Cipro has a lot of side effects, for starters. One of them is that it can cause seizures.
She might have been put on Cipro because the doctor is considering intestinal parasites as a reason for her symptoms; by putting her on a course of that he may be hoping to eliminate one possible cause of her problem. Giadariasis is an enteric (intestinal) parasite that is become quite a problem these days, and parasites aren't not always detected on stool studies. The doctor might also be thinking there is an infectious cause and so is hoping to eliminate that possibility, too, by using the Cipro. However, I think these are both not very likely, and that as has been mentioned, this is probably more of a dietary and lifestyle issue..... but IBS can also be symptoms of autoimmune disorders... so it is not a clear-cut picture. It may be an allergic response even. I think in a lot of people two big culprits are gluten and caseine, proteins found in wheat and milk, respectively. They contribute to a situation known as "leaky gut", which is part of an autoimmune picture. Sometimes just adding a fiber/bulking agent, like psyllium husks, can make a very positive difference. There is a lot of information on the Internet about IBS, and also some very good books to read - one I would recommend is "Dangerous Grains", which explains the leaky gut problem, and also books on autoimmune disease, all of which I've been able to find through my local library system (as well, of course, as being on Amazon). One book that I think might help her is called the Maker's Diet, the author's name escapes me at the moment, Jonah something... he was suffering from very severe bowel disease and was extremely emaciated, suffering for some years with it, and he developed a diet and probiotic program that he says cured him... he founded a company, Garden of Life, which makes and sells probiotics (you can no doubt find that with a Google search). I would say that if her symptoms ARE due to a parasitic or infectious cause, she ought to see some real improvement very shortly... if not, I would opine that the Cipro is not helping here and is therefore useless in her case. In any case, I don't think she should stay on it for any great length of time, as I would be concerned about it being harmful to whatever healthy gut flora (bacteria) she might still have. Probiotics might be something to consider, they may not make a drastic improvement but I think would be important to take to help balance the widespread bacterial-killing effects of the Cipro (it's an indiscriminate killer in that regard). The Cipro is not going to have any direct effect on intestinal mucosal healing or decreasing hypermobility, as other medications might, it's just simply an antibiotic/antiparasitic. If she stays with the mainstream allopathic medicine route, the doctor may end up recommending she go on something like Carafate (which can heal ulcers, unlike any other GI medication) or Nexium (one of the biggest money makers for the drug industry)... or older drugs like cimetidine (Tagamet) or famotidine (Zantac)... those have a more specific intestinal effect. But I think she would do well to investigate the dietary and lifestyle changes, to look at the autoimmune aspects, and work from that perspective. Denise ----- Original Message ----- From: Deborah Gerard To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 11:51 PM Subject: CS>? about ciprofloxacin Hi group, I have a freind who was put on this drug for IBS bowel problems...can I get some opinions for her. Thanks in advance Deb
