Hi everyone I was wondering if anyone could help ? I had my take down in July 2015 and I keep getting pouchitis I take cipro 500mg for 30days two weeks later I get it back I have never taken anything other then that to take it away and when the pressure gets bad I have to take oxycodone or tramadol and the pressure goes right away its like it relaxes my bowels and I even stop going to the bathroom so often. I feel great other then that how do I get this to go away and stay away? Help
One thing that has been shown to prevent or reduce pouchitis recurrences is VSL #3. It's an expensive, high-potency probiotic. The DS (double strength) form requires a prescription, but is sometimes covered by insurance. I take 4 DS packets/day, which retails for over $600/month, but many people do well with lower doses. VSL kept me off antibiotics for a couple of years.
A very low carbohydrate diet seems to help some folks prevent pouchitis from returning. Some folks have recently posted here about their success with gluten-free diets, but I don't think any scientific research has been done on that.
Finally, some people (like me) have antibiotic-dependent pouchitis, that just won't stay under control unless you stay on antibiotics. A lower dose is often adequate to keep pouchitis away. Many people rotate every 2-3 weeks among different antibiotics, to reduce the risk of your gut bacteria becoming resistant to any one of the antibiotics.