to treat/prevent it will succeed and soon.

I'm debating whether to cease taking the probiotics in case they were the cause of the soft stool, but I worry that they might be keeping the watery D at bay or something. My appetite is still not all that great, and I'm not eating the same amounts as I did prior. I do feel just about normal, with an occasional momentary stomach twinge.

I have never had any issues with taking antibiotics the few times in my past, but none of them were as nasty as Clindamycin. This is a new experience I could've done without, lol.