taking vanco with cipro or other antibiotic

[beth22]

Has anyone here ever taken Cipro along with vanco in order to prevent a c diff recurrence? Or any other antibiotic with vanco for that matter and did it work or did the c diff come back?

Beth

[anlockwood]

I can't say from personal experience but from what I have read quite a few people have tried it. Some have had success and some haven't. I know Bobbie said she had taken vanco with a z pak and didn't relapse but I have heard of others trying it and it not working. Hopefully others can be more helpful. I hope you are doing okay.
Amanda

[Vikingjeff28]

I took Cipro for 3 days for tooth infection 1 month after C Diff(in December 08) and did not relapse then, was nervous as heck though until I got root canal completed.

[beth22]

Vickingjeff - Did you take the Cipro by itself or along with vanco? Did you also load up on probiotics or anything else?

Beth

[TheVike]

Same as ViingJeff here when I went to the mid east for a month thought I was relapsing when the Big D turned up proabaly e coli posiosoning????? Anyhow my GP gave me a script just in case before I went and IT WORKED on the Big D by itself and I didn t relpase althoug I was reeling from the original diagnosis two onths prior took a year to normalize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nancy1]

I got cdiff in the first place after taking Cipro plus levaquin, so if it were me, I would run from Cipro as fast as I could. But as you see, it can work sometimes. And as we say here often, any antibiotic can give you cdiff.

[beth22]

I know what you mean about the Cipro Nancy - it was implicated with me too, but I think it was primarily the clindamycin. However, my only other choice is Keflex and that is even worse. I started the Cipro and so far ok. Have to start vanco in about 3 days and take it up until the night before the stool transfer, unless there is a relapse and I have to start earlier. So, hopefully the vanco will deal with the c diff if the Cipro makes it recur.

If I wait and don't try to take care of these other bacterial infections now before going for the transfer, I will have to deal with them after and then if I go on antibiotics it will "undo" all the good that the stool transfer is supposed to give me. What I don't know is whether to start taking the vanco already. The doctors don't agree on that - they probably don't really know, but the doc who is doing the transfer, said to take the Cipro alone for a few days and then start the vanco and only overlap for two days or so and then continue with the vanco for 8 more days. That is what I'm trying at this point. Hope it works.

[Vikingjeff28]

I did not take Vanco with it, just Cipro up until day of appt. They worked for two hours on tooth. It went bad under a crown in hospital when I was on all the pain meds and I did not know it was bad.I am with you guys on food. I tried some fries the other day and the result was not what I wanted, fries are outttttt!

[Bobbie]

Beth,
See FAQ-Antibiotics. Also ask your pharmacist about Cipro.

The second time I had C. diff. I took a probiotic to the hospital (also had pneumonia -- have had it 5 times), and they put me on Vanco. -- which didn't prevent C. diff. I had "the broth" again -- which worked the first time.

Three years ago I had pneumonia, & the doc. wanted to put me on Avalox. I refused because it is related to Levaquin -- the antibiotic that caused my 2nd case of C. diff). and asked for a Z-pak instead. The doc. wasn't excited about but reluctantly agreed & I didn't develop C. difF. Also, it "cured" my pneumonia. I was also on Vanco. for a short period -- maybe a week or 10 days. (You take a Z-pak for 5 days -- the advantage is that it stays in your system for 10 days -- thus bypassing the oral route for 5). A Z-pak can, however, cause C. diff. -- almost any antibiotic can -- even (rarely) Flagyl.

Remember, we are all different, and what works for one person might not work for somone one else. Check out any med. with your pharmacist or on one of the better medical sites.

Best of luck to you. You've been through a lot.

[beth22]

Thanks, everyone. I am on third day of Cipro by itself. One doctor said do it this way, the other to take both at the same time, so I called the doctor who will be doing the stool transplant and his nurse told me he said to take it alone for a few days and then do both together for a few days and to continue the vanco until the night before the procedure. I took Z-pak once before, but had strange side effects - rash for one thing, so I don't want to chance it again unless it is really something more serious, like pneumonia that Bobbie had. I just hope all of this works. So far it seems like everything I've tried has backfired in one way or another.

[beth22]

Thank you Sangeeta. I have been thinking about you and wondered how you were doing. I hope things are improving. You are still in my prayers.

I'm not really doing too well on the Cipro - it is harsh to take - didn't used to be, but then my intestines are not in good shape after all those months of vanco, c diff, procedures. I hope when I start the vanco for the transplant it will help some. I understand that they give it for colitis also sometimes. If not, will just have to deal with it and hope that this time around the procedure will help put that good flora back and enable me to eat more foods.

Let us know how you are doing too.

Beth

[anlockwood]

Beth, you are in my thoughts and prayers everyday. I just truly hope that you will be able to finally get some relief after your transplant. It really is a lifesaver for so many so hopefully this time you will feel more like your pre-c diff self. Keep us posted!
Amanda