something new for bacteria etc..

Rebe,
Thanks for sharing. Where do you purchase this and at what dosage? Are there any worrisome side effects?

There is one caveat, and for some of us it can be a big deal. You cannot take it with or anywhere near the time you take other medications. It is because it will basically deactivate them. It binds and holds drugs and toxins, making them impossible to absorb into the bloodstream. This is the same stuff they give overdose patients when they pump the stomach.

But, if you are a chronic C. difficile sufferer, it can also absorb that toxin. You can buy it at most drug stores and at Amazon.com.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-...ACTIVATED%20CHARCOAL

Jan

Yikes Jan thus does not sound pleasant.

thanks jan will write dr. shen and see how much time between taking and other drugs needed..otherwise no side effects and might be really helpful for us with bacteria etc. issues..i am taking it because he recommended and so far no negatives...

i think its doable to separate from other drugs..there are other instances where one needs to separate taking a drug from other meds ..no big deal if it helps i thin k!

i got it in a drug store..

Makes sense, as it is a pretty benign thing to take. But for those of us who take medications three times a day, it could be a real challenge!

Jan

Very interesting info generally about the charcoal and I will discuss with my GI.

This thread reminds me that my 2nd cousin, whom I am close to, had to have her stomach pumped as a young girl because she had eaten some poisonous mushrooms. Her mother, my Great Aunt, was a registered nurse and she got her to the hospital right away. I am going to ask her if she remembers the charcoal. This incident happened back in the 1960s and she is 60 years old now, so not sure if she will remember it. As I recall she ate quite a few of the poisonous mushrooms, from what I was told.

You have to watch what kids will put in their mouths and eat.

Ct,
I'm seeing Our Gi tomorrow weather permitting. I will ask him about this and report back to board on it.

quote:

Ct,
I'm seeing Our Gi tomorrow weather permitting. I will ask him about this and report back to board on it.

Thanks jeanne. I spoke to him on the phone last week and at that time we mainly talked about Entocort, and not antibiotics, being the cause of the skin issues I am manifesting (warts, yeast infection, hemangiomas and cystic acne on my chest), and a strategy for reducing the Entocort dosage. I did not know about this treatment at the time. I am anxious to hear what he tells you! It's exciting to know that people like Dr. Shen and the CC are willing to think outside the box for treatments that might help all of us with long term bacterial overgrowth issues keep our pouches.

I might try taking the charcoal with my fiber to reduce the gas that i get from taking metamucil. hopefully this will do the trick because if it wasn't for the gas i get, i would be extremely happy with my j-pouch. apparently, activated charcoal can help with gas. we'll see.

peace,
mark

When I was a very sick kid with raging diareaha (sp?), my dad would burn toast and make me eat it...it usually did the trick when even the prescription drugs did not...being that I had 2 grandparents who were pharmacists and a whole bunch of naturopaths long before people knew what they were...my dad used mostly natural stuff on me...as soon as I get a stomach but I automatically hit the charcoal...I just didn't know about the caveat for meds and spacing between them...thanks guys.
Sharon

Burned toast.....yuck! Reminds me that for some reason my father always liked his toast "well done." I never understood it. I can remember waking up as a kid to the smell of burned toast in the kitchen. He would eat the Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Raisin bread, and burn it to a crisp and then then lather it up with butter. I could never eat any toasted bread that was anything more than very light brown.

Just wondering how the charcoal affects the pouch as the pouch as far irritation. Anybody tried it yet?

Been doing it my whole life including since I have had my pouch (+33yrs)...my pouch love the charcoal...my GP gave me charcoal tablets when my Galbladder was acting up for the first time 20 yrs ago...she added artichoke extract and it did wonders for me...whenever I have an upset pouch I naturally eat burnt toast...not completely black but slightly burnt around the edges...it absorbs the bacteria and does the trick...no bad side effects (unless you count some rather dark stool)...
Sharon

I found this on the net. AST 120 is a carbon absorbant. Seems Dr. Shen was part of the study. I think it just received orphan drug status by the FDA March 2013. Same concept about charcoal and sounds promising.

http://www.ocerainc.com/conten.../releases/101507.htm