# Can antibiotics make ibs worse?



## littlepinkcupcake (Jan 10, 2012)

Hello, I have had ibs for four years and literally been living on toast, crackers, digestives, pasta, nutrigrain bars and shreddies. I have tried various other foods all of which have had me on the floor with pain. Not much of a life I know but I dealt with it. However three months ago I went to the doctors and was prescribed oxytetracycline for acne. For the past four years I have been suffering with constipation (going once a week!) but when I started on the antibiotics if I took 2 at night then had 2 weetabix in the morning I would go to the toilet within half an hour with hardly any pain. I thought it was a miricle, the three months I had been on them were the best three months in four years. However I came off them one month ago because they were giving me side affects. The day after I came off them I ate some toast then five minutes later I was in absolute agony and had bad diarrhea. The same thing happened for two days after. I switched to just eating rice crispies and rice. The same thing. Had to take tramadol just to have a handful of rice. Now on rich tea biscuits and nothing else. I'm still in alot of pain, stomach is gurgling, feeling really depressed and wondering when this hell will end. Has anyone had really bad ibs after antibiotics- the ones I was on were especially for killing bacteria which causes acne. How long did it last? Any advice tips? Please help, I'm lying here dosed up to my eyes on buscopan and co-dydramol with a hot water bottle on my stomach. Seriously at my wits end. Thanks in advance


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## Lexer (May 9, 2013)

As usual IBS is not one problem but a lot of them. This means that more or less anything can trigger more/worse problems. Antibiotics can develop long lasting IBS symtoms so its fully possible that the antibiotics can harm more then it gives you relefie.

How long the problem will exist is also vary hard to say, it is vary induvidiel.

The problem might be that some kind of bacteria that your antibiotic hold off grow even worse when antibiotics was stopped.

Sorry but I don't think you will find a more specific answer to your question.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

If you have severe diarrhea after antibiotics you may want to get checked for C. diff. It can cause severe (sometimes life threatening) diarrhea, so good to get that ruled out.

And it could just be the bacteria you got colonized with post are just much better at making gas, have you tried a probiotic?


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