Has anyone been cured by just taking probiotics?

[JasonB]

I got diagnosed with CDiff right before Mother's Day. I have been going to my primary care physician (internist). I took a 10 day regimen of Metronidazole. Three days later it came back. The doctor gave me another 7 days worth without making me retest. A week later my symptoms came back and I retested and it came back positive for CDiff again. I then went on vancomycin for 10 days. Four days later my symptoms came back, mucuous, loose and frequent bowel movements, cramping. I just submitted a third test today (9 days after stopping vancomycin). He recommended I try calling an infectious disease doctor.

At this point I am wondering if anyone has just rode it out and taken a lot of probiotics and had their gut flora get restored to naturally rid themselves of CDiff. It woould seem that if the antibiotics aren't working given the spores that are hanging out, then maybe I should stop killing good bacteria as well when I take antibiotics. I have been taking 500mg of Florastor twice daily, and during one round I added a Culturelle 15 billion capsule as well. Both have made zero difference. I currently am trying the Nexabiotic that some on here have recommended.

The only other options seem to be the FMT or pulsing Vanco. I think pulsing could work in that each time I take the antibiotic my symptoms go away in only a few days (like 3 days or so), and this could possibly allow me to take it long enough to kill these spores that keep reinfecting me.

But like I said, I would be curious to know if probiotics and time cured anyone here who has had no luck with antibiotics.

[roy]

If you get full on relapse symptoms you need to treat with mainstream meds.
Never NEVER think probiotics might cure you.
My Moms Dr's got frustrated because she kept on relapsing and stopped treating to "see what happens"
10 days later she died!
I would not even consider the wait and see or probiotic approach.
Tapering is probably your next step or possibly Dificid (but Dificid is not thought to be superior unless it's used as the first treatment).
What's your age?
"Jason" suggests around 35 and not in the danger zone for severe c.diff.

[beth22]

Probiotics after taking so many courses of antibiotics to treat c diff would probably do next to nothing. They are probably helpful if a person first gets c diff, discontinues whatever antibiotic they might be on that caused the c diff and at that point start probiotics. But, Flagyl and vanco both wipe out good bacteria as well and no probiotic would have all the different kinds that were killed off. At best a probiotic would have about 15 strains and some, like culturelle, only have one.

Pulsing vanco is nota bad idea. It has worked for others. If it does not, then FMT is a good option as well. You should go see an ID at this point and discuss what your options are. When I saw one, he checked my immunity - Igg, etc. levels, but they were all fine. It was my ID who initially got in touch with the doctor who did my FMT. At this point, if you have a full blown infection, you need to treat it.

[Lisa33]

I agree with the others that you should treat if you have a full blown c-diff infection. A vanco pulse is usually the next step. I just wanted to add that testing so soon after going off meds, can give false results. The protocol is supposed to be to treat based on symptoms alone for relapses. Although it sounds as if your symptoms indicate a relapse, testing for a cure is not recommended as it can lead to over-treating. If you do retest, it should be at least 10-14 days after finishing meds. However, what your body is telling you is more important than a test result. If you have the typical c-diff symptoms as you have had - frequent watery D throughout the day, cramping, urgency to go, then it's time to treat.

Just to note - please read the first forum for all new users. Welcome to the site!

Hope you get on the vanco taper and it does the job.
Lisa

[JasonB]

I got an appointment with an ID doctor next Tuesday. It's kind of annoying that nobody can see me before then. Yea, I think my doctor is over-testing me and has no idea what he is doing...thus the seven day second round of treatment, which makes no sense. Then he even mentioned Imodium which anyone with google knows is way off and terrible advice. I wish I would've bailed on him when he suggested that seven day second round, and got the process moving quicker.

I think I'll be fine waiting until Tuesday as I don't think I have a major case, just an annoying recurrent mild to moderate. It will just be a little uncomfortable.

I think my second positive test was 10 days after I finished the second round of metronidazole and was more than 3 week after my first. This test I dropped off today is 9 days after I finished vanco and around 3 weeks from the second one.

Btw, as a background I'm 34, and got this after taking Augmentin for a sinus infection at the end of April. I'm generally in good health and I'm not sure why it happened. I took a Z-pack the year before and was fine. I did have a hernia surgery back in February, but was fine after that as well.

[beth22]

You can test positive for a while, even after you treat. If your symptoms don't get any worse, then I would wait to speak to the ID doctor next week, but if things go bad and you get a full blown infection, then you have to do something. Your own body can just be fighting it off now and taking probiotics may help if you don't have full blown symptoms. However, for some people they make GI symptoms worse. If you use them, don't overdo it.

[Davidtm]

I think it's a good thing you're seeing an ID Doctor. I got C-diff 3 weeks after a 10 day course of clindamicin. The diagnosing Dr gave me a 10 day course of Vanco and the ID Doctor extended it to 14 days telling me that is a better course. The 10 day 7 day 10 day you received doesn't seem to go along with the protocols I've seen. you mentioned your symptoms as loose stools. I'd say if that changes to full blown D or if you start to feel worse head in and ask the Drs if they think they should give you meds to start before going to see the Id. My ID always said to let them know if I have d frequently again. Fingers crossed for you it's just ibs or mild enough that it improves in the mean time.