Recovery from c.diff with Flagyl?

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swelbo
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Joined: Sat Mar 09, 2019 8:33 pm

Recovery from c.diff with Flagyl?

Postby swelbo » Sat Mar 09, 2019 8:45 pm

Hi!

My father is 76 yo and contracted C.Diff while in the hospital for hip replacement. They gave him an antibiotic prophylactically to protect from a UTI because he needed to be catheterized after surgery. That antibiotic led to c.diff. One week after coming home from the hospital from his surgery, he was back in the ER with C.Diff (2/13/19). His blood pressure was 90/60 and his WBC was 30,000. They started him on Flagyl and within 24 hours, the diarrhea stopped. He stayed in the hospital for 5 days and came home with no more incidence of WD. He has had bm but no more than 3 a day. His last dose of Flagyl was 8 days ago and he has only 1 bm a day. His stomach is still a mess and he is on a very bland diet (but based on what I have read here, this is pretty normal).

I know that Flagyl is now no longer the recommended course of treatment for initial severe C.Diff but since we can't change that this is what he was given.. I am wondering if you know of elderly people who have gone into remission from severe c.diff even if treated with Flagyl?

Also. Since we are only 8 days out, I know we are still in prime time for relapse (I am so hoping he doesn't relapse.. this c.diff has left him so fatigued and weakened). But if he does, can I advocate for him to go to Dificid? Anyone request Dificid instead of Vanco for relapse?


Thank you a million times for all of your help!

AllisS
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Posts: 1889
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:52 pm

Re: Recovery from c.diff with Flagyl?

Postby AllisS » Sun Mar 10, 2019 12:56 am

Hi swelbo, welcome to the site. When you have a chance, please read our guidelines for all new posters; it's the first thread in the Intro category.

Sorry about your father's illness. He's fortunate to have you as an advocate; everyone can use someone looking out for them, especially given the state of our health-care system. While I don't know firsthand of people, irregardless of their age, who had successful treatment with Flagyl, there undoubtedly are many who did. That said, Dificid, as you surmise, is a better choice. Certainly you can advocate for your father to receive it, though hopefully he'll have no need of it.

You didn't mention which antibiotic had triggered your father's C. diff. I hope you'll submit an Adverse Event report about the specific drug to the FDA on its website, which you can access via the link following my post.

Best wishes for your father's recovery.
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

roy
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Re: Recovery from c.diff with Flagyl?

Postby roy » Sun Mar 10, 2019 3:57 am

I have more experiance of c.diff in an older person.
Flagyl will almost always resolve the D but has a higher relapse rate.
it still "cures" in 7 out of 10 cases but that includes younger patients in the calculations.
Dificid has a better record but that's because it kills less of the other gut flora.
To maximize that better cure rate Dificid has to be the first and only c.diff med.
If Flagyl has been tried first it has already damaged the gut flora and the advantages of dificid has been lost.
If I had the chance to advocate for an elderly person again (who had already been treated with flagyl) my choice if they relapsed would be Vanco ar Dificid for 10 to 14 days followed by a 2 day break then an FMT
Second choice would be vanco or dificid on a LONG taper.
Dificid is probably not superior to vanco if flagyl has already been used.
With average luck the Flagyl has worked and he wont need any more treatment

Medena
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Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2018 4:25 am

Re: Recovery from c.diff with Flagyl?

Postby Medena » Sat Mar 16, 2019 11:45 am

In the meantime dont forget to load him up with probiotics. In many topics on this forum there is advice on which probiotics work well. I would recommend:

lactobacillus GG
Saccharomyces boulardii 
kefir

AllisS
Long Time Contributor
Posts: 1889
Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:52 pm

Re: Recovery from c.diff with Flagyl?

Postby AllisS » Sun Mar 17, 2019 1:16 am

It's not a good idea to "load up" on probiotics. Probiotics may cause GI symptoms, themselves, so it's best to choose one type and start initially with a modest dose to see how the probiotic is tolerated. Evidence of probiotics' effectiveness is, so far, largely anecdotal; clinical studies are still lacking. People's impression of which probiotics are "working" for them may have nothing to do with the probiotics; improvement may be attributed to the probiotic, but it may have occurred whether the probiotic had been taken or not.
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


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