Good experience with Clindamycin - no side effects

[TomNY]

It may help to hear from someone who had a good experience with Clindamycin (FYI I'm 46, M, 180lbs, in good shape).

I was prescribed Clindamycin (300mg 4x daily for four days, 150mg 4x daily for 10 days) to fight a bad infection after a failed root canal and prior to the subsequent tooth extraction (not fun). I had many reservations after reading the bad experiences posted. My dentist asked if I had stomach or GI issues in the past - I hadn't, and he assured me that his other patients did very well on Clindamycin.

I just finished two weeks on the medication. The infection was knocked out and I did not experience any bad side effects. If I had to find something, my face was a little itchy for a couple days and my stools were a bit softer – but I doubt I would have even noticed if I wasn’t on the lookout for side effects.

Based on other posts and my own experiences, I followed this basic regimen (please note that my methods weren’t groundbreaking but weren’t all necessarily doctor-prescribed either - check with your physician).
- I drank 16oz of plain water with every dose and LOTS of water (and some Gatorade) in between (and peed a lot)
- I stood or sat upright ½ hour to an hour after taking the meds
- I took a probiotic/acidophilus tablet 2 hours after each dose (and am continuing for a couple weeks now that I’m off Clinda)
- I refrained from milk (except for yogurt), meats, heavy food etc while on Clindamycin
- I kept my diet plain, mainly soup, rice, crackers, probiotic yogurt, peanut butter
- I resisted ‘regular food’ while on Clinda even though I felt better
- I didn’t vary my routine

I will write back after a couple weeks to update my post and condition. I hope others have a good experience with Clindamycin as well.

[TomNY]

A two week follow up on my post above - I am back to my normal diet and didn't experience any bad side effects from clindamycin. The drug knocked out the infection with no ill effects and I would definitely use it again if needed.

Good health to all.

[Vicki]

thank you so much for posting good results.. I am on clindamycin right now for soft tissue infection due to a cat bite, and was really freaked out reading all the bad comments about it..
this is mid-day two of the meds (300mg 4 times a day). I am taking acidolphilus morning and evening, and eating probiotic yogurt at breakfast, cottage cheese and fruit salad for lunch, and probiotic chedder cheese for an afternoon snack. hoping all that good bacteria will keep the diarrhea away.
thanks for saying what you ate.. I will keep to a bland diet also..

[Pam]

On day 3 of 300mg Clindamycin 3 x day for a MRSA infection I have been fighting for 3 years now. No other antibiotics have worked. So far, my worst side effect is the heavy metallic taste in my mouth.

[John - Roy Utah]

My comments are in an effort to help others cope with the side affects with this antibiotic. I recently had a crown for a cracked molar that later required a root canal due to infection of the nerve. The infection was severe enough that my dentist required me to be on Clindamycin for 7 days taking 300mg every 8 hours. I read the horrible stories about this drug and decided to call my doctor for his opinion. It definitely is the wonder drug for killing infection, especially in a non-oxygen environment like bone and such. The perfect this for what I needed. His comment was to take a pro-biotic to prevent any gastro intestinal issues that many folks get. So I went to the store and loaded up on Activia yogurt and took on small container every 8 hours about 30-60 minutes after taking my pills. That Activia yogurt is amazing stuff with 3 active cultures in it. Way better than that other stuff you get on the shelf. Bottomline, I never experienced any side affects. It was a trouble free experience and I am infection free now in my jaw.

[John - Roy Utah]

Follow-up to my original post:

I was able to eat meat and drink milk. For meat I stuck with chicken having about the size that a thigh would give you. And for milk, I only drank about 8oz a day for my cereal and oatmeal. There was no problem digesting for me while consuming Activia yogurt. I also drank about 32oz of pure water per day which you should do anyway in an effort to rid the body of toxins.

[TomNY]

I recently completed another successful and side effects-free course of Clindamycin (600 mg/day for 7 days) for a tooth implant (phase II). As I mentioned in the first two posts of this thread, I kept my diet pretty bland and light while taking Clinda, drank lots of water with and around each dose, and supplemented my diet with yogurt and pill-form probiotics. I've experienced no ill effects from Clindamycin and wouldn't hesitate to take it again if necessary. Good health to all.

[April]

Thanks Tom, I am on the medication now and I am so thankful as the infection is going away! I had implants and a root canal. Only 3 days after being prescribed this medication and it is working! I too take the Activa and probiotics and drink more. I also found that staying upright helps a lot. I was on 19 days of amoxicillin and then augmentin and it did nothing.... I was miserable.

I have a horrible taste in my mouth but this tells me that the saturation is good. I don't mind. NO PAIN! Yay! Glad to hear that hydration helps too... it is also in the literature that comes with the meds, one must "stay hydrated". The tummy cramps went away with more fluids. I am not one to drink much water and such but what a difference.