5 month antibiotic use and horrible everything

Hello: 

I have had multiple uti’s with 3 different pathogens since jumping at the end of January this year.  I had only had 2 uti’s in my entire life prior to tolerance and w/d and protracted and I am very middle aged. I think my body began to fall apart after the first few rounds.  I took a large quantity of probiotics (per the health store owner) and had a severe reaction. I have had about 5 different antibiotics in 10-12 courses over the last 5 months.  I am getting sicker and sicker.  I have now been diagnosed with IC.  I have recurring bladder infections, depression, lower pelvic pain, urgency and now hopelessness.  I did a very long and steady taper and was feeling like my old self for 6 weeks prior to jumping.  I think this would not have spiraled out of control if I had not been shifted from one doctor to another and had not had antibiotics when there was no infection.  I can no longer tell the difference. I have not had good results with supplements though I have bought many of them.  I know the antibiotics are killing me but I do have bacterial infections.

 

I do not mean to be sharp and unkind, but I am so fragile that all comments have a very big effect on me.

 

Things that will not help and upset me:

Advice on uti’s such as cranberry juice, drinking a lot of water, probiotics.

Adding more things for me to worry and obsess about.

If you have not had this, and offer “to-do’s”.

Scaring me about my situation.

 

Things that I am looking for to make it through another day:

Positive comments.

Any reassurance that I will heal though I am still on antibiotics and anti-fungal.

Someone with a “success story” from a situation similar to mine.

Hope.

 

Thank you so much.  I really appreciate the people who are faithful to Benzo Buddies and try to help others.  No one else in the world understands this.  I know many people who would be a help to those of us suffering just cannot bear to come back. I do not blame them.

Which antibiotics?!

 

I am very nervous to hear the answer to this. You've probably been floxed.

you gut is messed up. antibiotics destroy both the good and bad bacteria. .

What antibiotics were you on?  Certain antibiotics are more likely to cause an anxiety reaction.

 

I was getting recurring UTIs during withdrawal (never had one before in my life).  They did seem to settle down, and I haven't had another one in 5 months.  I would have bladder pain and actually urinate blood, but this too has stopped completely.  Things will get better over time, I promise!

 

That being said, I know you said not to mention supplements, but I would like to mention one that helped me when I was getting recurrent UTIs during withdrawal: D-Mannose.  There is actual scientific evidence backing this up (one medical study shows that it actually treats UTIs better than the antibiotic macrobid).  D-mannose is a sugar, but I don't believe it affects blood sugar.  It can cause some serious digestive cramping, so that is something to note (the first few times I used it, I was in quite a bit of pain for about an hour, but it was still better than the pain from the UTI.  I learned to take a smaller dose more often to reduce discomfort).  Anytime I start to feel an uncomfortable feeling, like a UTI may be starting again, or I am getting bladder pressure, I use this.  I apologize if you tried it, I know there are so many "natural" cures for UTIs, but this one really does have some evidence backing it up.  Of course, this does not replace doctors treatments if it doesn't clear up for some reason, but I have not had to use antibiotics again.  (which could just be due to healing and time, also).

Hi

Which antibiotic you use for UTI?

I didn’t get UTI but I’ve got 3 yeast infection and one BV within a year never had so many infections in my life but it did stop haven’t get any infection for a while now ,infections unfortunately one of the withrawal symptoms cause GABA receptors effect our immune cells and we tend to get a lot of infections we previously didn’t have

I took clindomycin and use monistat first time I was ok on them second time I have had a really bad reaction to them I started to getting new symptoms and was bedridden for about 2 to 3 months

Antibiotics are not good for us during this,they sometimes have bad effect on healthy people too for us with such a sensitive CNS we are gonna have reactions to them caused us setbacks

It’s very important you should not use Floroquinolon antibiotics they are replacing benzo from the receptors doesn’t matter how many UTI you have need to ask your doctor to give you alternative antibiotic for that

benzos mess up the gut. they cause histamine intolerance. that and the antibiotics made things worse.  then the probiotics.

 

the best probiotics to take are the ones that are antihistamine.  you cant even eat ferments for they are high in histamine.

 

look up probiotics for histamine intolerance.

 

 

 

 

 

I had SO MANY UTIS for a few years actually, I was not even tapering per se, but I was taking benzos as needed and I do think they are what caused a lot of my problems.  I was actually having a LOT of pain when I peed, mostly at the end of me peeing.  It was terrible.  I also would get spasms.  Horrible, painful spams of the urethra.  I was sure there was some nasty infection or something.

 

I kept going to the doctor about it and he started sending my pee in to be cultured and sometimes the doctor's would call and tell me that I needed different antibiotics, or that the ones I had were fine, and sometimes they were tell me to stop, because I had no infection.  I was getting more no infection calls then not, and I went back to the doc so confused.  I had been told so many times that if there was pain when you pee, it was an infection.  Well, come to find this is not always true. 

 

I think my problem was mostly not infections and in hindsight, I think I took a bunch of unnecessary antibiotics.  I found out that many people were able to heal from a UTI in a week without any antibiotics.  And a lot of times, my pain, was not even an infection.  It was something else, like a spasm, or a strained muscle.  I do think I strained the peeing muscle more than once, trying to get the pee out at the end.

 

I don't have a solution or anything, but I do remember UTIs and pain and problems with this and it was terrible.  One thing I do differently now, is I do not rush to the doctor when I have pain, and I try to relax to make any spasms disappear.  I also DO NOT STRAIN when I pee.  I will go and drink MORE water to make my pee come out easier. 

 

Since those horrid years of UTIs, I actually have had only one in the last 6 years.  The first one I got was spurred on my sex with a new boyfriend, so in my mind, I do think I associated him with that pain.  LOL.  Well he is long gone and so are the UTIs so I guess we will never know. 

 

I do think benzos can make this stuff worse too and even cause pain the feels the same as UTI pain.  Any muscle that was once relaxed by a benzo, will become tighter and tense during withdrawal.  During this time period, I also had tons of bad reactions from different antibiotics.  I found amoxicillin the safest one for me, though I know they say it won't work on some bacteria.  I also found that I still got better even on "the wrong" antibiotic, so if that means I would have healed without antibiotics, I don't know.  Maybe.

 

OMG I have just written a book about me and UTIs.  LOL. 

I have been on macrobid, keflex, ampicillin, cipro (I know all about this.  It started my whole tolerance... I followed an urologist orders because I didn't know it would matter after I was completely off the drug), flagyl and also fluconazole for yeast.  I have seen my gyn, my internist, and on my second urologist because the first was horrible.

 

GreenCup, you are the most like me except for age probably. Thanks.  I hate that misery loves company.  I hope everyone feels better.

 

I finished the last medicine yesterday for Bacterial Vaginosis and a yeast infection.

 

Oddly enough, the BV was lactobilicillus (?) which was in the probiotic I had been taking.  I have stopped the probiotic because of this.

 

I tried to fix myself again last night and took D-mannose and also a Vitamin C supplement that had other things in it: Vit A, E, D and Zinc.  I don't recall ever feeling this flu-like, depressed, anxious inside, lifeless.  But in my taper, I did have windows even if they took weeks and weeks.  I have had only one window in the 5 months since I finished a 14 month taper and started this uti stuff.

 

Today, I am worse than I have ever been.  I gave another urine sample at the urologist's this morning and couldn't get hardly any out. The experience was not a good one for me in this state.

 

By worse, I mean my withdrawal.  I don't know how I can live like this.  I am so sad, disconnected, hopeless, and tired.  I think the infections and/or antibiotics or probiotics is making me in acute acute withdrawal.  I don't want to live like this.  I have not slept many hours since Feb.  Is there hope for me?  The success stories do not make me feel better any more.  They seem so different than me. 

 

I think I am in protracted withdrawal. 

 

I hope with all of my heart that each of you feels better.

Don't get too beat up over this wave.  I am 20 months off, but anytime I got hit with a UTI or yeast infection (happened repeatedly for several months) my withdrawal symptoms went crazy, even kicking up ones that were gone for months.  Just having your immune system set off, even by something small like a yeast infection or UTI, can seriously increase symptoms.  Fortunately, things do usually settle back down once the infection has cleared up.  What you are feeling now is NOT how you are going to feel long term.

Forget about benzos, or your gut.  Both cipro and flagyl cause neurotoxicity. I am sorry to tell you about this.  You might want to check a support group for floxies for methods to help you heal.  Replenishing intracellular magnesium levels is critical. I'm not trying to scare you but point you in the right direction for actual support so you are not endlessly on Benzo Buddies chasing a ghost.

You are only five months off.  That's a significant investment of time but still early. Withdrawal symptoms can still be very severe and they wax and wane.  And I would not get too rattled about the antibiotics, even the cipro.  I was floxxed and I am healing. And many others are too.  it's just like with kindling -- many people have kindled and are recovering. I understand you feel worse since taking these antibiotics but people take antibiotics in withdrawal and do fine.  we often try to figure out why we feel better or worse in benzo wd and usually the causal connection to something is not as strong as we might think.  yes, things can be triggers for feeling worse but the obsession we engage in is worse than the triggers.  I say this from my experience.

 

 

I know you are feeling awful.  This will not last forever.

 

 

Carol

I noticed that you also mentioned diflucan (flucanazole) for yeast.  I actually stopped using this and switched to a cream because apparently this also contains fluoride (the chemical that makes cipro so dangerous for the nervous system).  It can also trigger anxiety, and because of the way it is metabolized, it can seriously cause other medications to build up in your system.

 

As another member said, flagyl also can cause neurological symptoms.  It retriggered my burning skin/neuropathy, and even made it start in places I hadn't yet had it.

Thanks.  It helps to know that someone else has these problems.  I have a lot of trouble finding things on this website.  And i am so fearful of what people will say to scare me more.  I don’t know how to find the thread you mentioned about antibiotics.  Mostly i hear don’t use them!  I would love to not use them!  Now i have been diagnosed with IC.

 

I did not sleep at all last night and was really bad.  I took Allicin and a probiotic yesterday because I understand the effects of antibiotics on my recovery but I have actual infections that cause other infections.  It seems that anything I try ...medicine or at-home remedies... for the uti’s, bacterial vaginosis, and yeast infections makes me worse in every way.  I am physically sick and full blown acute.  I am in a constant state of fear as to what will happen next.  I actually do not know if I can do this.  My husband is doing everything he can but I am ruining his life.

 

I am posting because my husband hears this 24/7 and he will go crazy.  No one else understands this in my life or they are far away.

 

I want to break the infection cycle.  I feel doomed if I don’t.

I had some nasty effects from the antibiotics but I have since recovered from that.  I would definitely stay away from cipro and any of the flouroquinones.  Also, since you mention yeast infection medicine, I have to tell, that I also had some terrible effects from those as well.  I found that using yogurt and cranberry juice was the best thing for me.

 

I was almost diagnosed with IC, in fact, a nurse at the hospital told me I probably had it and to bring it up with my primary care doc, but after that, I stopped treating pain when I peed as any kind of emergency. 

 

When I say I had a "bad" effect from miconazole, I do mean, nausea, dizziness,  vomiting, feeling hot,  and just feeling very sick to my stomach and anxious and not able to do much else.  This would happen right after the dose, and last about a day.  It started off not very obvious, but with each dose, it got worse.  It was the same with the antibiotics, it would get worse each time I took them, and even if I was fine with an antiobiotic once, the side effects would get worse the next time I had them and just keep increasing.