Best dificid taper

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allenb
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Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2016 2:08 pm

Best dificid taper

Postby allenb » Tue Dec 12, 2017 9:55 am

I'm having a rough time dealing with my fourth battle against cdiff. I need to stop this before it gets to where it was a year ago but the medical profession doesn't help. Its been almost two weeks since i was diagnosed and i have yet to get an appt with the gi who did my fmt a year ago. I did talk to his pa and told her i would like to do the dificid taper, but she said they did not do that and i would have to do the fmt again but i would need to see him first which would take three weeks. I sent his office two studies on dificid tapers but have not heard back and my digestive problems are getting worse every day. But my question is regarding the specifics of the taper--how many pills total, how many per day, how many days on, and how many days off. Any other advice is appreciated. Thank you. Larry.

amg
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Re: Best dificid taper

Postby amg » Tue Dec 12, 2017 12:19 pm

I'm not sure about the "best" taper, but Dr. Stuart Johnson, a c diff expert at Loyola Medical Center Chicago and one of the authors of the paper we often quote "Novel fidaxomicin Treatment Regimens for Patients with Multiple Clostridium..." uses the following:

a standard course of 20 pills - 1 tablet twice a day for 10 days.
THEN the taper which is another standard prescription of 20 pills to go like this- 1 tablet once a day for 7 days, then 1 tablet every other day for 13 doses.
This has worked well for his patients.

But doctors can write it how they want. My daughter's GI gave her 1 tablet twice a day for 14 days, then 1 tablet once a day for 14 days, then we convinced our ID doc to give us more Dificid for the every other day part of the taper.

Good luck and hand in there!

NanciT
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Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:01 pm

Re: Best dificid taper

Postby NanciT » Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:30 pm

Larry

I am sorry you are going through this, the frustration of dealing with some GI's or any MD's through this can be difficult. I had to change my GI a few times during this battle. If your current GI refuses the Dificid, maybe it's time for another opinion.
I know how difficult it is when you are sick, changing GI's is never easy but in my case I was forced to.

Wishing you the best with this

NanciT

allenb
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Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2016 2:08 pm

Re: Best dificid taper

Postby allenb » Tue Dec 12, 2017 3:09 pm

Thank you both for responding. I just talked to my old gi, Dr. Arnold, who i loved but he doesn't do fmt's so he referred me to the other guy. But Dr. Arnold said he would prescribe the standard dificid then we can discuss refilling it in ten days. But now i just found out i have to have a tooth extracted because of a cavity causing bleeding gums. The dentist said the risk of the infection from the gum is much greater than the extraction. He's very familiar with cdiff and said he would recommend only taking the dificid. Any one been through this? It is hard to explain to anyone who hasn't been through this how horrible this disease is. Larry.

NanciT
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 3035
Joined: Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:01 pm

Re: Best dificid taper

Postby NanciT » Tue Dec 12, 2017 5:47 pm

Larry

It does feel relentless at times. I just had a tooth extracted and there was an infection, but I went to an oral surgeon who understood I could not take an antibiotic unless it was in the bone. I never really had dental issues other than normal fillings until CDIFF. I have also had 3 root canals in the last 2 years post CDIFF. I know my nutrition was poor and I also had vomiting with CDIFF.....

I am really happy your old GI will get you started on Dificid. Make an apt to see him. There is a great deal of info on Difficid tapers on line and he seems open to it. Use the info AMG has given

Wishing you the best with this!
NanciT


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