starting Dificid soon

Treatments, possible treatments, unsubstantiated/unproven treatments. Consult your doctor first.
willstalc
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starting Dificid soon

Postby willstalc » Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:02 pm

Any tips to maximize effectiveness? At least I will be taking florastor, but will antiemetics for nausea help? any particular foods avoid or other meds to use?

So far I have had C Diff for 2 years now. 2 treatments of flagyl and a 4 week treatment of vancomycin failed. I really need this to work!
thanks for any help!

AllisS
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Re: starting Dificid soon

Postby AllisS » Wed Jan 14, 2015 5:24 pm

Hi Willstalc, a moderator should be along soon with a Welcome to the Site letter. In the meantime: Dificid is not an antibiotic that I took, myself, to treat C. difficile, so I can't speak to it directly. However, your questions are more general in nature. I don't think that Dificid is especially correlated with nausea, but if you do experience it, it's likely an anti-nausea med prescribed by your doctor would help in decreasing that side effect.

There's no special diet for C. difficile, though many people find that rich, spicy foods make them feel worse while they're symptomatic. During that period, the BRAT guidelines are often recommended; BRAT stands for bananas (B), rice (R), applesauce (A), toast (T), all of which are "binding" foods.'

There is no additional medicine, probiotic, or food that will either enhance or detract from the effects of Dificid.

Best wishes for your recovery. Dificid is currently considered the most effective antibiotic for C. difficile, so I think you can reasonably feel hopeful.

Allison
If your illness was preceded by use of a medication, e.g., an antibiotic, please fill out an FDA Adverse Event Report at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm

seekingcure
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Re: starting Dificid soon

Postby seekingcure » Wed Jan 14, 2015 6:24 pm

STANDARD INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to the site. Read the first forum “All Users Read This First” and subtopics “Site History” and “Information and Guidelines for Posting to our Discussion Boards.” (Note limits on posting.) This will guide you in using the site and answer some of your questions. Read Dr. Borody's articles. Also see the topics under “CDI” – particularly Recent CDC Report, The C. diff. Bible, Tests, Antibiotics, Hygiene, and Nutrition.

“Doctors” lists physicians our posters recommended and also a list of C. diff. specialists throughout the world with contact information. (Many perform FMT's.) See the new forum “FMT’s and FE’s” or “Media Reports” for new information on C. diff.

The majority of patients (about 70%) recover with one to two rounds of Flagyl or Vancocin. An unfortunate small percentage doesn’t and can suffer for months. Most recover unless there are factors such as advanced age or other severe health problems. New treatments include FMT's, which have a high cure rate, and Dificid. Other drugs and treatments are in the pipeline, and there is increased recognition of C. diff. You can help by educating your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Help us make others aware of C. difficle – which will lead to further advances in treating and/or preventing the infection. If antibiotics contributed to your C. diff, be careful about taking them again. Some people tolerate them; some develop C. diff again. Don’t take medications for C. diff. unless you are tested.

If a medication contributed to your case, please fill out an Adverse Event Report online at: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm. Under "Resources for You," in left-hand column, click on "Report a Serious Medical Product Problem Online." (Allison provided this information.)

The best protection for you and others is thorough hand washing and good hygiene. (See Dr. Borody’s articles and “CDI.”) For more information, see other support groups on Facebook, including http://www.peggyfoundation.org, the Mayo Clinic and Web MD web sites, and “The FMT Foundation” under “Links” on the homepage.

This is a support site not a medical site. We can’t give you medical advice but can tell you what worked for us and offer support. No one will understand what you are going through except someone who has/had this unpredictable disease. All of our moderators and frequent posters had/have C. diff. (or a loved one with it) and know how physically, emotionally, and financially disabling it can be.

Again, welcome. Remember, the odds are in your favor. (End of letter.)

Sorry you have been suffering with c-diff for such a long time. It can sometimes be difficult to clear, but Dificid is said to be very effective. I, personally, did not take it, but one of the other mods was cured by it after other medications failed and there have been many others who have posted onsite that it worked for them.

While probiotics won't cure c-diff, many of us do feel like they benefitted us as an adjunct to antibiotic therapy. My GI recommended s. boulardii yeast, which is the active ingredient in Florastor, and an 8 strain probiotic called VSL-3, which is a very potent probiotic that is used for treating IBS, ulcerative colitis, crohn's disease and pouchitis. I feel like this combination, along with kefir, helped me to beat c-diff and also has prevented me from relapsing. There is a good article under "media reports" about the benefits of kefir, a probiotic drink, in preventing relapses with c-diff. You can take the s. boulardii at any time. Since it's a yeast, the Dificid won't affect it. But, if you decide to add kefir or any bacterial probiotics, try to space it as far as possible from doses of antibiotics so that more of it has a chance of surviving. Add any probiotics or probiotic foods one at a time and in small amounts, because probiotics themselves can cause GI upset in some.

I hope you do well on Dificid and this is the end of it for you. Keep us posted and let us know if we can help.
Bea

NanciT
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Re: starting Dificid soon

Postby NanciT » Wed Jan 14, 2015 10:14 pm

Hi and I am sorry you have been battling this terrible illness for so very long. I went through the usual medications and a 6 wk taper of Vancomycin but relapsed after 7 weeks.

I then was put on Dificid for 10 days. I had no issues for those 10 days, but relapsed a week later. I was then put on another 10 days of Dificid and during that time I ended up in the ER with a UTI which needed treatment. They kept me on the DIficid while on the Keflex and I felt terrible during this time. I used the"Seabands" for nausea which helped and a heating pad. I could not eat much.

They decided to do a pulse taper of the Dificid and I continued on decreasing the dose. I had not seen this done and only found one other poster who did this.After much of my own research We did find a study online that was impressive with this taper. I am now 2 months post Dificid and I did develop a more severe IBS which continues to improve. I am taking VSL#3 but just once a day and I believe that has helped a great deal with the IBS. I was tested 2 weeks ago because I had D for a few days and I tested NEGATIVE for the first time in 10 months! I still have a limited diet but am improving slowly.

There are many here who have done well with DIficid, wishing you the best!

teresajo103
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Re: starting Dificid soon

Postby teresajo103 » Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:01 am

so sorry you are sufferng wth this nasty infection. I came dowwn with it back in Sept. Honestly, i have come to realize there have been lots of bad days....but there have been some that were not so bad. Though,if you read thru some of my posts it makes me sound like some kind of coo coo bird. I took Dificid 10 DAYS in November. I did great on the medicine. I had some gas and some ab pain but I was feeling much better. I finished the course and relapsed 3 weeks later.....I have tested positive 3 times since then. They put me back on vanc for a taper/pulse. I am down to twice a day now....but honestly I felt muchbetter on dificid. I hope it works for you....it had potential with me. I am going to have an FMT in the very near future. I sure hope you feel better soon. I think dificid is a good medicine....be sure and eat with it......take your probiotics if you can....and eat a good yougart.....itt will help. Good Luck and let us know how you do.

beth22
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Re: starting Dificid soon

Postby beth22 » Thu Jan 15, 2015 2:10 am

As far as I know, Dificid is taken twice a day, so you can take a probiotic with bacterial cultures in between. Dificid is supposed to be a better first-line treatment, before taking anything else for c diff, but it has helped some of the posters here as the last treatment after vanco failure. Everyone is different and hopefully this will kick it for you. If you are able to tolerate the kefir, as Bea mentioned, that would probably be good, as the study did indicate that the relapse rate was lower in people who took it as an adjunct to antibiotic treatment.

roy
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Re: starting Dificid soon

Postby roy » Thu Jan 15, 2015 6:38 am

In 2 years most posters would have taken a lot more than 3 courses of meds! more like 10.
Are you having classic c.diff symptoms or are the Drs trying to eradicate an asymptomatic colonisation?

willstalc
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Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 4:46 pm

Re: starting Dificid soon

Postby willstalc » Thu Jan 15, 2015 9:02 am

Ok, thanks everyone!
I forgot about the BRAT diet and I will look into kefir, keflex,seabands for nausea, etc.

I have bad diarrhea about once a week and very mild the rest of the time. I'm constantly deployed to many countries were I can't get medical treatment.. that is why I've had C Diff so long. I think maybe my body has built up a limited resistance to C Diff or maybe younger than most which is why I've been able to tolerate it for so long.

Thanks!

roy
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Re: starting Dificid soon

Postby roy » Thu Jan 15, 2015 4:08 pm

Sounds like Drs are treating on test results alone
An experienced Dr would know that Asymptomatic c.diff is probably almost impossible to eradicate.
And what you describe is close to asymptomatic.
How long ago did you finish the last antibiotics?


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