Re: Yeast problems, anyone?

[Guest guest]

I am a fungus factory according to my infectious disease doctor. Candida does

mutate and become resistant to the traditional " azole " meds including

fluconozole (Diflucan) and all the creams of the clotrimazole type. You need to

have the fungus cultured to see what agents it is sensitive to. I would

recommend seeing a ID doc or a gyne for that.

I am on pred so that is the explanation for me. Other ppl whose immune system

is shot do get it too (eg HIV patients, diabetics) although I am not aware of

any link to IgE-binding agents.

Have you had your sugar tested recently? That is another big reason for

increased fungus. Increasing fungal infections often point to diabetes.

Keep up posted!

----- Original Message ----

From: <justinlouisville@...>

Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 9:51:41 AM

Subject: [ ] Yeast problems, anyone?

Hello all -

Sorry to start a topic about possible side effects, but what better

place to query a group of fellow Xolair users?

I'm wondering if anyone has had any problems with yeast/candida since

starting Xolair. I hope this isn't too much information for the guys

in the group...but we're all adults here, right?

Three days after my first Xolair shot in late July, I developed a

severe vaginal yeast infection. It took 3 Diflucan pills and 3 tubes

of OTC creams just to get it under decent control, but even then

things weren't normal. Just for the record, this is very atypical for

me...most infections clear with 1 pill or 1 tube of cream.

I got my second Xolair shot in late August, and things stayed pretty

much the same (under control, but not normal) until about a week ago.

I then started noticing some white patches in my mouth, which turned

into a full-blown case of thrush, causing some pretty severe throat

discomfort.

So now I'm on Diflucan for another week for the thrush, and my throat

is starting to clear up. It will be interesting to see if I relapse

since I just got my third Xolair shot a few days ago. I'm due for a

check-up with both my primary care physician and allergist (Xolair

prescriber) soon, so I'm planning to follow up with them about this.

Just FYI - I'm not on prednisone, inhaled steroids, or antibiotics,

all of which are known to cause yeast problems. There is no apparent

reason for the dual outbreak, aside from the fact that I just started

Xolair. I'm super sensitive to *everything* so it would not surprise

me if I have discovered an extremely rare side effect of Xolair. It

could be a big coincidence, but I guess only time will tell!

In the meantime, has anyone else noticed any abnormal problems with

yeast since starting Xolair? Just curious.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

Definitely see your doc about this and have a swab tested to see exactly

which group of unfriendly invaders you're dealing with, it will help you

more in the way you and your doctor plan an attack of treatment.

Also, my mother has multiple sclerosis, (an auto-immune illness) and due to

antibiotics and sometimes even the foods she eats this is a HUGE recurring

problem for her. One thing that her doctor was able to point her in the

direction of, and has helped DRAMATICALLY is while she is fighting an active

infection (and please bear in mind only do this if it does not conflict with

any food allergies you may have) is for her to read the labels on yogurt.

If she religiously eats a container of yogurt twice a day every day while

she is battling the infection it helps fight the infection. The trick is,

it must be yogurt that contains ACTIVE yogurt cultures. Some of the more

trendy and tasty brand name yogurts do NOT contain the ACTIVE cultures, and

therefore it will be ineffective in helping to combat the infection.

Just some advice from someone who has been through this countless times with

a family member. It wasn't until she actually switched GYN doctors that

this little trick was passed on to her. Speak to your doctor, have the swab

tested, and ask if this may work for you.

Hope it helps, and do keep us posted!

-------Original Message-------

From:

Date: 09/28/06 12:36:12

Subject: [ ] Yeast problems, anyone?

Hello all -

Sorry to start a topic about possible side effects, but what better

place to query a group of fellow Xolair users?

I'm wondering if anyone has had any problems with yeast/candida since

starting Xolair. I hope this isn't too much information for the guys

in the group...but we're all adults here, right?

Three days after my first Xolair shot in late July, I developed a

severe vaginal yeast infection. It took 3 Diflucan pills and 3 tubes

of OTC creams just to get it under decent control, but even then

things weren't normal. Just for the record, this is very atypical for

me...most infections clear with 1 pill or 1 tube of cream.

I got my second Xolair shot in late August, and things stayed pretty

much the same (under control, but not normal) until about a week ago.

I then started noticing some white patches in my mouth, which turned

into a full-blown case of thrush, causing some pretty severe throat

discomfort.

So now I'm on Diflucan for another week for the thrush, and my throat

is starting to clear up. It will be interesting to see if I relapse

since I just got my third Xolair shot a few days ago. I'm due for a

check-up with both my primary care physician and allergist (Xolair

prescriber) soon, so I'm planning to follow up with them about this.

Just FYI - I'm not on prednisone, inhaled steroids, or antibiotics,

all of which are known to cause yeast problems. There is no apparent

reason for the dual outbreak, aside from the fact that I just started

Xolair. I'm super sensitive to *everything* so it would not surprise

me if I have discovered an extremely rare side effect of Xolair. It

could be a big coincidence, but I guess only time will tell!

In the meantime, has anyone else noticed any abnormal problems with

yeast since starting Xolair? Just curious.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

>I have had major problems with thrush and yeast infections.The

thrush was linked to oral and inhaled steroids. They really mean it

when they say " rinse mouth after use " ! Other yeast infections were

caused by antibiotics. That took 2 courses of Diflucan. Keep in mind

that steroids screw up the immune system. Not just while you are on

it, but for months later. My drs believe it has had a permanent

impact on mine. Xolair has greatly decreased my asthma symptoms and

I am no longer using oral or inhaled steroids. I feel better than I

have in years! Life is so much easier without all the meds,

especially steroids.

becki

> I am a fungus factory according to my infectious disease doctor.

Candida does mutate and become resistant to the traditional " azole "

meds including fluconozole (Diflucan) and all the creams of the

clotrimazole type. You need to have the fungus cultured to see what

agents it is sensitive to. I would recommend seeing a ID doc or a

gyne for that.

>

> I am on pred so that is the explanation for me. Other ppl whose

immune system is shot do get it too (eg HIV patients, diabetics)

although I am not aware of any link to IgE-binding agents.

>

> Have you had your sugar tested recently? That is another big

reason for increased fungus. Increasing fungal infections often

point to diabetes.

>

> Keep up posted!

>

>

>

>

> ----- Original Message ----

> From: <justinlouisville@...>

>

> Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 9:51:41 AM

> Subject: [ ] Yeast problems, anyone?

>

> Hello all -

>

> Sorry to start a topic about possible side effects, but what

better

> place to query a group of fellow Xolair users?

>

> I'm wondering if anyone has had any problems with yeast/candida

since

> starting Xolair. I hope this isn't too much information for the

guys

> in the group...but we're all adults here, right?

>

> Three days after my first Xolair shot in late July, I developed a

> severe vaginal yeast infection. It took 3 Diflucan pills and 3

tubes

> of OTC creams just to get it under decent control, but even then

> things weren't normal. Just for the record, this is very atypical

for

> me...most infections clear with 1 pill or 1 tube of cream.

>

> I got my second Xolair shot in late August, and things stayed

pretty

> much the same (under control, but not normal) until about a week

ago.

> I then started noticing some white patches in my mouth, which

turned

> into a full-blown case of thrush, causing some pretty severe

throat

> discomfort.

>

> So now I'm on Diflucan for another week for the thrush, and my

throat

> is starting to clear up. It will be interesting to see if I

relapse

> since I just got my third Xolair shot a few days ago. I'm due for

a

> check-up with both my primary care physician and allergist

(Xolair

> prescriber) soon, so I'm planning to follow up with them about

this.

>

> Just FYI - I'm not on prednisone, inhaled steroids, or

antibiotics,

> all of which are known to cause yeast problems. There is no

apparent

> reason for the dual outbreak, aside from the fact that I just

started

> Xolair. I'm super sensitive to *everything* so it would not

surprise

> me if I have discovered an extremely rare side effect of Xolair.

It

> could be a big coincidence, but I guess only time will tell!

>

> In the meantime, has anyone else noticed any abnormal problems

with

> yeast since starting Xolair? Just curious.

>

> Thanks,

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reply, ! I'm glad to know that I'm not the

only " fungus factory! " How do you currently treat your candida issues?

My husband is diabetic, so we test my blood sugar once in awhile,

usually when I feel it plummeting. (I'm actually borderline

hypoglycemic). I'm always in the normal (or low) range, so no worries

about diabetes right now. I'm sure my doctor will want to test for HIV

just to rule it out, but I'm not concerned about that either.

I have been worried that the candida might be resistant to

the " azoles " ...which is not a good thing, from what I understand. I

have such horrible side effects from most medications, so I'm scared to

try anything stronger. I guess it's time for a gynecologist visit, huh?

If my thrush comes back, I could always have my PCP culture both during

the same visit! :-p

I see a lot about candida and diet on the internet, but I don't know

how much of that is bogus. Do you have any legitimate medical

information on this, by chance?

Thanks for your insights!

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the replies, Becki & !

Becki - I've always been susceptible to yeast problems...I remember

having thrush several times as a kid after taking antibiotics. I have

also developed thrush in the past from inhaled steroids, and I

developed yeast infections from prednisone and most antibiotics. I

have been off prednisone for 20 months, but maybe it's still

affecting me. I wouldn't doubt it!

- Thanks for the tip about the active cultures in yogurt

helping with yeast problems. My mother is a registered nurse, and she

has been preaching this to me for years now! Unfortunately, I have

had to completely cut dairy products out of my diet for now because

of severe phlegm/sinus problems. I wonder if soy yogurt might have

the active cultures in them though? I'll have to check it out. By the

way, do you happen to know if taking probiotics would accomplish the

same thing as eating yogurt would?

Four more days on Diflucan, and if it comes back, I'll definitely be

heading to the doctor! Ugh.

Thanks again for your help with this!

[Guest guest]

, you're more than welcome for the tip! Glad to know that your Mom

knows of this little trick and has been able to pass it on to you and

hopefully others that suffer from the same trouble. I'm really not sure

about soy yogurt as I steer clear of soy anything, it's one of my larger

allergies. You could read the labels and check though! Sorry to hear about

your issues with dairy products. I find I have the same trouble when

dealing with sinus issues. The gunk in your throat just seems to magnify

horribly making it so difficult to swallow or feel comfortable!

I don't know much about probiotics, maybe something else you could talk to

your mother or doctor about as another possible plan of attack!

Luckily yeast trouble was the ONE thing I didn't suffer from as a side

effect due to so many years on high doses of pred. I've been pred free

since February now, but did have IV solu-medrol during a 48 hour hospital

stay in June. I had a lapse in Xolair treatment thanks to my ex losing his

job and leaving me without insurance. I now have my own insurance with

Medicare, a Medicare Part D plan and thanks to Massachusetts, back-up

insurance with MassHealth which covers the 20% that Medicare doesn't pay,

and some of the meds that my Part D plan doesn't cover. MassHealth even

pays my Medicare Premium for me, so I get back that $80 or so that I was

losing out of my Social Security benefit every month! Don't tell my ex, but

he did me a HUGE favor as I now pay nothing out of pocket for doctors visits

as far as copays, and my meds usually cost me nothing over a $5.00 copay

between my Part D plan and MassHealth. Most meds only cost me $1.00!!!

With my Private insurance, most med copays were $30-$45 and one was even

$129.00!!! I'm back on Xolair and hoping I've seen the last of my steroid

days!

Good luck, let us know what happens!

-------Original Message-------

From:

Date: 09/29/06 07:35:04

Subject: [ ] Re: Yeast problems, anyone?

Thanks for the replies, Becki & !

Becki - I've always been susceptible to yeast problems...I remember

having thrush several times as a kid after taking antibiotics. I have

also developed thrush in the past from inhaled steroids, and I

developed yeast infections from prednisone and most antibiotics. I

have been off prednisone for 20 months, but maybe it's still

affecting me. I wouldn't doubt it!

- Thanks for the tip about the active cultures in yogurt

helping with yeast problems. My mother is a registered nurse, and she

has been preaching this to me for years now! Unfortunately, I have

had to completely cut dairy products out of my diet for now because

of severe phlegm/sinus problems. I wonder if soy yogurt might have

the active cultures in them though? I'll have to check it out. By the

way, do you happen to know if taking probiotics would accomplish the

same thing as eating yogurt would?

Four more days on Diflucan, and if it comes back, I'll definitely be

heading to the doctor! Ugh.

Thanks again for your help with this!

[Guest guest]

The active culture in yogurt is a probiotic, though there are many that

don't exist in yogurt. Our allergist and pediatrician now strongly recommend

to anyone that needs antibiotics or who suffer from yeast infections

(thrush, vaginal, jock and foot) to take some probiotics. A couple of things

to remember -

1) Like the names say, antibiotics will kill off all the probiotics so

they should not be taken at the same time. It is just a waste of money, not

a danger. I usually stagger them by a couple of hours with the antibiotics

being taken first.

2) Too much probiotics at once are not harmful to us, but will kill

off the yeast in large amounts. The dead yeast and by products as they break

down can cause GI distress for a few days, so it is better to slowly

introduce probiotics.

3) When purchasing and storing probiotics, try and keep them cool. I

buy only refrigerated ones and store them that way.

My allergist is always amazed that I have no oral thrush with all the

inhaled steroids (nasal and oral). I now just take probiotics once or twice

a week.

BTW, I have found that if my kids eat dairy as infants and toddlers, they

get a yeast diaper rash. Oral probiotics seem to help fine with this. They

are not 'allergic' as much as they are dairy protein intolerant. 2 have out

grown it and have no problem with dairy.

B.

[Guest guest]

Hi :

I haven't had that problem.

Kathy

<justinlouisville@...> wrote:

Hello all -

Sorry to start a topic about possible side effects, but what better

place to query a group of fellow Xolair users?

I'm wondering if anyone has had any problems with yeast/candida since

starting Xolair. I hope this isn't too much information for the guys

in the group...but we're all adults here, right?

Three days after my first Xolair shot in late July, I developed a

severe vaginal yeast infection. It took 3 Diflucan pills and 3 tubes

of OTC creams just to get it under decent control, but even then

things weren't normal. Just for the record, this is very atypical for

me...most infections clear with 1 pill or 1 tube of cream.

I got my second Xolair shot in late August, and things stayed pretty

much the same (under control, but not normal) until about a week ago.

I then started noticing some white patches in my mouth, which turned

into a full-blown case of thrush, causing some pretty severe throat

discomfort.

So now I'm on Diflucan for another week for the thrush, and my throat

is starting to clear up. It will be interesting to see if I relapse

since I just got my third Xolair shot a few days ago. I'm due for a

check-up with both my primary care physician and allergist (Xolair

prescriber) soon, so I'm planning to follow up with them about this.

Just FYI - I'm not on prednisone, inhaled steroids, or antibiotics,

all of which are known to cause yeast problems. There is no apparent

reason for the dual outbreak, aside from the fact that I just started

Xolair. I'm super sensitive to *everything* so it would not surprise

me if I have discovered an extremely rare side effect of Xolair. It

could be a big coincidence, but I guess only time will tell!

In the meantime, has anyone else noticed any abnormal problems with

yeast since starting Xolair? Just curious.

Thanks,

---------------------------------

Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Small

Business.

[Guest guest]

Probiotics have helped me a lot, too! Before I discovered it I found

Tea Tree oil.

The other thing I used to do when I took inhaled steroids (I don't

have to now!) was rinse with Tea Tree oil mouthwash. I also found that

plain Tea Tree oil it helped my athletes foot when nothing else would.

That meant that the foot rash was probably the yeast as well.

-- Kitty

>

> The active culture in yogurt is a probiotic, though there are many that

> don't exist in yogurt. Our allergist and pediatrician now strongly

recommend

> to anyone that needs antibiotics or who suffer from yeast infections

> (thrush, vaginal, jock and foot) to take some probiotics. A couple

of things

> to remember -

>

>

>

> 1) Like the names say, antibiotics will kill off all the

probiotics so

> they should not be taken at the same time. It is just a waste of

money, not

> a danger. I usually stagger them by a couple of hours with the

antibiotics

> being taken first.

>

> 2) Too much probiotics at once are not harmful to us, but will

kill

> off the yeast in large amounts. The dead yeast and by products as

they break

> down can cause GI distress for a few days, so it is better to slowly

> introduce probiotics.

>

> 3) When purchasing and storing probiotics, try and keep them

cool. I

> buy only refrigerated ones and store them that way.

>

>

>

> My allergist is always amazed that I have no oral thrush with all the

> inhaled steroids (nasal and oral). I now just take probiotics once

or twice

> a week.

>

>

>

> BTW, I have found that if my kids eat dairy as infants and toddlers,

they

> get a yeast diaper rash. Oral probiotics seem to help fine with

this. They

> are not 'allergic' as much as they are dairy protein intolerant. 2

have out

> grown it and have no problem with dairy.

>

>

>

> B.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello folks,

I couldn't resist posting my answer to yeast problems. Now Foods Acidophilus

Caps. Open them and put the powder in water then rinse and swallow. Also

powder works but if you can't get it open the caps. It doesn't taste bad at

all to me and the white coating on the tongue disappears! It takes care of

the other plumbing too.

Remember sugar feeds yeast! I have a problem with that.

In Hope,

[Guest guest]

Thanks for all the replies and recommendations, everyone!

Now I have several OTC remedies to add to my arsenal: yogurt,

probiotics, tea tree oil, and acidophilus capsules.

I really appreciate your input!