Diarrhea side effect

Are you also taking probiotics. My Dr had me start high dose ones with the first antibiotic. I also have to monitor what and when I eat. Always have something in my stomach before taking the meds which I space out during the day.

@machelp So sorry, for some of us, this is one of the most miserable side effects of the antibiotics.

Sometimes, probiotics help - they need to be taken several hours apart from the meds. Other people find it helpful to eat something small with each dose, so they don't hit an empty stomach. And for some us ( I was one) doing those, plus allowing the body to adjust, makes it better over time.

If it doesn't improve in about a week, call the doc - he may be able to give you something for it, adjust dosages or back off and start the drugs over 1-2 weeks apart, to see which is the culprit.

Hang in there!

Thank you for the advice. I am thinking maybe I could add probiotic foods to my daily diet instead of taking more medicine. I'll do some research to find foods that are high in probiotics. At this point, the side effects are worse than the MAC symptoms, but I am hoping I can make this work.

Thanks Sue. I'm thinking that I might be able to add foods high in probiotics to my diet. I have gradually cut back on one of antibiotics, as I am thinking it might be the culprit. Maybe the combination of those two actions will help the diarrhea lessen. At the moment, the side effects from the meds are worse than the MAC symptoms.

I'm sorry about the side effects. I think I would call the doctor on Monday, request a complete pause until the diarrhea stops, start probiotics, then take the meds one at a time for 2 weeks, to find out if a single one is the culprit. If no single one is the issue, start adding until you hit the problematic combination.

Remember, MAC is very slow growing, so a slow, cautious approach is not harmful.

On sept 2023, I had a bad diarrheia bout that the OTC or Dr could not find the cause. tried all different diet changes, probiotice, peptobisma, stool samples, and coloncope.. The pepto was the only thing that helped somewhat,
After the inital 3 weeks of the doctors staff "help", was I backing up and stumbled onto a door opening and thought I broke a rib; my Dr agreed and ordered an xrays; just badly brused.

HOWEVER they discovered a spot on my lungs and sent me to pulmonologist that ordered breathing tests and Sputum cultures and said I could have MAC and the kind of treatment by an Infectious Disease Dr..

While waiting for an appointment with the ID doctor, I started looking on the web about MAC. and came across an article that you could get MAC in the G.I track and the would cause Diarrheia. When I visited the new DI Dr, I asked about it , he scoffed at it the as never heard of it, I also asked if my haveing swallowed my sputum, could it have introduced the MAC into my GI tract,
Again he said he didn't think so.

For the nexr two weeks I collected all my sinus and sputum while taking peptobisma before taking the big 3 pills 3 x a week

GUESS WHAT, the diarrheia was 90% gone and has been the same durring the past months while taking the big 3 meds and collecting and disposing my sinus and sputum.
Ralph

My doctors have me taking 2 Imodium every morning

mechelp. Many of us know what you're going through. I have a long list of antibiotics that cause this awful situation. When I was first diagnosed I was seeing a local pulmonogist and he put me on the big 3. I was told to take all three on an empty stomach. I'm thin anyway and lost 15 pounds. I asked if we could alter the schedule, meds, etc. His comment was, either take it this way or not at all. Later on he said, "I don't think I can help you." There was no referral or any advice. This man had never given me one piece of literature on my diseases (Pseudomonas too) or about using nebbing for airway clearance. I left his office with my head down, not knowing what to do. Then I found this forum and through it I found a doctor 3 1/2 hrs away that gave me hope. He even said I probably should not even been put on medication. WOW!! My advice is to keep posting your questions and this forum of kind people with be happy to help. After almost six years I'm still learning. God bless you. Faye

Thanks, Faye, for your comment. I am really frustrated, as I only weigh 85 pounds and certainly feel losing more weight due to so much medication would be detrimental to my overall health. I have two prescriptions from my pulmonary physician and two prescription from my infectious disease physician waiting to be picked up at the pharmacy. I am reluctant to purchase them and add four more medications to my daily medication routine (of which I take many). I know the doctors are just trying to help me, but I am pretty sure I don't want to add more medications to treat the side effects of the medications I am already taking.

Isn't the peptobismal you take an OTC medication? If so, maybe I could try it without a prescription to see if it helps with the diarrhea.