Which antibiotic? Cipro tends to thicken up the stools but xifaxin does not have the same effect on me. Augmentin and flagyl are probably less thickening than cipro. Definitely stop any slowers you are taking like imodium or anti-spasmodics, and take natural laxatives like prune juice or whatever works for you. Also, make sure you are taking plenty of liquids. Good luck.

thanks. waiting to see the doctor on wednesday for an alternative wont create some super bug in me will it? also, is dulcolax ok to relieve constipation?

I would definitely be weary of taking any type of laxitive with a pouch and go with the increased fluids and juices. I think laxitives for us are just too potent, and you don't want to risk becoming dehydrated with an electrolyte imbalance.

its called dulcolax "stool softener" not the laxative. is that ok?

waiting to see the doctor on wednesday for an alternative wont create some super bug in me will it?

I'm on cipro now - it has really thickened things up for me and I wasn't really loose to start with. I'm drinking about a quarter cup of prune juice every couple of hours and that's helping. You may want to give that a try. Grape juice works too. Hope you feel better!

wiggles,

I have taken antibiotics for 17 years to treat pouchitis. I have no superbugs to report to you. I think if you are on antibiotics long term and you rotate the antibiotics, there should not be a problem. If it is short term or one time use, I would not think it is not an issue to worry about. The alternative, untreated pouchitis, is a much more imminent and worrisome problem for your health.

As mentioned above artificial laxatives can create electrolyte imbalances and should be avoided if prune or grape or apple juice does the trick.

but going off after 4 days wont create a chronic situation will it. i stopped yesterday and will see my doc wednesday for an alternative. btw, what is a good alternative to cipro that has less of a chance of causing constipation?

All the antibiotics can cause constipation, since it is the reduction of bacteria that is the cause.

Ducolax or Miralax is fine to take. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids.

Jan

i noticed something very interesting last night. im on a suppository for inflammation of the cuff for a couple weeks and an antibiotic for inflammation of the pouch about a week and during that period it became more and more difficult to pass stool and though i thought it was constipation im thinking its something else. i think the suppositories were helping a bit but when i got on the antibiotic and felt comfortable to start eating real foods. bland but more that just rice i had previously been eating. upon adding these foods i believe it triggered massive inflammation causing me to think it was constipation. ive come to this conclusion because upon adding grape juice my stool thinned out but im still straining sore and throbbing. this is and has been how its been all along while on the suppositories and antibiotics. this was how it was with coltits no matter how much prednisone in was on. the only thing that would stop my inflammation was a strict diet of canned spinach mixed with rice. i so desperately wanted to start eating new foods with this surgery but its seems not to be for me. does anyone have any thoughts because im at a loss and all the docs in my past seem to be as well. i eliminated sugar wheat dairy and on down the line til i was limited to spinach and rice which i am back on as of this morning. i dont know how much more of this i can take and i am willing to listen to anything you may have to offer.

I wouldn't worry about creating an antibiotic-resistant superbug by stopping the Cipro early. It is almost always appropriate to stop a medication that appears to be causing unacceptable side effects, though prompt consultation with the prescriber is a good idea. Antibiotic resistance is real, but more of a public health problem than a personal health problem, and in any case we're not treating straightforward single-bug infections when we take Cipro for pouchitis. Good luck on Wednesday - let us know how it turns out.