Pepto Bismo

Good news :-) I have been switched over to PB for months now after 2 1/2 years rotating antibiotics. Works pretty well for me as long as I do decrease my simple sugar intake some. My GI agrees that long term, it is much better to be on PB than antibiotics.

I am interested in trying this for my son. Are you both still on Pepto Bismal continually or do you rotate antibiotics? Have you experienced any side effects from Pepto? Also does it bring down inflammation markers the way cipro does? SO far cipro is the only drug that helps frequency and lowers inflammation markers ( crp and sed rate) for my son. Thank you.

I have been off antibiotics for about 1/2 a year now. The PB has been great to me! Cipro worked very well while I was using it, but honestly, I get almost the same effects from the PB. I'm not familiar with the inflammation markers you are referring to, but I'm assuming my inflammation and bacteria count are down or I wouldn't be doing so well.

Thanks! Do you take Pepto Bismal everyday and what dosage works for you?

I take 2 tablets in the morning and 2 before bed every day. I often forget the ones in the morning before I leave for work. My frequency is definitely better the days I remember to take twice a day. I would suggest you not take the chewables unless you need to since they turn your tongue black.

I am so glad to hear about PB helping you so much. I am currently on my first round ever of Flagyl. It has made everything so much better. I have been taking 5-6 Imodium a day since takedown. After taking Flagyl for 4 days I am not having to take any Imodium. I am concerned about going back to my old normal after these 10 days. I am definitely going to give the PB a try.

quote:

I am not having to take any Imodium

JulieB,

As you know, I am just like you! I have not taken lomotil and bentyl for the past 2 days while on Flagyl (just to see if any frequency / spasms return) and I am doing just fine with Flagyl only. And "Wah Lah", my dizziness has subsided too!

I know this is an old thread, but the Pepto Bismol title caught my eye. CAUTION - it is not safe to take this stuff continuously.

My experience is this. I took 1/2 the max daily dose (I was taking the Pepto max liquid) for 18 months. It worked beautifully and I could eat almost anything I wanted. After 18 months I started feeling off and then I started slurring my words here and there. I went to my doc and asked him to check me for Bismuth poisoning (dont ask me how I knew - I just did). He found a lab that could do the test. The results showed I had over 10x the safe limit in my system and I was indeed suffering from heavy metal poisoning. The first stage is minor (what I had), next comes seizures, followed by coma and death. Needless to say my doc said I had to stop taking PB or I would end up dead. He also said (as did by GI), that I was the first case of PB poisoning he had ever experienced or indeed ever even heard of....
PB is a silver bullet. My advise is to save it for special occasions (like when you want to go to a wedding or something and be able to act and eat like a normal person).

Bismuth is a heavy metal, like lead. It accumulates in your brain and takes months and months to disperse if ever. PB is the only over the counter medicine that will leave a pile of silver metal residue behind if you burn a bottle with a blow torch.

Wow, Kiwi, you are the first instance of bismuth poisoning I've heard of that was not a seriously elderly person or small child, and I have read the medical literature (although I admit I have not recently researched this). I used to post a warning about the rare possibility of heavy metal encephalopathy, but stopped after people here seemed to be able to take it for years without issue.

Ordinarily, bismuth subsalicylate is very poorly absorbed, and you were taking small doses. I wonder if the fact you were taking the liquid made a difference, as opposed to tablets. Good for you for picking up on the symptoms. Fortunately, it is a gradual thing and does reverse when you stop the drug.

I guess it just goes to show that anything that has a pharmeceutical effect can also have side effects, sometimes serious!

Thanks for the reminder.

Jan

P.S. Just looked it up on PubMed, and found this recent case history:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/...=bismuth%20poisoning

Jan, is this something that be pulled for lab work each year during routine screening? I also do wonder if the tablets make a difference.

I really don't know, but think that it is rare enough that it is an individual tolerance sort of thing. What I mean is that perhaps there are a few that tend to absorb more than others, otherwise, you would find a lot of documentation in the literature. This is a drug that is used a lot as an OTC drug. Granted, most people do not take it chronically.

But, if you do take it chronically, then it is just smart to be alert for any changes in your cognitive ability, personality (irritability, mood, affect, etc.), that sort of thing. If you have any concerns, THEN testing would be appropriate. Much better than going through all the baloney this woman in the link had, with invasive neurological tests before testing for bismuth levels.

Or maybe it might make sense to get a baseline now to see how you are handling it, since you already have been using it chronically. That way, you might get an idea of whether you are fine to continue as you are, or maybe you should reduce your daily dosage, or even go with every other day dosing.

Jan

shoot i just started adding it to my keflex to male it work better..i was taking two about three or 4 times a day..now i read this about the poisoning yikes! i was thinking even of trying to rotate it with antibiotics..seems there is a damned if you do damned if you don`t with everything!!!

maybe i will just do it to get through thanksgiving(going away) with my keflex(sigh!)