giardiasis

[otto12]

I have been losing weight for about 2 years now.  I have lost 60 pounds.  I eat quite a bit but keep losing weight.  I was just diagnosed with giardiasis, after seeing numerous doctors including a GI doctor who perfomed an endoscopy and colonoscopy with biopsies but found nothing.  A new doctor did a stool specimin and found the giardiasis.  I took 4 pills of the tinidazole 5 days ago.  Will this work?  How long does it take?

Thank you

Helen Gista

[mkh9]

Well, Giardia can cause malabsorption of food which causes you to lose weight and it can cause vitamin B12 deficiency. If the parasite it gone then you should start absorbing food correctly now. You may have only had that one parasite. I was just thinking if they hadn't tested you for other parasites if you get a follow up test it wouldn't hurt to check for other parasites. Also, if they didn't test your iron and ferritin it would be good. So whenever you go back to get your B12 and  folic acid check again you might want to ask them about that.

To get tested for hookworm and any of these worms it is a stool sample. You can get a container from the doctor or a the lab may instruct you. The lab  may have used a test like an immunofluorescent or antigen test to check you for Giardia (which was still a stool sample). But they would do a different test where they take the stool sample  where the lab takes the sample and concentrates it and looks under the microscope to see if there are any hookworm or other parasitic eggs. The main thing is to get your B12 back to normal. That is what is causing the numbness in your hands and feet. It is reversible and will come back soon.
mkh9

[otto12]

How do i get tested for hookworm?  I always had an appetitie with the giardiasis but kept losing weight.  My folic acid levels are 6.5 and b12 levels were 276.  My red blood cell count was in the 300's.  which are on the low side of normal so im taking b12 and folic acid but having numbness still in my hands and feet.  after all this time i hope they found the only problem.

Thank you

[mkh9]

Well, you took too many pills at once. The treatment is supposed to be either 1 two gram pill one time which is 80-100% effective or one two gram pill each day over four days which is more effective (almost 100%).I would suggest getting retested a couple of times maybe in a couple weeks then a month to make sure you are clear. As for the anemia, do you know if you have iron deficiency anemia? Did they test your iron level, complete blood count , ferritin etc.? Or did they tell you what type? It depends on what kind of anemia. If you have iron deficiency they can give you iron and test you ever couple of months or once a month until you get to normal. It takes while to get back to normal. they have to test you because if you take too much iron it is very toxic and hard to get rid of. So, it won't happen right away but you will start to feel better within a few weeks to a month. Regarding the weight loss. Do you have an appetite? Did you have a lot of diarrhea with the giardia? I wonder if they missed any other parasites. Some hookworms will also cause anemia and weight loss. That would require different treatment as well. I hope they found everything. That another reason to get a couple of follow up tests to make sure they don't see anything else. If your appetite is good and you don't have diarrhea any more I would start eating well and try to add extra food in even  a protein shake or milk shake in addition to your meals until you get your weight back. I had to do that when I was getting sick a lot and couldn't get my weight up. It seemed to do the trick. Hope this helps.
mkh9

[otto12]

I took the four pills all at once.  I have anemia from having giardiasis so long.  When will i start feeling better?  gaining weight back.  Anemia symptoms, etc.


Thank You

[mkh9]

Yes, the recommendation is one 2 gram pill each day for 3 days. You can actually take 1 pill one time but the results are 80-100% cure so for 3 days the rate of cure is almost 100%. So you should be clear. You took 4 pills over 4 days? That is over the recommended amount. You can get re-tested in a few weeks if you want to make sure you are clear or if you have any symptoms in a few weeks for month. I wouldn't do any retesting now because I would think that any symptoms you may have now might have to do with the antibiotics and shedding of any dead residual Giardia. You may want to take probiotics for 1-2 months. These are over the counter pills of live bacteria at 10 billion copies of Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and a few others to reestablish your normal intestinal flora (bacteria). If they have these in your area. You can also eat 2 yogurts that have live bacteria a day. Hope this helps.