H Pylori Treatment Side Effects
This article is adapted from the information contained in my e-book, “Overcoming H Pylori Naturally: “The Complete Guide to H Pylori Treatment”.
Over the last 4 years I’ve had the privilege to work closely with countless hundreds of people who were struggling with finding the right H pylori treatment.
Standard H pylori treatments are not effective as they used to be and they can also cause many side-effects, which can be even more painful and debilitating than the H pylori bacteria themselves!
A shrimp, strawberry or peanut can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Many people cannot tolerate eating gluten and others are intolerant to lactose in cow’s milk. It stands to reason, therefore, that the unnatural chemical compounds that are contained in medical drugs can also cause reactions and side-effects.
Dr Alan Gaby, MD, states that:
“Antibiotic treatment of H. pylori infection is not without risk. Antibiotic therapy can lead to the development of pseudomembranous colitis, a potentially severe infection caused by Clostridium difficile. In addition, antibiotics frequently enable the overgrowth of Candida albicans, which can result in vaginitis, gastrointestinal disturbances, or other complaints. Moreover, antibiotic treatment could lead to the overgrowth of antibiotic strains of H. pylori, making further attempts at eradication more difficult”
Every medical drug comes with an information leaflet detailing the possible side effects that accompany its use. Some people don’t react at all, but others can experience very unpleasant symptoms that occur directly as a result of ingesting the medication. The table below provides a summary of some of the side effects that are openly listed on the manufacturers’ labels.
What Are The Main H Pylori Treatment Side-Effects?
LISTED SIDE EFFECTS OF DRUGS COMMONLY PRESCRIBED FOR HELICOBACTER PYLORI |
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| Category Name | What it does | Drug Brand Names | Generic Names | Negative Side Effects |
| Antacids | Neutralizes stomach acid | Tagamet, Zantac, Mylanta, Tums, Gaviscon, Gelusil, Maalox and Rennies | Aluminium Hydroxide | Possible breast enlargement for males, dizziness, diarrhea, fatigue and headaches |
| Antibiotics | Used to treat and eradicate H. pylori | Achromycin, Tetracyn, Medicycline, Novatebra, Nu Tetra, Flagyl, NeoTric, Novonidazol, Trikacide, Amicillin, Novamoxin, Nu Amoxi, ProAmix | Tetracycline, Amoxicilin, Metronidazole, Clarithromycin | Possible joint pain, diarrhea, dizziness, fever, flu-like symptoms, stomach upset, low blood pressure, kidney damage, increased liver enzymes, mouth ulcers, nausea, light sensitivity, itching, rash, skin discoloration, hives, vomiting, heartburn, shortness of breath, blood disorders and loss of appetite, Candida overgrowth |
| Proton Pump Inhibitors | Stops production of stomach acid. Used for treatment of Acid Reflux – GERD | Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Losec, Zonton, Inhibitol, Protonix, Somac, Pantoloc, Aciphex, Pariet | Omeprazole, Lansoprazole, Rabeprazole, Esomeprazole, Pantoprozole | Possible stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, nausea, rash, vomiting and increased risk of pneumonia |
| H2 Blockers | Used in Quadruple therapy to protect the stomach lining against NSAIDS. Reduces the amount of acid your stomach | Tagamet, Pepcid, Axid, Zantac | Cimetidine, Ranitidine, Famotidine, Nizatidine | Possible breast enlargement in males, diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue, headaches, impotence and constipation. |
My Experience with H Pylori Treatment Side Effects
I have received countless emails and phone calls from people who have been unable to use triple therapy because of the adverse side-effects they experience. The most common side effects seem to be:
Although antibiotics can help you heal, on the flipside they can also cause many problems. It really depends on you as an individual. I am always sad to read emails from people who had lots of side-effects when they took antibiotics for H pylori, only to find that the antibiotics failed to clear their infection.
If you have read other articles on this website, you will have seen that the medical research clearly shows that standard H pylori Treatments are now working in far fewer cases than they once did, largely because of H pylori bacteria developing antibiotic resistance to the medications.
H Pylori Treatments Can Annihilate Your Friendly Bacteria (Probiotics)
The word ‘antibiotic’ literally means ‘against life’.
This is a very important point to remember. Whenever antibiotics are taken, beneficial bacteria (good bacteria that inhabit your digestive tract) that form an important and integral part of your digestive and immune systems may also be affected.
When I run comprehensive stool testing on my clients, I often see very low levels of friendly bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacter species.
It is generally agreed that the ratio of ‘good’ to ‘bad’ bacteria needed for optimal digestion, immune function and general health, is around 85% good vs. 15% bad.
When antibiotics are taken, this ratio can be altered. When this happens, the door is opened for the opportunistic overgrowth of other infectious organisms such as other bacteria – Clostridium difficile, for example – and yeasts such as Candida that can prevent recovery and even worsen your symptoms.
We must remember that antibiotic treatments will work well for some of you, but in my opinion, the risks outweigh the benefits, especially when safe alternatives such as Mastic Gum, Matula Herbal Formula, Garlic Supplements and other foods and herbs are available.
H Pylori NATURAL Treatment Side Effects
Over the last 4 years, I can count on one hand the number of people under my care who reported side effects from using a natural H pylori treatment.
Nevertheless, as stated at the top of this article, any food, herb or drug has the potential to cause reactions in individual people.
Elsewhere on this website, I discuss the benefits of using a natural treatment for H pylori, but I am always careful to point out that just because a product is natural, you may still have a reaction to it.
However the reactions tend to be far less severe than they are with medical drugs.
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H Pylori Treatment Side-Effects References
Gaby, A. R. Helicobacter Pylori Eradication: are there alternatives to antibiotics? Altern Med Rev. 2001 6 (4): 355-366.