Antibiotics impact on digestion

[GKT1969]

hello, I have posted here many times and I am grateful for then advise and suggestions from fellow IBS sufferers. I have over 15 bowel movements daily, they are muddy and substantial. I exist in two states; on the toilet or thinking about going to the toilet. It’s horrible. As you can imaging 8 have had every test and procedure known to man and nothing has ever been found. Until now. I sent samples to an affiliated of the CDC and the tests showed I have mycobacterium Avium complex (MAC] a bacteria that primarily infects the lungs. My wife primary care doctor believes this infection is the root cause of my digestive issues. He prescribed 3 antibiotics taken 7 times every other day for a year. Yikes! I don’t not exhibit any of the primary symptoms caused by MAC so I am concerned this is not related to my IBS. I followed the prescription for a couple of weeks and in this time my stools went from thick and muddy to watery with food particles clearly visible. And the bowel movements are much more difficult to control. My question is has anyone had positive or negative reactions to antibiotics or share my concern about the frequency and length of time for the prescription. Or if my reaction to the antibiotic might actually provides some clues on whether my overall symptoms might indeed be caused by a bacterial infection. Thanks as always for taking the time to read and to respond to my posts

[xjrs]

I can't give advice about that specific bacteria or know all the impacts (apart from Google search). All I can say is that if you do need to be on antibiotics at any time to take saccharomyces boulardii to protect your microbiome at the same time as the antibiotics since they won't be affected by the antibiotics as they are a beneficial yeast. You can also take probiotics at least 2 hours away from each antibiotic dose. Normally I wouldn't treat dysbiois with antibiotics and just use a good probiotic for IBS like Alflorex, but MAC may have different requirements.

[Hidden]

Your situation sounds horrendous, and I can imagine how unpleasant it must be for you! You don’t state whether this infection is the result of occupational exposure, or whether hobby-related, or whether you’re immuno-compromised. You also don’t clarify whether you are under close supervision by your physician, hopefully a specialist since your anti tubercular treatment would warrant specialist initiation, as it’s potent and has to be taken for some time, or whether further stool samples have been sent to exclude a superinfection with something such as C. Difficile. I agree with the suggestion of a probiotic, Alflorex. It is a good candidate, but on the basis that you’re not immuno-compromised, and after you have had advice from the doctor. It’s also worth using Lambert’s Acidophilus Extra 10, which is sold in the UK, and is recommended by Professor John Hunter of Cambridge in England. Beware the claims of some probiotic purveyors.

One measure you might try is Enterosgel which is available in the States, and is used to reduce symptoms of infective diarrhoea. It’s an adsorbing agent and won’t affect your gut microbiome. It certainly might give you instant relief and reduce stool frequency. Good luck!

[Luisa22]

If you are unsure of the diagnosis or treatment I wonder if you could get a second opinion?

I can't answer your main question, as I don't know enough about the infection or about the "extreme" antibiotic course. But have you tried taking Saccharomyces Boulardii, which is a single strain probiotic, and supposed to be good for treating antibiotic-caused diarrhoea?

You might already have tried it, and maybe it didn't help before? But I hope that might help right now perhaps.

[MistyDay]

I just read your post, and then read your previous posts. I had something very similar, but I was not tested for a specific bacteria. It had a huge negative impact on my life. A few courses of antibiotics sorted it for me. However it has returned a few times over the years. A few courses of antibiotics are then needed again. It has left me with a long and loopy bowel.