Yeast Overgrowth

[carrie235]

Good Afternoon everyone,

Although I'm not having any problems, I'm a little worried about having a yeast overgrowth problem with being on all these antibiotics.

I am taking Florastor morning and night with my meds like my LLMD suggested.  I am not taking any refrigerated or other probiotics because he said they don't go together with the antibiotics.

I like to have a cup of coffee in the morning (decaf) and I just can't live without my glass of red wine when I get home from work each evening.  I really don't consume a lot of sugar and otherwise, eat a pretty healthy diet with lots of green smoothies and I've been juicing and adding garlic cloves.  I am gluten/dairy free as well.  I do also like my occasional 100 calorie Trader Joes chocolate bar.

Do you foresee a problem with what I've described?  I know that Jackie experienced a problem, but is it a real often occurring problem for us on all these antibiotics?

Thank you.

Carrie

[carrie235]

Thanks Jackie!!!!

[JackieCalifornia]

Carrie,

I think the problem was specific to me.  The idea behind Florastor (S. boulardii) is that the 'good yeast' it provides crowds out the badness that can arrive after antibiotics wipe everything out, both good AND bad bacteria.  The good yeast can stand guard against the bad bacteria and keep it from taking over.  (In my case, I think because I have a family/genetic susceptibility to yeast infections  [-- long story that's unclear even to me --], the Florastor just took over and didn't know when to stop because my body didn't tell it to.  My doc said he had NEVER seen that happen before, and he's a smart guy.)

So you're doing what you're supposed to, and you sound like you keep a good diet, so I wouldn't worry.  The signs I didn't know to watch for were [1] foggy headedness (like with Lyme, but worse ... I just didn't think it was odd, but then I was ... foggy) and [2] gut bloating and swelling, as in stabbing pains across the waistline.  I was so dull-witted I didn't think of it as a particular problem, and neither did the gastroenterologist I went to see.

The risks of C. difficile bacterial infection from long term antibiotics are far more serious than the risks of a systemic yeast infection, and C. difficile is far more likely to occur than a yeast infection like I got.  I'd suggest you just tuck the possibility in the back of your mind, and if your jeans get 4 sizes too small around the waist in a short period of time, think about this email.  Otherwise, no problem!!!  

You sound like you're doing well -- so keep on keeping on.  J.