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Q. My teenage daughter has been taking antibiotics to treat her acne for years, but she’s also had terrible GI problems (stomachaches and diarrhea) for much of that time. I didn’t think of a connection until recently, but now I wonder if the antibiotics might be responsible.
She has taken Prilosec, as per her doctor’s recommendation, but it really hasn’t helped. Is there anything else that might help her overcome these symptoms? Her dermatologist says if she stops the minocycline she is taking her acne will come back bad, and I hate for her to have to deal with that at the start of the school year.
A. It is possible that years of antibiotic treatment have altered the ecology of her digestive tract, contributing to her pain and diarrhea. Antibiotics kill good bacteria as well as the bad ones.
Repopulating the digestive tract with good bacteria can sometimes help reverse that problem. Such probiotic bacteria may be found in yogurt with active live cultures or capsules such as Culturelle, Enzymatic Therapy or Florastor.
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If probiotics don't help enough, try not eating wheat (bread, pasta, and anything else made with flour--look for "gluten-free" products to substitute) for a week and see if that makes a difference - it did for me. I can tolerate a small amount of wheat, but if I eat it every day for a few days, my body returns to feeling bloated, achy, and having alternating diarrhea and constipation.
I took antibiotics for acne for almost 20 years. My doctor switched me to a different antibiotic every 3 months to reduce the chance of resistant bacteria.
Anyway, I suffered from such problems before, after and during the meds. I would most commonly get a violent bout around a half hour after eating, mostly when I was eating out.
My doctor finally figured it out...my intestines don't absorb fats properly. I keep a sharp eye out for fats (still difficult to do at a restaurant) and my problem has been solved. It may not be your daughter's problem, but it's such an easy thing to try (reducing fat intake), it couldn't' hurt to do this to rule out the problem.
By the way, when I went off the antibiotics, I started having autoimmune problems. Since my family is rife with such problems, I figure the antibiotics may have actually helped fight this.
For the last 6 weeks i had 2 big episodes of vomiting and diarrhea, lots of abdominal pain and lots of discomfort. I've been taking protonix for my stomach problems. After my last episode, I stopped drinking milk and coffee. I feel great. i have not taken any meds at all. Could I have developed allergies to dairy products? I have drank milk all of my life therefore, i had never made the connection of getting sick due to dairy products. post nasal (spelling not sure) drip is gone as well.
40 years ago, when I was a teenager, I had terrible acne and was given tetracycline - the antibiotic at the time. While my acne cleared up, I started having constant yeast infections. My doctor with the normal bedside manner of the times said, which would you rather have zits or an itchy bottom. I quit taking antibiotics and quit going to that doctor, although he was considered the best there was in the area.
Now I have roseacea and am using some great topical products. I don't know if these work on teenage acne or not. In spite of what medical science has said about diet not affecting acne, I notice a change for the worse depending on what I eat. A low fat, high vegetable, low carb, higher than normal protein diet is what works best on my system. Cake, candy, cookies, etc also increase my acne, also alcohol, any kind of dairy products and most can goods. We all may be created equal, but our internal systems are not. We have to experiment to find what works best and most modern foods don't help.
I am surprised that you did not mention anything about food allergies being the possible culprit to both the acne and stomach problems. I learned recently after suffering from stomach aches for years that allergies to eggs, dairy, and soy were the culprit. Gluten intolerance is also an issue.
Gluten is an inflammatory and in talking, reading and seeing results in myself, causes acne. I can't help but think if this teenager looked at CAUSES to her acne and stomach problems, i.e., food allergies, that she could cure her acne, get rid of her stomach aches and would get her off antibiotics.
About thirteen years ago when travelling in India and Nepal I quickly developed an upset stomach and regular bouts of diarrhoea. When I discovered you could buy antibiotics over the counter (without a Doctors prescription) and being young and naive I thought what's the harm in taking several courses to help relieve my symptoms.
Upon returning home to the UK and still suffering with an aching bloated stomach and being diagnosed with having parasites as well, I was prescribed a further course of antibiotics and antiparasitics. A year later and still not feeling 100% I was prescribed stronger antibiotics and antiparasitics and was told reassuringly by the Doctor that these will kill any infection I have in my body. She was right I started feeling my old self again much to my relief and even my verrucas, which I'd had for years were finally gone.
Unfortunately a few months later when I was on a cycling holiday in Europe I became ill with food poisoning from a very well known american fast food chain in Paris. Over the next twelve or so months I suffered with terrible stomach aches and was going to the loo about 6 times a day, I had lost about 25 kilos in body weight.
Eventually after many tests at the Hospital of Tropical Diseases in London I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and acid reflux. My Doctor thought I may have developed an allergic reaction to gluten because when I was travelling in Europe I was on a high glutenous diet at the time of my food poisoning and combined with my history of taking antibiotics and the bacteria in my stomach being out of sync, my immune system must of reacted against my diet of gluten. So now I'm on a strict gluten-free diet and take Omeprazole once a day (acid suppressant) but I am also sensitive to sugar, fats and caffeine.
Recently though I was prescribed a 3 month course of Minocycline to treat my acne, but 3 weeks in I stopped taking them because my stomach has started to ache, bloat and burn, despite taking probiotics simultaneously. So I guess it's careful eating and lots of live yogurt and a trip back to the Doctor again!
Hope my story is of interest to you.
Yours sincerely
D J
Are you still feeling ok? And how long did it take to actually feel better? I just started protonix and ate lots of dairy 2 days ago and feel worse than ever. I haven't been eating the past 2 days hardly anything and feel a little better. Anything else that can help?
What can happen with overuse of antibiotics, is that the "good" bacteria has been killed off and replaced with "bad" bacteria. You can get what is called small intestine bacterial overgrowth, which causes a lot of GI symptoms as well as headaches, fatigue, etc., etc. The only way to cure it is, yes, another course of antibiotics. There is a breath test for this condition, and if diagnosed with this, you will usually be given Flagyl or Cipro, and then retested to determine if the antibiotic has worked. Once you are done with the course of antibiotics, you need to take some probiotics to replenish the good bacteria in your GI tract.