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I take Immuran, entocort, and rotate antibiotics to manage my pouchitis, but for the past month have thrush I cannot seem to shake (diflucan, swish and lozenges all seem to keep it simmering, but it rages back when I stop).

Doc is considering possibly taking me off the antibiotics. Once I developed pouchitis, antibiotics alone never got my pouchitis under control, but I also have never tried just the entocort/Immuran with NO antibiotics either, so I really don't know what role, if any, they are currently playing.

I am nervous to rock the boat, but also have to kick this thrush.

If you take UC meds and/or biologics to treat your chronic pouchitis, do you ALSO take antibiotics?

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I had trouble fighting off fungal infections when taking Entocort plus antibiotics. The antibiotics kill off bacteria, the fungi overpopulate to fill the empty spaces, and your immune system is suppressed due to the Entocort (and in your case Imuran) and can't fight off the fungal infection as well.

The game changer for me was diflucan PLUS going from cipro to xifaxin. Xifaxin is not systemically absorbed - it stays in the gut. It allows the bacteria in my skin (and in your case your mouth) to repopulate.

They want you off antibiotics totally but have you discussed the Xifaxin option which will allow bacteria to come back and crowd out those fungi causing the thrush?
CTBarrister
Last edited by CTBarrister
I've been on xifaxin (rotate it with Levofloxin) the past 2.5 weeks while taking diflucan daily and still can't kick the thrush! That's what's worrying me. Normally 1 diflucan and I'd be back in business, but this is brutal. Plus now there is a known risk for Long QT (cardiac) if taking Levofloxin with Diflucan.

I REALLY don't want to have to go off the Immuran and half dose Entocort as it has been my miracle drug combo. Still waiting for a call back from doc's office...

If I could just kick this thrush out of my system, maybe I could add them all back and change up my rotation in the future-3 weeks on xifaxin and 1 week on levo or maybe get switched to Augmentin or something, so I can take the diflucan prophylactically, we'll see...
J

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