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Hello,

You might want to skip reading this if you aren’t interested in C. difficile
infection.  I sent a message to the group asking for advice on how to deal
with a C. difficile infection and asking specifically for advice on
probiotics.  Sorry it’s taken me so long to summarize.  Many people asked me
to explain what C. difficile is.  It’s a gut bacterium carried frequently by
healthy children under two yrs old and much less frequently by healthy
adults.  When a person takes antibiotics, particularly for extended periods
of time, healthy gut flora die.  C. difficile is not sensitive to most
commonly used or broad-spectrum antiobiotics, so it can take over in the
absence of competition.  This usually results in diarrhea, sometimes with
severe abdominal pain.  It’s a common infection in hospitals and nursing
homes, where a lot of people are sick and taking antibiotics.  In most
cases, stopping the antiobiotics stops the problem.  In some cases, the
remaining normal gut flora can’t fight it off, and antibiotics effective
against C. difficile are prescribed.  First try is Flagyl, which is cheap
but not always effective and can be hazardous for long-term use
(neurotoxic); it’s effective against other organisms like Giardia, too.
Vancomycin is the second line of defense; it’s more effective and much more
expensive.  Because C. difficile forms spores that are not susceptible to
antibiotics, it is not uncommon for the first round of antiobiotics to stop
the symptoms, which recur weeks later when the spores become active.  Many
doctors recommend taking probiotics after taking the antiobiotics, to
recolonize the gut with good organisms that will crowd out or hold in check
any remaining C. difficile.  Multiple rounds of antiobiotics may be
necessary to kill C. difficile.  In severe and prolonged cases, C. difficile
bacteria can cause pseudomembranous colitis, a condition where the bacteria
form plaques on the intestinal lining.  This can cause bleeding, severe
pain, or death, particularly in the elderly and those weakened by other
illnesses.  Important point—even though I had this infection for at least
weeks and maybe longer, my blood work was completely normal throughout this
ordeal, with no indication of infection or poor health, even though I was in
severe pain, bleeding, eventually unable to eat, and lost 17 lbs in 4 wks,
so don’t think normal blood work means you can’t have an infection.  My PA
said this sometimes happens with young and otherwise healthy people.

Thanks very much for the great advice I received on this question.  See
below.

Erin

Some responses from others:

I was diagnosed with C diff about 1 1/2 years after I was diagnosed with
Celiac.  I took Flagyl for 10 days and, since that time, have felt better
than I've felt in years.  I'm guessing that I got the C. diff when I was on
antibiotics for pneumonia (before my celiac diagnosis), so I was walking
around with C. diff for almost 2 years!  During the 10 days I was on Flagyl,
my naturopath had me take Florastor http://www.florastor.com/FAQ.asp  After
the 10 days were up, she had me take Acidophilus twice a day, and she said I
should probably take it for the rest of my life.  My doc recommends the
Metagenics Ultra Dophilus DF (dairy/lactose & gluten free), which is highly
concentrated, powder form that is stored in the refrigerator.  My C diff
started to recur one time, and I'm sure I nipped it in the bud with the
acidopholus (I had been slacking off on the twice a day thing, and often
forgetting on weekends).

Anytime you take an anti-biotic, you should take an acidophilous. We take
Culturelle. You can buy it at any drug store. It's the only one I have found
that does not bother our Celiac family.

C. difficile is caused by prolonged OR excessive use of antibiotics knocking
out the beneficial flora in your gut allowing this awful anaerobe to
flourish and cause you problems. It is common in the chronically ill as a
treatment or "hospital"-induced infection. Its treatment by antibiotics
alone is compounding the problem. You must also replace the beneficial
organisms by taking acidophilis tablets, eating probiotics etc. and I
suggest you take megadoses of them with your antibiotics and in between. You
must recolonise your gut with the goodies because all you have now is
baddies.

I think the recommended drug of choice for that is flagil.  Taken by mouth
to act directly on the bug.

PB8 is a good form of probiotics and is GF.  It is found in the refrigerated
section as are all GOOD probiotics.  You can also add plain yogurt from
active cultures to your diet (Dannon plain is GF).  Also I have heard Kefir
is good.

Last time I checkled Culturelle was GF. And it's OTC and does not need
refrigeration.

probiotica Nexium

Right now I'm taking NOW brand Acidophilus that I found at the local health
food store.  It states on the bottle that it contains no wheat, corn, yeast,
soy, egg, preservatives or gluten.  I haven't had any problems with it.
They do have a web site.  www.nowfoods.com

...the probiotics I take are:  SUPER DIGESTAWAY by Solarway and
JARRO-DOPHILUS by Jarrow formulas.  I get both in a health food store.

Natren's Healthy Trinity is gf and THE BEST probiotic on the market.
Expensive, but worth it.

My doc is very impressed with Saccromyces boulardii.  It is a kind of yeast
that is good and kills bad gut bacteria and bad gut yeast. It acidifies the
gut too. His protocol is 4 pills, 3xday between meals for 2 weeks. Then cut
back to 2 pills, 2xday between meals indefinitely. It has to be
refrigerated...You can get it from NEEDS.com- ship overnite since
refrigerated. Good probiotics are: Custom Probiotics. Their #
is:800/219-8405. Also Culturelle Lactobacillus GG. I can get this from my
local People's Pharmacy or from NEEDS.com which is usu. cheaper.

I would highly recommend kefir. The best brand I've found is made by Helios.
It is organic, and you can get it plain, w/out sugar. Get that. Check w/your
local health foods store. If they don't have it, they could order it for
you. Or, contact Helios at www.heliosnutrition.com. It keeps for months, so
if you want to get a case, you can just store it in your refrigerator. It
does lose some of its potency if it goes past the expiration date, but it is
still good. Do not freeze it, as that kills the probiotic organisms.  Even
if you don't tolerate other dairy products, I urge you to try this. It
really agrees w/me.

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