Taking An Antibiotic When You Have IBS with Diarrhea

By Sharnon

1 min read

Here I am, sick again, UGH. Doc says it's an Acute Sinus Infection. So he has prescribed Amoxicillin with Augmentin. The patient leaflet says that "diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting" can be some of the side effects. He knows I have IBS with diarrhea, yet he prescribes this to me.....sigh.

Flares caused by antibiotic

I had hoped against hope that I would be able to take it without any "issues". But on the 2nd day, the flare started. I waited one more day before calling the Doc, thinking maybe it was just the IBS alone. When I had the same issue for 2 days in a row, I called his office.
The patient leaflet had said not to take anything for diarrhea should it occur without first calling your Doc. I was told to take Imodium AD.

I am still having the issue intermittently, and I am also having stomach pains and bloating. Two more days to go before the course of antibiotics will be finished. And I'm wondering then what. Sometimes I think Docs either don't care or just don't get it about suffering with IBS. Anyone else???

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grammadee101 Member
There is a probiotic that I take everytime I have to take antibiotics. It helps to prevent the diarrhea caused by the antibiotics. It can also help prevent C-diff according to a gastro I saw once. it is Saccharomyces Boulardii CNCM I-745. It can be expensive, but I have used the store brand and it worked just as well. 
1. Janlove Member
 <inline-mention username="Karina" user-id="2303467"/> yes I did. Thank God it I did not come back a third time.
2. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Janlove" user-id="6612105"/> I'm sorry you had to go through it twice! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with this. Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)
Karina Moderator & Contributor
<inline-mention username="Sharnon" user-id="4202336"/> I'm so sorry that the antibiotic affected you so badly. I live in France where doctors are known for prescribing antibiotics for anything and everything, and I've noticed with my son that Amoxicillin and Augmentin can be terrible for the GI tract. We once ended up at the hospital because he had horrendous diarrhea and dehydration after 2 days on it. As Amoxicillin often seems to be the first choice, we now always say that he's allergic and ask for a different antibiotic when needed, and he never had such a bad reaction to other antibiotics... I'm just trying to say that if it doesn't work for you, maybe there are other antibiotics that would have less of an effect on your IBS if you ever need one again? I really hope that you're feeling better now. All the best, Karina (team member)
NKP-919 Member
I’ve had similar experience except I’ve been off the antibiotics for 2 weeks now and seems like my trigger foods are even more triggering right now. Guess the gut has to reset. 
1. Karina Moderator & Contributor
 <inline-mention username="Daisy-919" user-id="8845294"/> I'm so sorry that the antibiotic is still affecting you. It makes sense though that the microbiome is still impacted. Maybe you could ask your local pharmacist to recommend a probiotic to help reset your gut? I've done that the last time I had to take antibiotics and it helped a bit. Wishing you quick relief, Karina (team member)