Throat Clearing after Flagyl

[carrie235]

Hi Everyone:  It's been a long time since on this board.  My LLMD put me on Flagyl at the beginning of January.  I also had a bad cold at the time.  I stayed on the med for about 17 days and because of stomach issues, went off the meds.  However, for the last month, I've had a problem with needing to clear my throat along with a sore throat.  

My GI doc gave me nasal spray (which I did but know I shouldn't have because it's a steriod).  I did that but am still having issues.  So, I started googling and now I think I have a condition called LPR (it's a reflux into the throat).  I'm basially freaking out about this because from most of what I've read, this could be a lifelong condition and I'm very upset about this.  I'm taking two prilosec a day and it's still not helping with the throat irritation.

Has anyone had this problem.  Please help.

Thanks.

Carrie

[JackieCalifornia]

Thanks for your comments --

Let us know how your LLMD appointment goes, okay?  Fingers crossed (X)!

[Valkyrie568]

I don't know if the steroids in the nasal spray would cause heartburn, but I do know that Prednisone causes it. I was given a steroid shot, and two ten day courses of Prednisone in August after a bug bite and 2 months of hives. (I didn't know anything about Lyme's at the time) I had heartburn for the first time in my life. 3 pregnancies and a steady diet of spicy food and I had never had it before. It went away shortly after I quit taking the Prednisone and the shot was finally out of my system.

Now if only the MS like symptoms would go away!! I am anxiously awaiting my April 25 appt. with an LLMD!

[JackieCalifornia]

Well, this won't help the inflammation, but it will stop the pain and not chew up your stomach:  tylenol with codeine.  Docs are terrified of prescribing it these days since the Feds decided nobody deserved anything stronger than aspirin, but a few days' worth should not be unreasonable to prescribe.  Real pain needs real meds.

Wishing you the best -- hang in there --

[mkh9]

Hi Jackie,
thanks for your concern about the NSAID's. I am concerned as well. I do take tylenol as well. I have so many bad reactions to drugs that it is a hard recovery. I had to take the Ibupropin for my dental surgery because at the time I was taking oral lamisil for my toe fungus for three months. I was told not to take the Tylenol at that time and so I am recovering. However, I have a dental implant coming up and the oral surgeon (different one) knows about the stomach issues but said that the main pain is going to be from inflammation so he is going to give me high dose Ibupropin but only for two days. I try to stay away from it and use Tylenol at about 1500-2000mg/day on my bad days. I don't know what else to do at this point.
mkh9

[mkh9]

Hi and yes it stopped my stomach pain and cough. I haven't really have the cough back since but I still get the stomach pain every time I take Ibupropin for a week or two. I only do this when I have to.  Celebrex, or naproxin and they don't work for my pain and also Celebrex also gives me insomnia after a couple of days on it. Anyway, I hope you recover soon and if you switch to Zantac I would probably take it a month longer than your symptoms last.  I do know what you mean about getting everything at once. I was perfectly healthy and was jogging, hiking in the rocky moutains, playing advanced tennis and working, and then I got tendonitis and lost my job as a microbiologist, got the reflux, then I got a back injury, and a arrythmia from taking a muscle relaxer for back pain (Flexeril) then toe surgery. I sometimes feel like I'm falling apart but I am recovering slowly. Oh well, you have to be strong in this life.
mkh9

[carrie235]

MHK:  You said that you stopped taking the Zantac after 3 months because it healed your cough.  Is that right?  I am hoping that I will only have to be on the meds for a couple of months to heal my throat and that the problem will subside.  I understand you are back on now because of aspirin but how long had you been off the Zantac for and in remission of you symptoms?

Jackie:  Yes, I've noticed a BIG flair in my twitching symptoms since taking the nasal spray.  I'm hoping that it starts going away soon.  

I'm just very upset with this new problem.  Why can't I just get healthy and stay that way.  I was feeling so good and now this has really thrown me for a loop.  I wish I'd never taken that flagyl.

Jackie, in all the time you've been on this forum or others, have you ever heard of anyone with the whole throat clearing issue like me who got overit and recovered?

Thank you.

[JackieCalifornia]

"I get stomach pain every time I take Ibuprofen" -- it's harsh stuff for some people!  Aspirin is also hard on the stomach, but Tylenol is not.  Tylenol doesn't have the same anti-inflammatory ability, but I would try really hard to find meds that don't chew up your stomach.  

The following is from medicinenet [dot] com:

"What are the side effects of NSAIDs?

"NSAIDs are associated with several side effects. The frequency of side effects varies among NSAIDs. The most common side effects are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, decreased appetite, rash, dizziness, headache, and drowsiness. NSAIDs may also cause fluid retention, leading to edema. The most serious side effects are kidney failure, liver failure, ulcers and prolonged bleeding after an injury or surgery.

"Some individuals are allergic to NSAIDs and may develop shortness of breath when an NSAID is taken. People with asthma are at a higher risk for experiencing serious allergic reaction to NSAIDs. Individuals with a serious allergy to one NSAID are likely to experience a similar reaction to a different NSAID.

"... NSAIDs may increase the risk of potentially fatal, stomach and intestinal adverse reactions (for example, bleeding, ulcers, and perforation of the stomach or intestines). These events can occur at any time during treatment and without warning symptoms. Elderly patients are at greater risk for these adverse events. NSAIDs (except low dose aspirin) may increase the risk of potentially fatal heart attacks, stroke, and related conditions. ..."

Soooo, do you HAVE to take ibuprofen/NSAIDs?  Will Tylenol work?  

You also say:  "I am back on Zantac again because of Ibupropin. It is the only thing that works for inflammation for me so I have to take it for short times for dental and back problems."  Do you have dental inflammation?  If not, why take an anti-inflammatory like Ibuprofen?  And if your back problems are not inflammatory in nature, then (again), why take Ibuprofen?

If painkiller is what you need, Tylenol does that without the stomach irritation.

===================
About that steroid inhaler:  steroids are the wrong thing to take if you have Lyme or other bacterial infections, because steroids suppress the immune system and let the bacteria run wild.  Steroids are generally a no-no in Lyme.  Non-LLMDs don't usually recognize that Lyme can be a longtime infection and so they aren't concerned about suppressing your immune system.  They don't mean harm, they just don't realize they are *doing* harm.  I'm NOT medically trained, but there's my 2 cents.

[carrie235]

Thank you.  I don't get the cough...just really bad nasal drainage in the mornings into my throat and then as the day goes on, I feel like my throat is burning or hurts or is sore...I really cannot tell.  

Can you tell me why you can't take Prilosec?  I can't take anything stronger than this because it literally shuts down my stomach and makes everything ten times worse!  I'm almost wondering if I have LOW stomach acid....?  

Thanks again.

[mkh9]

p.s. I can't take those steroid inhalers either it really makes me feel terrible. I refuse to take them even if I have a ear problem like fluid on the ear I just take Benedryl. I can't take the pseudofed either makes me feel terrible too.
mkh9

[mkh9]

Hi, and sorry I am taking Zantac 150. But I got the generic one which is much less.  My family practice doc diagnosed me. He has it and noticed I have a morning cough. I don't have any other symptoms except sometimes I feel saliva or stomach fluid coming up my throat once in a while. I didn't get it following antibiotics I just have it. I had to get an upper GI because I was taking Ibupropin and I got stomach pain and the doctor thought I had an ulcer. I didn't have an ulcer the scan showed  I had the Thoat type of reflux. It doesn't cause that big of a problem except I get stomach pain every time I take Ibupropin and I cough in the morning. Zantac has helped. I actually only took it for about 3 months and the it has calmed down the coughing. I mostly don't feel acid reflux or GERD, at all.  I am back on Zantac again because of Ibupropin. It is the only thing that works for inflammation for me so I have to take it for short times for dental and back problems. No my throat isn't sore. So most of the time it doesn't bother me too much.
mkh9

[carrie235]

Where do you get the Zantac500?  I've only seen it in 75 and 150?  Do you have constant throat clearing and is your throat sore?  Do you think an ABX brought this on for you?  Did you see an ENT and get confirmed LPR?  Do you feel that you have GERD or other heartburn symptoms?

Sorry for so many questions.

Thank you.

[JackieCalifornia]

May I ask what antibiotic you were on when this condition began?  Thanks for your post.

[mkh9]

Hi, and I have the same problem. I use Zantac as I can't take prilosec. I take two a day of the Zantac 500. If you have no other drug interactions ask your doctor if you can cut out the prilosec and switch to Zantac and see if that helps. I sometimes cough in the morning too. It comes and goes but I will have it for life too. I developed it in my 40's. I don't know what caused my problem so I'm not sure if the antibiotic caused it or not. My doctor also has the same problem.

[JackieCalifornia]

Hey, been thinking about you, sorry you've got this new thing to deal with.

I just did some reading on LPR at entnet [dot] org, and it has a good overview of what could cause it.

It sounds like you may think the condition came on as a result of the Flagyl -- did the GI doc say it could be connected?  

And/or:  Since you're having sinus issues (?), did the GI doc say there could be a connection between the sinus situation and stomach/throat?  If you've got irritation, inflammation, infection, whatever in your sinuses, they drain down your throat and could be irritating your stomach and esophagus maybe.  Sound far fetched?  (When I was a kid, my smaller sibling had chronic post nasal drip that caused her to wake up barfing EVERY night from the post nasal drip.  It happens.)

And of course there's our old nemesis, Lyme.  Flagyl can be rough on the body, I think, so maybe there's a connection there.  In any event, given that Lyme is an overarching infection that messes with everything, I'd go see the Lyme doc and tell him everything you said up above, including about the steroids, and see if he sees a connection.  Other docs, as we all know too too well, are not good at the Big Picture thing.

And anyway, if the LLMD had you on Flagyl that you've stopped, you maybe oughta circle back around with him on that too, just to not lose ground.  LLMDs are SO much better at big picture connectivity, in my experience, but they have their blind spots too.  But I'd def. go see the Lyme doc.

Take care, let us know how you do and what you find out, okay?