I missed the first post....what happened? Sounds like you've been through he!!

I just had a root canal started and had been given 500mg Amoxicillin QâD for seven. It did not work and the infection came back. They called in one for Clindamycin. I never even heard of it! I did lots of reading up on it and whoa it sounds dangerous. Even the .gov site have severe warnings. I haven't picked it up yet because I am scared of it.

I did read that taking Saccharomyces Boulardii will help prevent the colitis associated with Clindamycin but I can't find it in any health food stores in my area and do not want to risk ordering online.

mad_about_mickey , how did you handle the side affect of the Clindamycen? Anyone else take this drug?

I don't want to ruin my body with the Clindamycen.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clindamycin

They told me this was my last line of defense to try .If the infection comes back I will likely have to get IV antibiotics.

I ate yogurt(4 oz. homemade) everyday- sometimes more.
It seemed that like clockwork, I got nauseaus about 30 minutes after taking it. I ate 6 smaller meals rather than 3 so that there would always be something in my tummy.

I have not had the diarrhea they say can come with this medicine and keep my fingers crossed that I do not get it as they describe it. I plan to keep eating the yogurt.

I'm allergic to penicillin/amoxycillin, ets all those "cillins". I can take Erythomycin (sp?) for infections. It's a little hard on an empty stomach, but it works okay for me. Good luck MadaboutMickey!

Sometimes you need an antibiotic like Clindamycin.....if it works and the others don't, you have to weigh the risk vs benefit.

Sure sounds like you have had it rough. Sure hope you make a speedy recovery.

Sue

"Sometimes you need an antibiotic like Clindamycin.....if it works and the others don't, you have to weigh the risk vs benefit."

Thanks. That is what I am trying to do. I am so worried. I know it is one of the few that tackle anaerobic bacteria. I think they should do a culture first before just prescribing it. I don't know if that can be done with anaerobic bacteria though. I'm really afraid from what I have read. They say that 30% get a bad reaction and then it is one to Flagyl which I know is carcinogenic and has it's own side effects. Some people never recover from the Clindamycen and have to have a colostomy done.

I was hoping for some info on Saccharomyces Boulardii if anyone has any to share. It is a probiotic yeast.

Thank you mad_about_mickey for sharing about the yogurt. I knew about yogurt but I believe the homemade like you ate would be the better option than some store brand. I don't make it myself but have been getting a head start by eating it now in case I do decide I need the Clindamycen. I'm off to buy some Kifir tomorrow.

Best wishes for a good recovery mad_about_mickey. This stuff is not fun is it.

Flagyl is carcinogenic? Oh, great. When I had the shingles in October, I was prescribed Flagyl, along with something else, because they misdiagnosed what was wrong.

Best of luck to those of who are dealing with infection!

Thanks everyone.

Dilly- Good luck!

Hope you're feeling better soon!!

Dilly, I would think that if you only have to take it once (how ever long it would be perscribed for only this issue), that you wouldn't have to worry too much about the long term effects, but I haven't read up on it. Do you have a gnc store near you? If so, go ask them about the Saccharomyces Boulardii. If they don't have it, maybe they can order it for you.

Madaboutmickey, still wishing you lots of luck and quick healing.

tami

yea! good news!

Thanks tami but I've called around the health food stores in my area and they don't have it. I read about it online as a way to counter the side effects of Clindamycin. I don't even know if it works or not but I read good things about it.

Guys, this stuff sounds like poison. Read the discussion about it in the link below. There are other discussion boards about it. Some people reported that the side effects came after they stopped taking it and lasted years.

So far I know to help prevent side effects is to not lie down after taking it or it can come up and burn the throat, Probiotics may help. There most likely be projectile diarrhea occurring many times a day and maybe a blistering skin rash. I am relieved to hear that mad_about_mickey took it with no big problems.

***This antibiotic carries an FDA Black Box Warning on it. This antibiotic is to be taken as a "last resort" when others have failed. People can die from taking it.

Clindamycin is for for certain hard-to-treat infections, but it will also disrupt the ecology of the digestive tract. This allows the dangerous bacteria called Clostridium difficile to take over. C diff has developed resistance to common antibiotics and can be hard to cure hence the need for Flagyl which may or may not work to clear it up.

Scroll down to read comments on these pages:

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/clindamycin/TQD6KGPG1MHO6H3HT

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2009/06/21/clindamycin-sid/

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/clindamycin/T9L5QQ5K1JA51RSK6

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/clindamycin/T2P3K0ASTN7LBKH9S

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/clindamycin/TLA69BPCDQHQT136J

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/clindamycin/T8JMS91IH92L8CSC0

http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/clindamycin/TE41IN4NQBHN89G63

Google for more horror stories. Seriously you may want to read this stuff. You never know if you would suddenly get a tooth infection and be handed a prescription for this stuff. You want to be fully informed about it when discussing it with your doctor. I never heard of the Clindamycin before this and I try to keep myself well informed about general health care. I must have missed this in my readings.

Here is a link that might be useful: Awful.