Helicobacter pylori ulcers.

[Ambush Master]

What is the recommended/preferred Rx regimen to treat this??

[Beach Bum]

I have been off of the medical floor for a while, but Flagyl (metronidazole) was the prefered antibiotic. Usually a second antibiotic was prescribed to go along with it. We gave it IV every 8 hours. And of course diet changes and usually something like Protonix or Prevacid until the stomach lining healed.

[Beach Bum]

Sorry, that should be an anti-infective. Flagyl is not an antibiotic. The antibiotic was ordered in conjunction with the Flagyl.

[The Reaper]

Isn't Flagyl the one like Antabuse, where you can't drink while you are taking it?

TR

[Cynic]

Isn't Flagyl the one like Antabuse, where you can't drink while you are taking it?

TR

Correct. Different drugs with different purposes, but same bad effect with alcohol.
- Cynic

[Beach Bum]

The drug guide does say that there can be a reaction if taken with alcohol- anything from feeling like you are hungover to psychosis. Lucky for me, our patients were not allowed to drink!

[one-zero]

Flagyl was used to treat Giardia from drinking bad water as well...You could still drink while on it if you were hard-headed and young:o

Was on the regimen when I was about 19 years old, iodine tablets in the canteen didn't do the job.

1-0

[18C/GS 0602]

At my hospital we use Biaxin, Amoxicillin and Prevacid. There are several different regimens that are effective and from my limited experience there appears to be a lot of variability as to what specific drugs people are prescribed.

I found this off the Internet and thought it might be helpful.

Antibiotic and Multidrug Regimens

The standard treatments for H. pylori include regimens that contain two antibiotics and a proton-pump inhibitor, usually omeprazole (Prilosec), which suppresses acid production. Cure rates after antibiotic treatment range from 70% to 90%.

A typical regimen contains three drugs for treating H. pylori and consists of the following:
• A proton-pump inhibitor. Omeprazole (Prilosec) is the standard proton-pump inhibitor. Others include lansoprazole (Prevacid), esomeprazole (Nexium), rabeprazole (Aciphex), and pantoprazole (Protonix). Proton-pump inhibitors are important for all types of peptic ulcers and a critical component of antibiotic regimens. They reduce the acidity in the intestinal tract, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the bacteria-fighting drugs used in regimens to treat H. pylori ulcers.
• Two antibiotics. Standard antibiotics are clarithromycin (Biaxin) and amoxicillin.

This regimen is typically taken for at least 14 days. Many studies, however, are suggesting that it may be effective after only seven days in both adults and children.

Other regimens being used or investigated include the following:
• Some substitute the antibiotic metronidazole (Flagyl) for clarithromycin or amoxicillin.
• A less costly three-drug regimen uses omeprazole, bismuth (Pepto-Bismol), and tetracycline. It may be a good alternative, although it is less effective; side effects can be very distressing, and many patients cannot tolerate it.
• One potentially effective regimen uses clarithromycin (with or without amoxicillin) and Tritec, a drug that combines ranitidine (an H2 blocker) with bismuth citrate. It may be as effective as the standard omeprazole-clarithromycin-amoxicillin treatment.
• Two-drug regimens are being developed. Some use omeprazole and an antibiotic and others use two antibiotics. So far, these combinations are slightly less effective than taking three drugs and are not recommended.
• Quadruple (four-drug) combinations, some as short as five days, are proving to be very effective. Some contain two antibiotics, bismuth, and a proton-pump inhibitor. Of particular interest is Helicide (a new triple-drug capsule containing bismuth, metronidazole, and tetracycline), which is taken in combination with omeprazole. Clinical trials have been promising.

Hope this helps. Good luck.