I have to be on a long term antibiotic maintenance dose. I am really worried about the safety issues of these drugs harming my body in various ways. I have heard that some antibiotics are more potent and harmful than others. What are some of the more safer antibiotics for pouchitis and have the least side effects for me to be on long term?

I do not know what the hell I am doing in terms of dosage and antibiotics. My GI did not know anything and just gave me a months worth of flagyl (500 mg) and cipro (500 mg). I already stopped the flagyl because I thought I felt tingling and read the horror stories about peripheal neuropathy on this site. Now, I am just taking cipro. What kind of things happen to the body when a person cannot handle taking cipro?

Honestly, this whole long term antibiotic thing scares the **** out of me, but is the only thing that helps keep me in remission. Please help.

I take Levaquin with no side effects. Good Luck!

I have the same concerns as you. I've been on maintenance Cipro for several months now (only 250mg a day) and have a plan to taper off it, by healthy eating and probiotics. Though I'm not going to rock the boat for the next month since I have a big event late Feb so I'll stay the course until then since I can't afford a pouchitis relapse at the moment!

I am starting to notice some fairly painful 'tendinitis' like symptoms in my right elbow/forearm. Hurts enough to make me drop things and shy away from lifting anything. I'm starting to wonder if Cipro could be playing a part here, since I've always been good joint wise. My left arm is starting to hurt a little too.... and I can't think of a thing I've done to bother them. I am training for a big athletic event, but mainly I'm running several miles a day. My legs are fine, but my arm hurts like crazy!

It's always something it seems.

It's intriguing how some people seem to suffer no serious side effects at all from Cipro or Flagyl, while others are extremely susceptible even to low dosages.
I was on only 125 mg. of Cipro daily (i.e. half a tablet) for the past six weeks or so. Tingling, numbness and some problems which I suspect are the onset of tendonitis showed up quite early on, so now I'm trying once every second day.
My gastroenterologist is also prescribing another drug from the floxacin group, to see if I tolerate it any better.

Ask you doctor to give you xifacan. It is an antibiotic that gets released into your intestines. I need to be on antibiotics as well most probably for the rest of my life. This is the one drug that is the least harmful.
Susan

I would get off the cipro if you are having those side effects...

Please look at this website
www.fqvictims.org

I don't want to scare anyone, but there has to be something in it!?

I did have the tingling problems with long term use and had to stop but aside from that I suffer TERRIBLE yeast infections any time I have to take antiobiotics longer than a week.

Joint/tendon issues are the most commonly sited Cipro side effects. However, you can also suffer from central nervous system issues, something the drs rarely tell you but the manufacturer will. I noted a significant increase in anxiety and other related symptoms the higher my dose went and the longer I was on it. The lower the dose you can be comfortable on the better.

Anyone else taking Xifaxan ? Does it work ?
Any side effects ?
Thanks for any info !

I have no side effects at all from it-no yeast infections either-and have been in remmission now for almost 2 years thanks to it. I take 2 pills 2x a day and am thinking of trying to reduce it further since I just got the vsl double strenght. Even if I have to take just 1 pill a day I would never go off of it-been there-done it-did not work. I expressed my concern to my GI about long term use and her answer was this is the lesser of two evils. At least it just is released into the intestines. I've come to terms with it-it chould be worse-there are other toxic meds out there at least I do not have to take.
Susan