C Diff. and Coumadin

[bluemnm37]

Hi everybody...my name's Tania and I just recently joined your group as I've been combating C.Diff for the last month or so and was thrilled to find your site. It has been very helpful! :) I had C.Diff twice before and it took two dosings of Flagyl to get "rid" of it. That was 2 years ago. Recently, I was misdiagnosed with strep throat, and had THREE different antibiotics thrown at me before they figured out what it was, mono. If they would've done a mono spot test before they gave me any antibiotics, this all could've been avoided. So now the C.Diff's back, and I'm on my 2nd round of Flagyl hoping that it'll do the trick. Although I must say, the symptoms started to kinda come back yesterday (even though I'm still on the Flagyl, is this common?) and when I called the doc they gave me Questran to help. I'm also on Coumadin because I had a bloodclot in my lung about 3 or 4 years back, and it seems like EVERYTHING used to treat C.Diff affects the levels of Coumadin in my blood. Flagyl tends to make it too thin, while I just found out Questran binds Coumadin so it's ineffective. So...along with all the difficulties with C.Diff (no pun intended) I've also been a frequent visitor to the lab to get my INR levels checked so my blood doesn't get too thick or too thin. I have a bunch or questions, lol, such as...how long after being on meds is typical to tell if you're getting better? My bowels really haven't gone back to normal even while I've been on the Flagyl, even after basically completely changing my eating ways. Is anybody else on Coumadin as well as having C.Diff that could give me some advice?

[Nancy1]

Tania,
Welcome to the group that no one wants to join. And you have had cdiff twice, whew!! Be sure to read Dr. Borody's article, Dr. McDonald's article (in the FAQ section under Articles by Experts), and other areas in the FAQ section that are of interest to you.

I think it normally takes up to 3-4 days on Flagyl or vanco before you feel better. How long have you been on Flagyl this time? Some people find that they don't respond well to Flagyl. If you keep having symptoms, check with your doc. You may need to up your dose, or you may need to try vancomycin. I felt a lot better on vanco than on Flagyl.

I've never had Coumadin, but others here may know about it. It surely complicates things for you! Good luck.

[bluemnm37]

Yes, I didn't want to necessarily join, but I'm sure glad that it exists because it has been a wealth of information and has really helped. Actually, technically this has been occurances number 3 and 4...and I'm still currently on the Flagyl (until tomorrow morning) so I guess we'll see if that did the trick this time. They did give me Questran like I said because things still weren't going "back to normal" and I was afraid that my symptoms were coming back again. This round of Flagyl has been 250mg 4x daily for 10 days...and I honestly don't have any problems with the Flagyl. It does taste a bit gross, and I launch the pills as far down my throat as humanly possible, but no bad side effects thankfully. :) I was amazed to read that people suffer with this for years!! That's terrible!!

[Bobbie]

bluemnm37,

Another welcome to the site. Read the first forum ALL USERS READ THIS FIRST & its subtopics to help guide you through the site.

Most people recover with one to two rounds of Flagyl or Vanco. so don't panic. However, since you've had C. diff. before, this might complicate matters. As Nancy said, it usually takes 3 to 4 days for meds. to "kick in." If you don't feel better in that time frame, call your doc.

Since you've had C. diff. in the past, never take an antibiotic unless the doc. "proves" to you that you must have one -- throat culture for strep, X-ray for pneumonia, etc.

Sorry this happened to you. Sounds as though you've had enough health problems w/o adding C. diff. again.

I'd ask your pharmacist about a possible interaction between Flagyl & Coumadin. Also, ID docs. seem the most knowledgable about meds. If you don't already have one, you might go to one.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

[ihcd]

First I know nothing of coumadin so I'm only sharing what I've experienced with flagyl, questran and vanco. I'm also on my 4th round of cdiff and it gets more stubborn each time. Like you, Flagyl used to do the trick until the 3rd time, when I realized I wasn't tolerating as I had in the past, and when I stopped that and did vanco I felt better. iiiiinteresting. Also make sure that all your meds are okay together and about spacing the doses. Questran should be spaced about 3 hours apart from cdiff meds.

That is what I've learned about feeling lousy on Flagyl even though flagyl had never caused problems in the past. Now I have another whole set of problems that I wont bug you with so I'll shush! Hope what I said helped at least a teensy bit - my thoughts are with you.

[bluemnm37]

Yes, everything that everyone's said has been a huge help...I've been off the Flagyl since this past Saturday and it seems (keeping my fingers crossed and knocking on wood) that I'm doing ok. I feel pretty normal-ish, I have some weird things going on that I'll save for the TMI section...lol. I'm still taking the Questran, and yes, one of the effects of the Questran is that it binds other drugs from having effects on you. Luckily I'm off the Flagyl because I was having difficulty spacing everything out. :) I've gotten very good at really looking into the effects of drugs and their interactions after this whole hoopla. I asked my family doc if it would be a good idea with all the reoccurances of CDiff if I should go to a G.I. or I.D. doc and they said no, I shouldn't have to unless I want to. Any suggestions on whether or not I should go anyway? Do I go now or wait until I'm 100% better? Ironically last Monday my landlord's dog got a hold of my ankle (it surprised me in the backyard and I couldn't avoid it in time to not get bitten) and bit me. They haven't put me on antibiotics because of everything that just happened, and we're just watching and hoping that it won't get infected. Of all the luck. This past month or two I just can't seem to win!!

[diane]

Wow a dog bite on top of all that!! You might want to keep neosporin on that , it might help keep infection away. Hopefully you'll get past this with this round of antibiotics. I know its hard to keep things straight on medicine when they interact with eachother. Good luck!!!

[Bobbie]

bluemnm37,
Wow, like the country song says, "If it weren't 'fur' bad luck, I wouldn't have 'no' luck." You've had a lot to deal with.

I just "googled" dog bites & you might want to do the same. Remember, however, some internet sites aren't reliable. Stick with the reliable ones like the ones listed in the first forum ALL USERS READ THIS FIRST. Check & make sure your landlord's dog has rabies shot up to date. Also, might want to check on a tetanus shot. Proper treatment of the bite (if it penetrated the skin) is necessary. Check with your doc. re. this.

I'd get the name of a GI or an ID who has treated numerous cases of C. diff. in the the past "just in case" since you've had C. diff. previously.

[bluemnm37]

I know...that seems to be me luck as of late. I just try to keep rolling with the punches. I did research the dog bite thing as soon as it happened...and as luck would have it...it's actually healing pretty nicely. So on that front I'm ok...on another front...CDiff symptoms may be returning, so I'm off for more lab work and my first possible round of Vanco. I'm hoping that maybe it's not, and maybe it's IBS, but they way things seem to be looking I don't know. We'll see I guess. Wish me luck everybody!!! :)