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Stool and parasites
Hey Team! I would like your opinion about something. A close friend had a lot of fatty meat in a restaurant where you cook your own food(over fire). We all ate the same thing although I had the non fatty meat. The next day he had stomach cramps and diarrhea for three days. He took some enterogermina probiotic and it helped however his stool has been yellow ever since (over two weeks) and still suffers cramps if he drinks something acidic. He went to the doctor a couple of days ago who without asking for a stool sample prescribed deworming meds and ciprofloxacin and metronidazole for 5days. He advised that he has seen many come with this issue and best to cover all parasites and kill them.
I am not sure if this was the best way to treat what he had as we don’t even know what he had but now what’s concerning are the antibiotics given and what it’s doing to his gut.
Any advise is appreciated please and any recommendations for a good probiotic and gut support after taking all these meds.Thank you!
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20 Replies
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Hi – I agree with you… that’s quite the cocktail of drugs without any testing. Was he informed of the potential side effects of these drugs?
Ciprofloxacin in particular is a fluoroquinolone (flor-o-KWIN-o-lone) antibiotic with some serious and disabling side effects. Here’s more info on the mechanisms of damage to mitochondria caused by cipro and other fluoroquinoline antibiotic drugs. There are net toxic effects by overtly interfering with protection to mitochondria DNA.
I personally know a few people who were “floxxed” and there are many Facebook support groups for these victims. I’m not sure why they still prescribe it so liberally when there are many other alternatives, such as the anti-parasite herbal options shared here in the Gut Health Masterclass, as well as anti-microbial options here, which are effective and much safer.
The Gut Health Masterclass also shares probiotic suggestions here and gut healing therapies here.
Hope this helps.
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Hey Bernadette,
He is on day 4 of both meds right now so I don’t think he can stop them? The dr had prescribed them for five days.
Is there anything he can do or take in the meantime to keep his immunity up and his gut health on track? -
No he had no idea about any of the effects these drugs would have.
Sorry I just saw the rest of your message – it was cut for some reason. I will go through the gut course again but if there are any probiotics you can recommend that would be really appreciated. -
I also mention a few probiotic suggestions in the video I shared above in case you missed that. After 1 course of antibiotics, it can take up to 6-9 months to repopulate the gut microbiome, so whatever he decides to take (fermented food and/or probiotic supplements), should be done long term.
After a course of antibiotics, I usually recommend something with S. Boulardii, a beneficial type of yeast, to help prevent opportunistic yeast overgrowth for a month or two. Klaire Labs ABx Support is one example.
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Hi Bernadette,
Yes got all the links and went through them. (It wasnt as visible on the phone that why I missed them!) Thank you for the links and all the information above.
In terms of the anti microbial supplements, I assume now that he has taken the antiobiotics he wont need them for now. His stool colour is returning to normal and his nausea has gone. Not sure if its worth testing the stool at this point.
I just listened to the probiotic link – you mentioned that the Klaire Labs need to be refrigerated, I had no idea. I have been taking those but the bottle was at room temperature; same for the kids one. Its been over a couple of months now. Do I throw the bottles away?
When you take the S Boulardii, can you also take probiotics at the same time? -
yes, Klaire Labs probiotics need to be refrigerated. They can stay outside for a week or so but not months.
S boulardii can be combined with other probiotics.
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Okay got it. I have been using it for so long without refrigerating! big oops!
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Hi Lana
My husband was prescribed Cipro for SIBO a few years ago and the side effects as Bernadette mentioned can be debilitating and long lasting. FQs can affect mitochondria, tendons, joints, central nervous system, muscles, the gut. To get an idea of how toxic this particular medication can be on the body, you can have a look at this website of a doctors practice in the US originally set up to treat “floxed” patients suffering from these side effects – https://regenerativemedicinela.com.
Now that your friend has taken the course – he may want to look into “floxing” so that he’s aware of potential symptoms to look out for over the next few weeks (eg tendon pain or sensitivity, brain chemistry changes, etc) and how to mitigate the damage. This is a helpful resource: https://floxiehope.com/.
Best, Leen
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Thank you Leen for the references. I am sorry your husband had to go through this and hope he is better and well now. I just cant believe that a medication like this is still being given and the doctor did not even bother explaining these very serious side effects let alone test before prescribing it. I have been reading more about this and its very concerning.
Bernadette is there anything that can be done to support the mitochondria?
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thank you for sharing these resources!! I’m still researching the mechanism behind floxing to better understand how to help from a functional perspective, and will let you know if anything interesting/new comes up.
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supporting detoxification and mitochondria is key in this situation. You can find more information about the energy production cycle in this video about mitochondrial support, and how to support detox pathways in the body with this video and this video inside the Mold & Mycotoxin Illness course.
Magnesium and antioxidant supplementation in the meantime can hopefully help offset the side effects caused by Cipro since fluoroquinolones chelate magnesium and iron out of cells leading to epigenetic changes within the mitochondria. So high dose magnesium is important in the early phase (as long as there’s no kidney disease).
To help counter oxidative stress, ensuring he’s eating a diet that’s high in antioxidants and/or supplementing with antioxidants might also help with prevention of toxicity. Here’s a post I did as a reference for high antioxidant foods/spices. And you can also watch this video inside the Mold & Mycotoxin Illness course for more antioxidant support nutrients/supplements to strengthen the defenses.
Hopefully these help your friend! Please encourage him to join B Better if he needs further support.
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Thank you so much Bernadette. I have gone through your posts now – mitochondrial support is clearly key in this situation. As for the magnesium, how high is high? and can you take two/three pills together or would you need to spread them out throughout the day?
I really appreciate all the information you have provided on this, thank you!
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if there’s no prior issues with constipation, “high” is considered “to bowel tolerance”, which for most can be anywhere between 400mg to 1200mg short term. I’m not comfortable with anyone taking more than 800mg long term.
The body lets us know if we’ve taken too much magnesium by causing loose stools the next day. Adjusting the dosage according to bowel tolerance is usually how high dose magnesium is suggested, and in increments of 100mg per day. If there’s loose stool, decrease the dosage by 100mg.
Magnesium is best taken split throughout the day with food for better absorption.
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Okay great. He currently takes one capsule of Thorn Citramate so he could increase his dose to three times daily (according to bottle instruction).
what are your thoughts on glucosamine Hyaluronic acid chondroitin MSM? Seeing that this may cause joint and tendon issues. Would this help support its prevention?
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note, the form of magnesium will also make a difference in terms of how much he can take. Citrate form is stimulating to the bowels so he might not be able to tolerate as much as glycinate form for example.
There is some research like this one that shows a positive effect in pain reduction in those taking oral glucosamine and chondroitin for those with osteoarthritis, but I can’t say if it will be helpful in this type of situation.
Collagen and cofactors to help build collagen would probably be something I’d personally consider instead.
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