Antibiotic side effects turning to Benzos for relief

[V82]

I know this topic might be way off topic for this forum, delete it mods if you feel it's necessary. but I thought I could get some good solid advice on here as I've lost my faith in the medical community.

I had bad acne in Oct. 2011, my dermatologist prescribed me tetracycline. At first I was hesitant, but he assured me it was safe. I looked up all possible side effects on the Mayo Clinic and other sites. It seemed as long as I didn't have any adverse reactions after the first couple of weeks I would be fine. I kept taking it as my derm was only so happy to keep filling out refills for me. It worked on my acne too. I took it for 1 1/2 years.

But I've been getting terrible stomach pains, bad diahrea to for 3 months. Though I did have one month where I was relatively fine. It can go away for a bit but then it comes back. My family doctor won't give me a referral to a stomach doctor as he thinks I'm a hypochondriac and gave me a referral to psycho therapy. I feel so frustrated. I've stopped the tetracycline. I do believe the tetracycline may be responsible.

I am now turning to my clonazepam as it seems to be the only thing that eases my pain.

I feel so frustrated that I did this to myself (blaming myself) and it may be permanent and may ruin my relationship with my girlfriend.

All my family, my girlfriend, my pharmacist and my family doctor do not believe that the tetracycline is responsible for my current condition.

Maybe I'm just a paranoid freak.

But this is overwhelming me, mentally and physically.

 

[tweex]

Try switching to doxycycline and 4% topical niacinamide cream. Best combination to fight acne, ever. At least in my experience. IDK why he put you on tetracycline unless you'd already failed doxycycline and minocycline, the side effect profile is not very nice.

Edit: I was a bit too speedy and not thinking well earlier as to the actual cause of your symptoms, only suggesting different treatment strategies. It sounds VERY likely you contracted a clostridium difficile infection, this is common after long term antibiotic therapy. You should either make an appointment with a more competent internist ASAP or head to the ER to get a stool sample tested. If it comes back positive you should be put on a short course of metronidazole, vancomycin or fidaxomicin and you'll (most likely) be cured.

If finances are a big issue with an ER visit and you aren't rapidly deteriorating, you may purchase a PCR assay kit for C-diff, and if that comes back positive start a course of metronidazole from an online pharmacy as a first line treatment.

And your doctor sounds like an absolute retard for not spotting this, unless he was as high as I was a few hours ago when I skimmed your post. Find a new one.

And don't get me started about retarded doctors not spotting GI problems... I once had c. jejuni dysentery... went into my college clinic and informed them I was very sure of my diagnosis, and was denied any antibiotics for 4 days until their damn culture came back positive... for c. jejuni... when a PCR assay would have taken 45 minutes, and I was shitting my guts out in the mean time. I since keep a stock of short courses of Erythromycin, Doxycycline and Cefalexin on hand.