My dermatologist prescribed Clindamycin ointment for some stubborn (PFS) acne. (Isn’t it a puzzle that some victims have excessively dry skin, and others are oily?)
Before using it, I read the warning sheet the pharmacy provided. This innocent ointment is scary stuff!
Examples:
A severe form of diarrhea called C-diff associated diarrhea (CDAD) has happened sometimes this can be deadly.
Call your doctor if you have stomach pain or cramps very loose or watery stools or bloody stools.
I did a search here for Clindamycin and found very few references, but one led me to this article:
The side effects mentioned here are life threatening, from a simple ointment! (Colitis, C-diff, bloody stools, diarrhea, to start!)
My question here, finally, is whether anyone has had experiences with Clindamycin? At purchase, my pharmacy quoted $132 for a single tube, even with Medicare and insurance! I told them no way I would pay that much, so they played on their computer and suddenly it was $31!
So I have $30+ invested in a tube I’m hesitant to use. If any fellow members have used this, with good or bad results, I’d appreciate a heads up. Our esteemed colleague @LazarusRy has had horrible bowel problems, have you used this, Laz? Jim
EDIT TO ADD: See further Dr recommendations in post 9.
Sorry I’ve never tried the above. I did use a steriod cream over 10 yers ago for persistent follicilitis which crashed me (before i knew i had pfs). Can’t remember which one.
My skin is very dry, powdery and breaks out regularly but I avoid all creams, even parabin free moisturisers, everything!!!. I shower 1nce per week and de odourise with himilayan salt. Occasionally ill rub in apple cider vinegarto try and help with ph levels, but these even cause issue if too frequent.
Everything is on a tightrope. Hope this is of some help.
We know antibiotics can have a detrimental effect on the biome and in our case is extremely difficult to restore
@Cbrandel, Did you use clindamycin before or after your PFS? Did you know about the risk of life threatening weight loss, diarrhea, bleeding, colitis, C-Diff, mega-colon, colonic rupture, etc? If so, why roll the dice because of acne? If not, would you have taken it if you knew?
Remarkable clindamcyin “didn’t harm” you whereas it harmed me. Pine bark “crashed” you and didn’t harm me. I’ve drank gallons of pine bark tea for 5 years, before saw palm and after, even still do nowadays, and it never harmed me.
I can’t find any evidence to determine whether clindamycin is a 5AR inhibitor or not. The attitude seems to be to assume something is until proven otherwise.
Nonetheless,
CLINDAMYCIN is a curse word in my book. Those on the rusty fence, read my lips and repeat after me: Don’t dare consider it UNLESS it is life or death. This drug gave me nuclear grade diarrhea 30 times daily. This was painful, bloody, stinky, and messy. I often would soil myself, thus having to take lots of showers and do lots of laundry. Nausea, gut cramps, 0 appetite, (aforementioned made worse when eating) sluggishness, burning/stinging, bleeding, massive weight loss. Lets say you would not be having sex anyway, or leaving the house to go to work. It can linger after quitting and is treatment resistant, often needing multiple fecal transplants costing thousands of $'s. I cured my clindamycin syndrome with a more natural approach. Unlike most post syndromes, this can be lethal. The common complaints here: brain fog, anhedonia, sexual dysfunction, muscle wastage/weakness are not life threatening.
@Taw and @Cbrandel,
Thanks for your replies. This is yet another example of a medicine or vitamin that does no harm to one person, yet is poison to another. The fact that this drug can destroy your digestive system, that you are basically rolling the dice with your life, is unconscionable.
My acne is currently in remission for lack of a better word. I’ve decided to hold off trying Clindamycin, I wouldn’t want to be one of those who knew the dangers but took a drug anyways for sake of my appearance. (Sound familiar?)
With over 200 views of this topic, I’m surprised there are not more personal experiences shared. Anybody? Jim
Nobody has commented on this subject for over a month but I wanted to add info I received from my dermatologist today. Just in case someone looks up clindamycin in days future.
I told her that I had not used this ointment because of the horrific side effects listed in the paperwork (which I mentioned in first post.)
She says that those side effects are almost uniquely affecting people using oral doses of clindamycin. She emphasized that the ointment version does not cause those stomach problems and I should feel safe using it.
So if down the road someone looks up clindamycin, this is the gospel straight from the doctor. We all know how infallible they can be! Jim
So she knew of the risks and did not warn you? Why am I (we) not surprised? That figures. Lets imagine you had taken it and got the burning, nuclear-grade diarrhea, etc, I wonder how she would have responded instead. Would she deny or downplay it, tell you “it is in your head”, she “never heard of it”? Will never know.
I knew of the risks, but I had no choice. I had a crater shaped skin ulcer with black eschar surrounded by yellow pockets of pus popping up around it with a pink rash emanating from it. Clind saved me from that ailment with a slow recovery, leaving nasty scars, but at least I didn’t lose more, such as life or limb. I won’t opt for cosmetic treatment because of the scars. I took three 150 milligram tablets 3 times a day orally for 7 days. As with saw palm, side effects struck immediately after the first dose. I’m sure topical is somewhat less risky than oral, and although I was unable to locate any anecdotes of topical clind causing the same sides as oral, but: EVERYTHING IS “RARE” UNTIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU!
I was reading about slippery elm being used to treat crohns, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers, IBS, and other gastrointestinal diseases. It is said to be a good fertilizer of beneficial bacteria. Because it absorbs enough water to expand 8 times its size, I figured it would absorb the diarrhea, add solid consistency, slow the diarrhea down, or a combination. If I was going to have diarrhea, I was going to have it on my terms, I thought. I boiled half a tablespoon per cup of water, usually 4 cups of water with 4 half tablespoons of powder in the morning and evening. Took about 2 or 3 weeks after stopping clind and doing this routine to return to normal, then I gradually tapered. I am completely recovered from clind as if nothing ever happened. In a way, it seems I have an invisible shield around me. I got better from saw-palm also. Although clind was far worse, saw lasted much longer.
I can hear some of you now thinking I “recovered naturally” and that what I did “had nothing to do with it”. On that subject, people do not always practice what they preach. There are those who say donate, go public and such when they do not. There are also those who say follow such and such protocol even though they do not. All my life, I have had people tell me not to do this or that when they do, and I have had people tell me to do this or that when they do not. “Go to college, Taw” when they never did. “Do not smoke, Taw” when they do. I’ve even seen mods encourage others to go public when they themselves have not. I even tell others not to attempt some of what I have. I guess everyone is a hypocrite on some level. I think I strayed too far off subject.
I expressed concerns to the dermatologist about the digestive side effects. She explained those were with oral use.
She had prescribed a salve, and felt I would be safe from the effects. I was to use this on several spots on my forehead and a spot in my ear that I was concerned may be skin cancer. She thought they were clogged pores.
I have used the Clindamycin ointment for 2 months now with no improvements, but also no ill effects.
Next appointment I will insist on skin samples for cancer screening.
Clindamycin ointment has been safe for me. I cannot speak for oral usage. Jim
The math is as follows: 450 milligrams upon waking; 450 milligrams in the middle of the day; 450 milligrams before bed. Therefore, 1350 milligrams a day, meaning 1 gram and 350 milligrams.
Your ointment label says 60 grams with clind being 1%. The other 99% is filler. 1 percent of 60 grams equals 600 milligrams, so if I did the math correctly, there are 600 milligrams total in the container. In only 1 day, I took more than 2 times what you took in 2 months.
High and low dose is all relative. There are regimens that use even higher doses for longer periods of time than I took.
From package: Each gram contains Clindamycin Phosphate equivalent to 10mg of Clindamycin.
So, 60 gram tube x 10mg = 600mg total. You are correct! You’ve earned a reward! Blonde, brunette or redhead?
As I’ve been told here when I compare my daily 5mg Proscar dose to the usual 1mg Propecia dose. I’m told that my dose didn’t hit with 5x the effect. The final results sure seem to tell me different.
Clind is an antibiotic. Antibiotics only work for bacteria; they do not work for yeast or viruses. For those, antifungals and antivirals are required. Why she would push an antibiotic for possible cancer makes no sense to me, except for her wallets benefit. Clind is not chemotherapy, as far as I know. Taking antibiotics when they are not needed contributes to the resistance crisis. And yes, folks, I’m sure clind users and those who never used clind have epigenetic differences too.
I have been with blondes and brunettes, never redheads.
I was both a blonde and brunette at points; born with 1 color only to change to the other later in life for no apparent reason. No dyes or such involved, the change simply happened on its own.
Logic goes out the window sometimes. I interpret it similar to a towel. A towel will absorb water until it reaches its saturation point, then it cannot absorb more. A towel in the ocean will not absorb millions of times more water than in a bathtub. I would imagine enzymes, hormones, and receptors have saturation points. Higher doses probably don’t do much more than put extra burden on the detoxification organs such as the liver and kidneys. The chart above shows 71% of DHT blocked at 1mg and 72% of DHT blocked with 5 mg. Not remotely 5 times the impact on DHT, at least according to this chart. Interesting that 10 micrograms is 5% while 50 micrograms is 50%. Apparently that is 10 times the impact. This is said to happen to everyone who takes the drug, regardless of whether they get symptoms or not. Then again, that is just DHT, not counting neuro-steroids and other off-target sites.
Giving her the benefit of the doubt maybe she’s just incompetent. She thought it looked like Acne, but the skin is shiny and it has been in the same spot for over a year now.
I was blonde until teen years and my hair darkened to brown the rest of my life. Until now, it’s gone silvery.
Regarding your informative graph, why would Proscar bother with a 5 MG dose if 1 MG has same effect? I wish now it had been -0- MG! Jim
Luckily no sides. You’d be shit (no pun intended) out of luck if so, it being highly likely she would shrug it off and deny a link if reacted adversely. At best, maybe tell you to use over the counter immodium. Neglected to add: Low doses also fuel the antibiotic resistance crisis.
Her “competence” was rightfully called into question if she cannot distinguish acne from cancer.
Luckily also, no accutane prescription, or did you simply refuse it? She would deny accutanes dangers, I’m sure. accu, fin, and saw-p are fat soluble. Your clind was bound to phosphate while mine was bound to HCL(hydrochloric acid). You need an alkaline mineral and an acidic mineral to form a mineral salt, so since phosphate and HCL are acidic, clind must be alkaline. Since minerals salts are water soluble instead of fat soluble, this means clind must be water soluble. Maybe that is why fat soluble compounds are seemingly more systemic topically than water soluble compounds.
Oh, I cannot answer for them. You could also ask why accutane doses are 20mg, 40mg, 60mg, 80mg, 120 mg. I can only guess. The 5mg dose was actually on the market before 1mg. A possible guess is the prostate has more DHT than the scalp. And like I said, that 1% difference RE: 1 versus 5 milligrams in the chart is for serum DHT. I do not have a chart for scalp, prostate, testicular, or penile DHT. Not to mention other off-target sites like allopregnanolone. It might be different elsewhere, I simply don’t know.
finasteride, proscar, and propecia are the same substance; dutasteride is a different substance. The former has a half-life of 6-10 hours while the latter is 4 weeks. Half-life is how long it takes for half the substance to be eliminated from the body. It takes 5 half-lives to be totally eliminated. Bear in mind there exists grams, milligrams, micrograms, nanograms, picograms.
Lets have a look at the graph again, shall we? 200 micrograms is technically -0 milligrams, yet despite 200 mcg x 5 = 1,000 micrograms/1 milligram, it is only a 2% difference with 69% versus 71%.
90% serum DHT inhibited at 500 micrograms, equal to half a milligram, and 95% at 5 milligrams. Despite 10 times a difference in dose, there is only a 5% difference in effect. Funny how 10 micrograms of dut blocks 0% while 10 micrograms of fin blocks 5%.
I get your rationale and all; we all do, but logic doesn’t apply to pharma world.
You need Elon to grant you a hefty college fund to send you to medical school. You’re still young! Your mind and talents are far greater than life has allowed you to use. (Often true of many, I suppose!) Jim
