I had oral surgery yesterday and the antibiotic is making me ill, I think. I had to get up several times during the night with vomiting and diarrhea following 2 doses of Augmentin (Amoxicillan = penicillin + Clavulanate). I took this same drug following my first oral surgery - before being diagnosed with PMR - and had no issues that I can recall. I’ve been “off pred” for 3 months now.
Anyone else with PMR have problems with antibiotics?
Thanks.
That seems a bit extreme for a common antibiotic you have had before. Thank goodness it doesn't have that effect on OH - he practically lives on it!!
However - more seriously, could it be coincidence? But if you need the antibiotic you need to speak to your dentist - because you can't be keeping it down long enough for it to get into your system.
Are you taking it with a meal? That might help if you haven't been.
Small meal. Lukewarm broth soup, string cheese, and half a banana with first dose, and Cream O’ Wheat instant cereal before 2nd dose.
Nausea set in about two hours after 1st dose, but I didn’t vomit till bedtime, maybe 3 hours after 2nd dose. Diarrhea started at 2am when I got up to throw up again, and my last vomitting was at 7am.
Haven’t taken another dose yet. Have had 1/2 banana and lukewarm peppermint tea while waiting for oral surgeon to call back. No more vomitting and diarrhea has tapered (empty gut?), and I’m getting a mite peckish at the moment. Hope he calls soon.
Besides the amox-Clavulanate caplets, I’m also using an antibacterial mouthwash.
Well why not simply change the antibiotic with your doctors help ? It may just be a reaction you are having to this particular antibiotic.
Done. And seems to be helping.
Good to know ! Anything that will bring down suffering in our clan , makes us all immensely happy 
How are you feeling today, did the Dental Surgeon ring you back? x
Sounds like a change of antis needed.....chase it if you haven’t heard as you need the treatment..
Your vomiting and diarrhea may not be because of an infection if it is in the first 48 hours and the drug was given as a precaution to infection .
Some people can have vomiting and diarrhea from the surgery itself because they have swallowed some blood or because of after effects from the anaesthesic.
If you have been vomiting you probably haven't absorbed that much of the antibiotic which could undermine the effect of the dose , or mean you have received a reduced course of antibiotics which could mean you need more medication.
Of course , it could also be an allergic reaction or intolerance which has occured since being on steroids. Penicillin intolerance can happen after years of using it effectively for many reasons.
Whatever the cause vomiting and diarrhea after any form of surgery , including oral work , should be reported immediately by phone to the dentist or GP and you should get to speak to them either in a clinic appointment or by phone to discuss what has happened and get the right medical advice. Please don't leave it , call today!
In relation to the effectiveness of antibiotics on steroids , although you are no longer on Pred , depending on how long you were on steroids it may still be having an effect on your overall system.
Steroid use can do two things that do not stop the effectiveness of antibiotics but may change the dose you require , the length of the course and what you need to do to prevent other issues.
Steroids reduce your immunity , so the length of course required to get rid of an infection is usually longer and dose of antibiotics often higher to take account of this.
A course of antibiotics is often given as a preventative measure if you have surgery while on steroids because of your reduced immune system , to stop an infection occurring, and that course , as long as it works is usually a standard course.
Steroids also affect your sugar/ insulin balance , and this also takes time to readjust after steroid use.
If you take antibiotics it can cause a greater possibility of a fungal infections , like thrush , especially if you had oral surgery , in the mouth.
This possibility is made more likely from the effect of the steroids.
Therefore , some useful things to do to try to prevent or reduce this are:
Drink and swill your mouth with warm green tea ( any unsweetened flavour ) , ginger tea before bed is also good , they both clean out the mouth and have antiviral properties.
Eat probiotic yoghurt with a half teaspoon of Manuka honey and allow it to coat your mouth for a while a couple of times a day , then swill with the tea again.
A garlic and a vitamin C supplement can help ward off infection too.
Drinking sparkling mineral water during and after a meal is better than cleaning your teeth because it removes foods but allows the good bacteria to work on anything in your mouth.
When you do brush gargle with mouthwash before brushing and use dental floss before mouthwash very , very gently over your tongue ( don't dig in you are removing stuff on it only) from back to front to remove any residue or the beginnings of any possible infection.
All of these tips are good ways to prevent fungal infections in the mouth and stomach , but will also clear it quicker if it happens.
Hope you feel better soon , and don't forget ring for that medical support today. xx
Thanks for all the helpful advice.
There was no blood in the vomit, so I assume the antibiotic was solely responsible. I read about amox-Clavulanate, and found that the Clavulanate portion is what causes stomach issues. So after speaking with the surgery office, I switched to plain amoxicillin and two doses later, no nausea. I am still using the prescription antibacterial mouthwash, also.
Will have to dig out my tongue scraper. Can’t floss yet because my mouth is too small to allow both hands into it to work the floss in without overly stretching the surgical site, but I am using a dental pick where I can.
Glad to hear ,
The floss is for gently cleaning your tongue in this case rather than the normal flossing between your teeth.
I have found it can get debris off quicker without having to open the mouth as wide as with a tongue scraper , plus because it's light it doesn't make you gag the way a scraper does when pushing near the back . Useful if you have an upset stomach.
You get quite a loose loop between two fingers and sort of going the loop back , straighten it to cover the tongue in a loose line then gently move it forward without pushing in.
Hope you feel better soon x
I had a reaction with nitrofurantoin ( I think that’s the spelling?) when I was on Pred and lefludomide but I thought it was the lefludomide. It’s now on my records that I will not take that antibiotic. I had D&S and also had hallucinations.
Update. After call to surgery, drug switched to plain amoxicillin and no more nausea.
I hope all the vomiting and spitting didn’t disturb the surgical site!
At the follow up appt, the oral surgeon was pleased with my progress in healing. But he also seemed surprised about my travails with the antibiotic he prescribed. Seems the surgical assistant forgot to mention it.
I was prescribed Augmentin once, and will never take it again. I usually don't have bad reactions to antibiotics, but this one was horrible. I had severe diarrhea after the first dose. I'm also on Prednisone for PMR, but I don't think there's a connection. I can take other antibiotics (while on Prednisone) without severe side effects. For me anyway, it's just Augmentin. I think it's really hard on the digestive system.
I took augmentin for my last extraction (pre-PMR, pre-pred), and had no issues with it. Took me by surprise this time (post-PMR, post-Pred).
Won’t take it again! But amoxicillin was just fine.
I can really empathise! Have you considered alternatives to antibiotics?
I'm having a tooth extracted tomorrow but will not be taking antibiotics if I can possibly avoid them.
The alternative treatments are certainly more of a palaver in many ways but they don't make me feel ill - quite the reverse. I do have to pay for them - financially that is - but I've worked SO hard and very successfully on improving and balancing this body's microbiome and bacterial health, in order to minimise the damaging effects of both Pred and PMR itself, that I seriously do NOT want to screw it all up now with antibiotics!
I know this is a very sensitive topic and of course we don't all see things the same way but that's my two-penn'orth!
Wishing you well and I hope you find the right solution for you asap...🤞😊
No worries. In the interim, I’ve had a 2nd oral surgery, and successfully took Amoxicillin post-implant. No side effects, not even a little “runs” which typically occurs when an antibiotic messes with your gut flora.
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