colitis from clindamycin

H I'm a 38 yr old male

I was on clindamyacin for 10 days for a tooth infection and after a couple of days had diarrhea and a few days later some mild abdominal pain. Iwent to see a doctor on thursday who prescribed flagyl 500  3 times a day for a possible  infection. I took 2 on thursday and felt numbness in my right big toe. I have stopped taking the medication but am worried that this infection is very serious and I need to be on an antibiotic but do I need to go on an antibiotic straight away or should I wait to see if it gets better by itself or that the test results confirm this diagnosis

Thanks

[Sheilathatsme]

Antibiotics rarely help Colitis and usually only exacerbate the condition. You should be on Sucralafate 3 to 4 times a day and be taking a good probiotic, I suggest Culturelle it really works for me.  The Sucralafate is taken about an hour before eating and it coats the raw areas of you digestive track allowing food to pass without irritation. This helps the colon heal and the inflammation to recede. The Probiotic helps to reestablish the good bacteria in your colon allowing it to function properly. When you start the probiotic the first few days you will have a lot of gas but this is just the bacteria regenerating in the colon. Also, the reason I suggest Culturelle is because each pill is individually sealed to keep the bacteria from losing their effectiveness. I wish you good luck and if your problem persists and turns into a chronic problem you may have to consider taking Cholestyramine, which is a powder that binds to the bile in you digestive tract helping to protect your colon from further. See a Gastoenterologist and talk with him about my suggestions and you may want to avoid any antibiotics for awhile. If you have to take them get the Culturelle which can be purchased at drugstore.com. Good Luck...

Sheila

[girlvet]

Hi..did doc suspect C-Diff?  If so, let him know right away you've stopped the Flagyl.  Stool tests will confirm, and clindamycin is the top "offending antibiotic" for causing C-Diff, which is treated with Flagyl or Vancomycin.  The  numbness could be a side effect from the Flagyl - nasty med but it is what you need to be taking if in fact C Diff is the culprit.  Best of luck to you.