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treatment for worms has helped my gut a bit but why?

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
Hi all, i hope this is the right place to post. Like many others here i have had various stomach and gut problems for years. Initially told i had IBS (many years ago) Then in the past few years i have found that an anticandida diet and no gluten has reduced my symptoms massively.
Now where i am is that my diet has slipped for about the past 8 months i have been careful but eating more sugar and wheat on occasion. My stomach problems are currently: Feeling sick a lot, severe lower left abdominal pain -sometimes right across-sometimes higher up under the ribs (on left side) my left side is so sore to touch. I also have a lot of wind and stomach growling very loudly as i am eating -i also get very hungry all the time. eating makes the nausea subside but then gets worse about an hour after eating, i tend to be slightly constipated (even though i am a vegetarian)

Well coincidentally about 6 weeks ago we thought my son had worms -the type kids pick up at school so we all took treatment -1 dose of mebendzole -that night the wind was terrible but the next day my stomach felt so much better -then my problems dissapeared for a few weeks. Now they are back and just as bad as before, including a sore bottom ,but not itchy (-sorry if too much) i tried another dose and it has calmed it down a bit but not as dramatic as before.

Could it just be a threadworm infection causing this? or maybe some other parasites that responded to the drug but not enough to kill completely. Could i be barking up completely the wrong tree and its just the wheat and sugar?
Im considering asking Dr Myhill for the Geneva diagnostics comprehensive stool test with parasitology - but its 176 quid plus interpretation fee -is this a good test? is it worth not paying the bills for?
Thanks all. Justyx
 

Lala

Senior Member
Messages
331
Location
EU
Hi,
did you try food grade diatomaceous earth? It is supposed to kill all intestinal parasites by physically harming them. It is natural product. I tested completely negative for parasites from my stool, yet I have seen them lately with my own eyes after using DE. I also experienced massive die off and then big positive change in my IBS symptoms. I am on DE for couple of months and increasing my dosage very slowly to avoid massive die off again. I think you can be on the right track as well. Tests are notoriously unreliable, so waste of money and time for me, personally.
 

slayadragon

Senior Member
Messages
1,122
Location
twitpic.com/photos/SlayaDragon
I increasingly believe that parasites are a big problem for many of us. I've been working on them myself recently using various herbs.

I don't think it's possible to get rid of every single parasite, and imagine that most normal people are carrying around a range of them. Like all other pathogens for us, they tend to reactivate easily, I think.
 

Waverunner

Senior Member
Messages
1,079
Can anyone recommend a good test for parasites? KDM ran a GI panel on me which included parasites but it was negative. Does anyone have experience with blood tests for parasites?
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
Can anyone recommend a good test for parasites? KDM ran a GI panel on me which included parasites but it was negative. Does anyone have experience with blood tests for parasites?

I am a KDM patient too, but earlier had a rectal "scrape" plus blood tests that found parasites. They were successfully dealt with.

Where are you? Maybe someone can recommend a place to get further testing.

Sushi
 

Smygen

Not so serious ;)
I have IBS too.
But have been on worm trestment every other week for two or so years now.

It removes my IBS right away, and night sweat, mouth infections, joint issues and a lot more stuff that i have forgotten all about.
When i stop, it all comes back again.
:(
My regular doc just laughs at me. But the private clinic (trained by kdm) i'm going to now takes this serious. Was told not to stop "deworming" untuill we figure this out.
Have take stool rest, that i don't know the results of. We had more urgent stuff to take care of first.

But this have by far been the most effective thing for me.
Also had my blood microscoped. The guy that did this took pictures of what he belive is a worm. That was after 1-2 years of "deworming" every other week
:(
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
What kind of treatment did you do?

I had a type of worms and a particularly pernicious parasite that I got in India. I had taken all the "natural" treatments and still had them. I went to a really good parasitologist in NYC and he gave me 2 drugs (not flagyl), don't remember what they were but they were quite tolerable and I didn't have to take them long.

He checked again every six weeks to see if they had gotten all the stages of the parasite's life cycle and they had.

I don't "like" drugs, but, in this case, nothing else seemed to work--and I had really tried everything natural including ayurvedic.

Sushi
 

globalpilot

Senior Member
Messages
626
Location
Ontario
I have IBS too.
But have been on worm trestment every other week for two or so years now.

It removes my IBS right away, and night sweat, mouth infections, joint issues and a lot more stuff that i have forgotten all about.
When i stop, it all comes back again.
:(
My regular doc just laughs at me. But the private clinic (trained by kdm) i'm going to now takes this serious. Was told not to stop "deworming" untuill we figure this out.
Have take stool rest, that i don't know the results of. We had more urgent stuff to take care of first.

But this have by far been the most effective thing for me.
Also had my blood microscoped. The guy that did this took pictures of what he belive is a worm. That was after 1-2 years of "deworming" every other week
:(

How interesting. What treatments are you using ? ARe they natural or pharmaceutical ? YOu mention a lot of your symptoms improving, what about fatigue and brain fog ?
 

topaz

Senior Member
Messages
149
Hi all, i hope this is the right place to post. Like many others here i have had various stomach and gut problems for years. Initially told i had IBS (many years ago) Then in the past few years i have found that an anticandida diet and no gluten has reduced my symptoms massively.
Now where i am is that my diet has slipped for about the past 8 months i have been careful but eating more sugar and wheat on occasion. My stomach problems are currently: Feeling sick a lot, severe lower left abdominal pain -sometimes right across-sometimes higher up under the ribs (on left side) my left side is so sore to touch. I also have a lot of wind and stomach growling very loudly as i am eating -i also get very hungry all the time. eating makes the nausea subside but then gets worse about an hour after eating, i tend to be slightly constipated (even though i am a vegetarian)

Well coincidentally about 6 weeks ago we thought my son had worms -the type kids pick up at school so we all took treatment -1 dose of mebendzole -that night the wind was terrible but the next day my stomach felt so much better -then my problems dissapeared for a few weeks. Now they are back and just as bad as before, including a sore bottom ,but not itchy (-sorry if too much) i tried another dose and it has calmed it down a bit but not as dramatic as before.

Could it just be a threadworm infection causing this? or maybe some other parasites that responded to the drug but not enough to kill completely. Could i be barking up completely the wrong tree and its just the wheat and sugar?
Im considering asking Dr Myhill for the Geneva diagnostics comprehensive stool test with parasitology - but its 176 quid plus interpretation fee -is this a good test? is it worth not paying the bills for?
Thanks all. Justyx

It sounds like you are on teh right track. Considering a comprehensive stool analysis is a really good idea but I cannot comment on the one you are considering. Others will assist more here than I am able.

The problem with gut issues is that there are around four or more typical causes (parasites; bad bacteria; food allergy; yeast/candida) and if you are lucky, its only one of the four causes but in many cases, 2, 3 or even 4 of these causes are all present in the same person and often people seldom look at more than one.

In your case, taking the mebendzole may have cleared up the worms (if thats what you have) or it may have temporarily cleared up another parasite or detrimentally impacted some bad bacteria. This is why I believe testing is a good idea - so you know what you need to be attacking. The mebendzole may have knocked out the worms but a single dose would not affect the larvae/eggs. Google mebendzole as a treatment for worms and you may have a better idea of the dosages and length of treatment required. I believe follow up dosage is required and maybe this is why you experienced relief teh second time also, although not to the same extent. There may even be a more effective product. I would also look at whether mebendzole affects good gut flora as you may need to build this back up if it does. Also google what else mebendzole is used for to give you an idea of what may be at the source of your problems ie mebendzole may be used to treat more than just worms but a quick google seems to indicate that it is used predominantly for worms.

Good luck

ps After posting, I found this. While not comprehensive, its a start http://curezone.com/forums/fmp.asp?i=1564827
 

slayadragon

Senior Member
Messages
1,122
Location
twitpic.com/photos/SlayaDragon
I read a little bit about this stuff.

The thing that concerns me is that it's from diatoms, which sometimes create toxins. The poison domoic acid (which is responsible for the sea lion deaths off the coast of California as well as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) is from diatoms.

Many/most/all people with CFS are so sensitive to that kind of thing that it seems a consideration.

I've heard that people with this illness sometimes respond poorly to blue-green algae, conceivably because they encountered a bad batch.

On the other hand, if the product is good, it sounds like it could be a splendid idea. So I would like to hear the experiences of other people with this disease who have tried it.
 

medfeb

Senior Member
Messages
491
In case this helps...

my son had intestinal issues (diarhhea, gas, rumbling stomach, etc) for a year after catching Giardia. They treated the Giardia twice (Tindamax then Metronidazole) then found other pathogenic bacteria that they treated. After treatment, he'd feel better for a few days or a week but the symptoms would always come back. He tried probiotics (VSL) to reestablish gut flora and then an elimination diet to see if it was some kind of intolerance. When he was on the strictest part of the elimination diet, the GI was good but as soon as he introduced pears, the symptoms came back. Same reaction on dairy, wheat, nuts and most other things as he introduced them

His doc saw the reaction to pears as a sign of a yeast infection and treated with Xifaxan, Diflucan, Probiotics and a low carb/low sugar diet for a few weeks. Since then, the GI symptoms are basically gone and he has been able to reintroduce everything except wheat (and he still skips the high sugar stuff).

Hope this helps. Good luck!
 

kurt

Senior Member
Messages
1,186
Location
USA
Just want to add a bit, I had a similar experience when my young daughter had ringworm and the whole family had to take a few doses of an anti-parasitic, called 'Vermox.' The strangest thing happened, a few hours later my head cleared up, completely. I felt better than I had for years. But that night was even more interesting, I had required a benzodiazapine to sleep at that point for several years. But the night after first dosing with vermox I fell asleep before taking the benzo, sadly this positive reaction only lasted about 24 hours. So I thought it was a fluke, did not even connect the experience with taking the Vermox. Then a week later when we had the second required dose, the exact same thing happened, I felt better and slept naturally for one night. The next day after that second dose I realized it was the Vermox, but learned this was strong stuff you would not want to take every day. So maybe a big clue, I have wondered exactly what was managed by the Vermox but never come up with a logical explanation. Years later I was put on other anti-parasitics, but usually could not tolerate the side-effects for very long, and no other med ever did this for me.
 

Carrigon

Senior Member
Messages
808
Location
PA, USA
My cat had a resistant worm for years. Nothing worked on it. No medicine killed it. He would still barf up a live worm every once in awhile. And since I changed his box and he slept on my head like a hat for years, I always thought I must be infected with it.

I have done deworming stuff over the years, and it does make my stomach better, but you have to keep doing it. Especially since they lay eggs and within three weeks, you have a new infection if you don't keep doing it.

One natural thing that works for me is cloves. If you make cloves tea, just a teaspoon of ground cloves on an empty stomach, it's a natural worm killer. And it kills eggs, too. I usually mix it with ginger and drink a double cup of it.
 

Smygen

Not so serious ;)
How interesting. What treatments are you using ? ARe they natural or pharmaceutical ? YOu mention a lot of your symptoms improving, what about fatigue and brain fog ?

It is pharmaceutical, Don't have the name of the active ingredient. Will get back to you on that. It is on the other side of the house.

Can't say that my brain fog or fatigue have gotten better. But when i stop, and the stuff comes back...... i get alot worse. So i guess it helps a bit on the energy level
:)

Vermox is what i use (saw that in another post)
;)
 

rlc

Senior Member
Messages
822
Hi Justy, I looked up Mebendazole and it says that the dose you took is for whipworm, but the dose for roundworm and hook worm is one 100mg tablet morning and evening for three days, theres some info on it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mebendazole its possible that you have one of the other kinds of worms and the dose you took was only enough to suppress it for a while but didnt kill it, if my memory serves me correctly you worked as a gardener? Which would give you a higher chance of getting infected with worms and your iron levels have been low, which is a sign of hookworm infection. Might be worth following it up with a doctor, and seeing about taking the higher dose.

All the best
 
Messages
646
Just want to add a bit, I had a similar experience when my young daughter had ringworm and the whole family had to take a few doses of an anti-parasitic, called 'Vermox.' The strangest thing happened, a few hours later my head cleared up, completely. I felt better than I had for years. But that night was even more interesting, I had required a benzodiazapine to sleep at that point for several years. But the night after first dosing with vermox I fell asleep before taking the benzo, sadly this positive reaction only lasted about 24 hours. So I thought it was a fluke, did not even connect the experience with taking the Vermox. Then a week later when we had the second required dose, the exact same thing happened, I felt better and slept naturally for one night. The next day after that second dose I realized it was the Vermox, but learned this was strong stuff you would not want to take every day. So maybe a big clue, I have wondered exactly what was managed by the Vermox but never come up with a logical explanation. Years later I was put on other anti-parasitics, but usually could not tolerate the side-effects for very long, and no other med ever did this for me.

Vermox is a trade name for mebendazole. There are all sorts of posibilities of how/why a treatment for one condition may impact on a wholly unrelated condition. There are some suggestions that mebendazole may have an anti fungal action (can't locate ref) and also impacts on insulin production http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6381196

IVI