Bloating from Doxycycline

[QuintinCoetzee]

Hi everyone.

Near the end of September, I started a 14 day course of Doxycyclin (the specific brand name was Cyclidox). 100mg twice a day, with lots of water, an hour before meals, as instructed. During the course I experienced severe bloating, trapped gas, abdominal cramps, abdominal pain, and belching (burping). The probiotics I was taking didn't seem to make any difference.

I knew that any of the Tetracycline antibiotics, and especially Doxycycline, could have gastro side effects, and I stuck with the pills, after contacting my GP who prescribed them. I finished the course, and after three weeks, my digestive system still hadn't normalized.

My GP then put me on a 10 day course of Nexium (a proton pump inhibitor) in case I had an ulcer. I took one 40mg tablet per day, as instructed, but this didn't seem to make any difference. I also took a different probiotic during the 10 days, which also didn't seem to help.

I then waited another few weeks, until yesterday, when I went to see a gastroenterologist. He said the Doxycycline could very well be to blame for my bloating and belching, and that he wanted to perform an endoscopy. I had the scope, during which he examined my esophagus, stomach, and duodenum (initial part of intestines). After the procedure, he said everything inside me looks normal and healthy, and that the only thing it could be is IBS or dyspepsia. He said the symptoms may eventually go away.

Just as an aside, my digestion and apetite are normal. I have been on no other medication.

It seems highly implausible to me (and numerous doctors and pharmacists to whom I've spoken) that a two week antibiotic course could do irreparable damage to my digestive system.

Does anyone have any experience with Doxycycline, other Tetracycline antibiotics, or other antibiotics that cause gastro problems? Could I have another problem, or something underlying that was triggered by the course?

I finished the course of Doxycycline two months ago. How long could the bloating, etc. take to go away?

Thank you in advance for any assistance and information.

 

[absynth]

All I can say is Doxycycline is the devil's work.

Seen what that stuff does to people including myself when used as an Anti Malarial.

 

[Wasabee!]

You fat not bloated?

 

[QuintinCoetzee]

All I can say is Doxycycline is the devil's work.

Seen what that stuff does to people including myself when used as an Anti Malarial.

I wish I got a warning beforehand. I most likely would've sought out another opinion and avoided the drug.

Have you experienced or seen any gas problems similar to mine and do you know if mine may go away after more waiting?

 

[PostmanPot]

What was it for? Would Tetralysal not have been an option?

 

[QuintinCoetzee]

What was it for? Would Tetralysal not have been an option?

I had some itching spots on my head that my GP thought might have been caused by mild staph. Turned out to be dermatitis, which I've got a helpful shampoo for. In other words, I never needed to go on any antibiotics in the first place. But that's in the past, and I just want my digestion to go back to normal.

Tetralysal was mentioned by a different doctor, but apparently Doxycycline was the best for the job. Downside is it has some harsh side effects. I just happened to get a number of them, unfortunately.

I don't mind experiencing that stuff during the course. It's the post-antibiotic damage and unknown recovery that I didn't sign up for.

Do you have experience with Tetracyclines?

 

[PostmanPot]

I had some itching spots on my head that my GP thought might have been caused by mild staph. Turned out to be dermatitis, which I've got a helpful shampoo for. In other words, I never needed to go on any antibiotics in the first place. But that's in the past, and I just want my digestion to go back to normal.

Tetralysal was mentioned by a different doctor, but apparently Doxycycline was the best for the job. Downside is it has some harsh side effects. I just happened to get a number of them, unfortunately.

I don't mind experiencing that stuff during the course. It's the post-antibiotic damage and unknown recovery that I didn't sign up for.

Do you have experience with Tetracyclines?

Good that you've found something to control your dermatitis. Which shampoo?

I do have experience with Tetracyclines, though for a different condition. Doxycycline for about 10 days led to a severe stomach cramp which lasted more than a day. I switched to Tetralysal and had no issues.

If you find that your dermatitis flares up, rather go with Tetralysal.

 

[QuintinCoetzee]

Good that you've found something to control your dermatitis. Which shampoo?

I do have experience with Tetracyclines, though for a different condition. Doxycycline for about 10 days led to a severe stomach cramp which lasted more than a day. I switched to Tetralysal and had no issues.

If you find that your dermatitis flares up, rather go with Tetralysal.

It's a coal tar one called Tritar, which my dermatologist recommended. Got it from Dischem (which has a number of their own supposedly irritant-free shampoos as well). I alternate between one day of that, and one day of just water. Seems to be working well. I never used to have any problems with my scalp, but my dermatologist said that years of using the same shampoo (Head and Shoulders), and a tendency to get dry scalp, had combined and eventually brought about the spots. I won't be using any more antibiotics, at least for a long time. I need to get my system back to normal.

I was told that Tetralysal is easier on the digestive system, so what happened to you makes sense. Some people take Tetralysal for many months, even years.

Do you know of anything that might get rid of the bloating that's persisted for two months since the Doxy course?

 

[PostmanPot]

It's a coal tar one called Tritar, which my dermatologist recommended. Got it from Dischem (which has a number of their own supposedly irritant-free shampoos as well). I alternate between one day of that, and one day of just water. Seems to be working well. I never used to have any problems with my scalp, but my dermatologist said that years of using the same shampoo (Head and Shoulders), and a tendency to get dry scalp, had combined and eventually brought about the spots. I won't be using any more antibiotics, at least for a long time. I need to get my system back to normal.

I was told that Tetralysal is easier on the digestive system, so what happened to you makes sense. Some people take Tetralysal for many months, even years.

Do you know of anything that might get rid of the bloating that's persisted for two months since the Doxy course?

Unfortunately not. Try your dermi (they should be able to give you advice after the consult) or pharmacist. Hopefully just a matter of time though.

 

[saor]

It seems highly implausible to me (and numerous doctors and pharmacists to whom I've spoken) that a two week antibiotic course could do irreparable damage to my digestive system.

Does anyone have any experience with Doxycycline, other Tetracycline antibiotics, or other antibiotics that cause gastro problems? Could I have another problem, or something underlying that was triggered by the course?

I finished the course of Doxycycline two months ago. How long could the bloating, etc. take to go away?

If you haven't yet - get yourself on some probiotics. The Real Thing do a decent broad-spectrum pill that's quite cheap. First thing in the morning with a glass of water. If you don't get relief from that you could consider some of the more expensive, possibly enteric coated probiotic pills. You doctor should have prescribed or suggested a probiotic along with the antibiotic - if not, I'd suggest changing doctors.

Made a thread about gut bacteria the other day if you're interested: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/784813-Childbirth-antibiotics-amp-our-bacterial-buddies?highlight=

 

[Ms Cogito]

I spent hundreds of rands weekly trying to stop itching an crawling sensation.

 

[Bl1zz4rd]

If you haven't yet - get yourself on some probiotics. The Real Thing do a decent broad-spectrum pill that's quite cheap. First thing in the morning with a glass of water. If you don't get relief from that you could consider some of the more expensive, possibly enteric coated probiotic pills. You doctor should have prescribed or suggested a probiotic along with the antibiotic - if not, I'd suggest changing doctors.

Made a thread about gut bacteria the other day if you're interested: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/784813-Childbirth-antibiotics-amp-our-bacterial-buddies?highlight=

I took Probiflora Intensive Care probiotics during the Doxy course, and Reuterina Acure during the time I was taking the Nexium.

As I've still got bloating, I'm looking at starting to take good quality probiotics long-term now to see if that helps. What do you think of this one? It seems to be highly recommended, both by medical professionals and members of the public. http://www.vsl3.com/discover/

 

[HavocXphere]

This sounds like a "ask a real doctor" type question to be honest. I can take a couple of guesses though.

Does anyone have any experience with Doxycycline, other Tetracycline antibiotics

Took Tetra for years but at low-ish doses.

It seems highly implausible to me (and numerous doctors and pharmacists to whom I've spoken) that a two week antibiotic course could do irreparable damage to my digestive system.

Define "irreparable damage". Current consensus afaik is that it'll fk up you gut flora pretty solidly. Opinions vary on how big of a problem that is.

The dosage seems fairly high to me - might be appropriate for whatever the doc was trying to fix.

The endo sounds mighty sketchy to me...you can't see bloating etc on an endo...only ulcers.

Personally I'd relax. If the endo was clean then chances are its fixable. It won't be IBS...if it was you'd know. Personally I'd just watch my diet carefully, avoid foods known to cause bloating and wait for it to blow over D).

 

[saor]

As I've still got bloating, I'm looking at starting to take good quality probiotics long-term now to see if that helps. What do you think of this one? It seems to be highly recommended, both by medical professionals and members of the public. http://www.vsl3.com/discover/

It seems to cover most of the recommended strains. I don't personally use probiotic supplements long-term, though there certainly are cases of chronic depletion of the microbiome where such supplementation might be necessary. I take a probiotic course after the antibiotic then switch to fermented foods and natural prebiotics & resistant starches (green bananas, leeks, jerusalem artichokes etc.).

One of the potential drawbacks to long-term strain-specific probiotic supplementation is you're sustaining a bacterial environment that's quite different to what it was like pre-antibiotics, so it might take your body time to adjust. Using prebiotics and fermented foods feels to me like it provides a more natural environment in which the numbers can balance themselves out to a state that's more suited to my body. No idea how much truth there is to that, it's just what works for me.

Maybe consider a course of glutamine which can help repair digestive health somewhat. Never tried it but have read many success stories. You could also look into Cats Claw supplements & drinking mint tea to help reduce symptoms.

[imnotadoctor]

 

[Bl1zz4rd]

Apologies to both of you for the late reply (I didn't check back here nearly as soon as I expected I would), and thank you for the helpful information!

This sounds like a "ask a real doctor" type question to be honest. I can take a couple of guesses though.


Took Tetra for years but at low-ish doses.


Define "irreparable damage". Current consensus afaik is that it'll fk up you gut flora pretty solidly. Opinions vary on how big of a problem that is.

The dosage seems fairly high to me - might be appropriate for whatever the doc was trying to fix.

The endo sounds mighty sketchy to me...you can't see bloating etc on an endo...only ulcers.

Personally I'd relax. If the endo was clean then chances are its fixable. It won't be IBS...if it was you'd know. Personally I'd just watch my diet carefully, avoid foods known to cause bloating and wait for it to blow over D).

Did you experience bloating, etc. while on the Tetra? Which one did you take?

By irreparable, what I meant is that I'm quite keen to know if this is something that will go away by itself, or that I can fix, or if it will remain and I'll have to take pills as a crutch and learn to live with it.

You mentioned if it was IBS I would know. How exactly would I know? I'm not entirely sure at this point (6 months after stopping the course, and still having severe bloating and abdominal tension).

It seems to cover most of the recommended strains. I don't personally use probiotic supplements long-term, though there certainly are cases of chronic depletion of the microbiome where such supplementation might be necessary. I take a probiotic course after the antibiotic then switch to fermented foods and natural prebiotics & resistant starches (green bananas, leeks, jerusalem artichokes etc.).

One of the potential drawbacks to long-term strain-specific probiotic supplementation is you're sustaining a bacterial environment that's quite different to what it was like pre-antibiotics, so it might take your body time to adjust. Using prebiotics and fermented foods feels to me like it provides a more natural environment in which the numbers can balance themselves out to a state that's more suited to my body. No idea how much truth there is to that, it's just what works for me.

Maybe consider a course of glutamine which can help repair digestive health somewhat. Never tried it but have read many success stories. You could also look into Cats Claw supplements & drinking mint tea to help reduce symptoms.

[imnotadoctor]

You make a good point about long-term probiotics. I don't want to keep taking anything on a permanent basis, probiotic, medication, or otherwise.

I've only recently been reading up about prebiotic and fermented food, and that approach seems great. I think if I started prebiotics I'd mix some of the good ones up in a morning smoothie to make it easy to get the necessary daily intake.

I was under the impression that L-Glutamine was just for leaky gut, but it appears it helps with other things too, so I will definitely look into it.

Currently I'm taking 2 capsules of VSL#3 (now called Vivomixx) each day, as well as Spasmopep (peppermint oil capsules). They're just taking away some of the symptoms, but the problem, and whatever's causing it, remain.

Do either of you think it could be SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)? Or perhaps the same thing, but bad bacteria growing in the colon? In my mind, it makes sense that the Doxy may have upset the intestinal flora balance, and that now bad bacteria strains have taken control and are negatively affecting my digestion. I'm just not sure how to get rid of them, especially if months of probiotics isn't working. Perhaps more, specialized antibiotics, like Rifaximin?

 

[HavocXphere]

Apologies to both of you for the late reply (I didn't check back here nearly as soon as I expected I would), and thank you for the helpful information!



Did you experience bloating, etc. while on the Tetra?No Which one did you take? Tetracycline

By irreparable, what I meant is that I'm quite keen to know if this is something that will go away by itself, or that I can fix, or if it will remain and I'll have to take pills as a crutch and learn to live with it. No idea - ask a doc. You/I don't even know what this is so telling whether it will go away is not feasible

You mentioned if it was IBS I would know. How exactly would I know?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irritable_bowel_syndrome#Signs_and_symptoms

I'm not entirely sure at this point (6 months after stopping the course, and still having severe bloating and abdominal tension).
Tension or distension? If you've got distension then you should be talking to a doc and/or be in hospital

.

 

[Kalle]

These antibiotics killed all your gut bacteria.
You should start on fermented foods like kefir, sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi. But it must be raw / unpasteurized!!! And preferably organic.
I'd recommend esp. the kefir; thats the strongest probiotic food known to man. Get some organic kefir grains and make your own each day and all those problems will disappear after a while.