Candida Test While Taking Antibiotics

[crX]

Does anyone definitively know whether you can get accurate results for tests for yeast or fungus while you are taking antibiotics for a bacterial infection, or do need to wait until you are off antibiotics? I'm suspecting that a systemic candida infection may be making a bacterial infection tougher to treat, and would like to know if there's a fungal thing also going on before I stop the antibiotic. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[mangoes]

Sorry, I can't help because I don't know, but what is the test for systemic fungal problems?

 

[crX]

I'm not sure exactly. I don't know if would show up in an oral culture, or possibly antibodies in the blood. I'm also thinking stool sample because I have been seeing things that make me think candida.

 

[squanch]

Sorry, I can't help because I don't know, but what is the test for systemic fungal problems?

I'm not sure exactly. I don't know if would show up in an oral culture, or possibly antibodies in the blood. I'm also thinking stool sample because I have been seeing things that make me think candida.

If you actually have a systemic fungal infection, your immune system is suppressed to the point where you're at the brink of death anyways. You'll know without any tests, don't worry...
No point in taking some kind oral swap, since again, you would know if you have an actual candida infection in your mouth (thrush), it's really painful and clearly visible on the sides and roof of your mouth. A coated tongue has nothing to do with it.
You can get your stool sample tested for candida if you want some peace of mind, but I can almost guarantee you that it will come back negative.

Well anyways, this is coming from a guy who wasted a lot of time and ruined his health even further on various anti candida diets and protocols. Just another alternative health fad to sell people bull**** supplements and books without any actual science to back it up. Neither mainstream medicine nor Ray Peat think systemic candida infections are actually a thing outside of severely immunosuppressed people (like late stage "aids" patients for example) and there is zero scientific evidence to support the claims of all the self proclaimed alternative health candida gurus.

I really think you should drop the whole candida idea altogether

 

[crX]

Yes, I am a bit torn about the candida thing, but just keep coming back to it because it seems to fit. Long history, but suffice it to say for most of my life I have eaten in such a way that candida would likely become invasive. I also have a history of taking antibiotics off and on, and I used steroid cream on my arms for a while. I had popping in my ears that was treated with a steroid nasal spray, and I can tie some of my symptoms to these events, which I now know can cause a fungal overgrowth. Then I suffered some kind of damage to my muscles years ago and they have never recovered. I have tried everything Peaty and the only thing that really worked for a was high dose niacinamide, which can be antifungal. I've also started thyroid and seen a small improvement. A month ago I went to a doctor and tested positive for strep, and the doctor told me it could become invasive and cause my muscle symptoms. He identified an antibiotic that it was not resistant to, but I've been on it for 20 days and still have have the issues, and I'm still pooping out colonies of something. I have some to believe that there is perhaps a slow growing strain of candida that is opportunistic when you have an injury and it sets in. I have read research that indicates that coinfections of strep and candida can create mixed colonies and biofilms that make the strep harder to treat, and I just worry about starting another round with a different antibiotic, producing more resistance in the long run, when a fungal thing hasn't been ruled out (doc says I don't have signs of fungal, but he hasn't seen my stools). I also still respond well to high dose niacinamide and feel like I get die off from it,so I've been doing that just in case. Today is supposed to be my last day on the antbiotic, so I guess I'll ask the lab in the morning if they can do a stool test, or if I need to stay off the antibiotic for a few days, which I am reluctant to do. Believe.me, I won't do anything silly like trying to starve the candida... I just wish the doctor had listened to my concerns before I started the antibiotic. What I've been taking is third generation antibiotic which the tests indicated the strain was not resistant to, and it's broad spectrum so it seems like it would kill off any other bacterial suspects, so that's where it leavess me...

 

[squanch]

. I have read research that indicates that coinfections of strep and candida can create mixed colonies and biofilms that make the strep harder to treat, and I just worry about starting another round with a different antibiotic, producing more resistance in the long run, when a fungal thing hasn't been ruled out (doc says I don't have signs of fungal, but he hasn't seen my stools).

Ok, that's a bit different then I guess. Didn't know about your strep throat, something like a coinfection in the tissue of your mouth/throat might be plausible. I still don't believe it's anything systemic and you most likely wouldn't be able to find something in your stool. A swab in your mouth/ throat should be possible though.
Where do you live? In most european countries, "nystatin" is available over the counter and it's the main antifungal that is used for oral candida infections. It's relatively harmless to try for a few days just to see if it helps.

 

[michael94]

If you actually have a systemic fungal infection, your immune system is suppressed to the point where you're at the brink of death anyways. You'll know without any tests, don't worry...
No point in taking some kind oral swap, since again, you would know if you have an actual candida infection in your mouth (thrush), it's really painful and clearly visible on the sides and roof of your mouth. A coated tongue has nothing to do with it.
You can get your stool sample tested for candida if you want some peace of mind, but I can almost guarantee you that it will come back negative.

Well anyways, this is coming from a guy who wasted a lot of time and ruined his health even further on various anti candida diets and protocols. Just another alternative health fad to sell people bull**** supplements and books without any actual science to back it up. Neither mainstream medicine nor Ray Peat think systemic candida infections are actually a thing outside of severely immunosuppressed people (like late stage "aids" patients for example) and there is zero scientific evidence to support the claims of all the self proclaimed alternative health candida gurus.

I really think you should drop the whole candida idea altogether

Blood tests, stool samples, breath tests etc. are all very unreliable ways to check for Candida. Not to mention...Candida Albicans is only one type of fungus among many that inhabit your body. So it is common to dismiss the validity of people suffering from "candida". Candida is a natural part of your body and there to clean up messes and encapsulate toxins. Almost everyone feeling less than ideal has some sort of Candida overgrowth ( among other bacteria/fungi ). There is no way getting around it...unless your stomach acid, bile, and enzyme production are working near-perfect there is going to be an inefficiency in digestion. Microbes step in to finish the job. This is a very good and healthy thing. However uncomfortable it may be to the host, sepsis is 10x worse. Your immune system allows Candida to thrive at certain times and keeps it in check during others. Bacteria are a big part of one's immune system, which is why antibiotics mess with this balance ( see 1st link below ). Cancer is a very similar process, in fact many tumors test positive for fungus.

You are right in saying most candida-diets and supplements are bullsh**, however.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC261235/pdf/iai00114-0202.pdf
The spectrum of hepatic candidiasis. - PubMed - NCBI
Impaired clearance and organ localization of Candida albicans in obstructive jaundice. - PubMed - NCBI
Jaundice is caused most often by obstruction of bile ducts. Which is basically like throwing a wrench in the engine of your digestive system. Of course this happens to varying degrees and very few people with congested livers develop jaundice symptoms.
Obstructive jaundice alters Kupffer cell function independent of bacterial translocation. - PubMed - NCBI

Only the severe cases take the steps to diagnose themselves with Candida, which is correct but misleading. Nystatin is not the right approach in my opinion because the bugs keep coming back. Turpentine is a safer option if one were to use a dedicated anti-fungal, although nystatin is also safe. Actually pure kerosene is the least toxic and most effective anti-fungal, but like I said killing the bug is just treating symptoms. There will be "die-off" for months if not years.

 

[crX]

Hmmm. Yes, a lot to think about. The lab chemist told me that it is possible to test for fungus while on antibiotics, but I have decided to stop them and wait a few days so that he can test for bacteria as well. None of this had really affected my mouth per se, just a scratchy throat and more like allergy symptoms. Whatever I've got is systemic, and while I may have had strep in my throat, I don't know what I am seeing in my stools, and I'm not sure what is causing my muscle and skin issues. You can scare the bejeesus out of yourself reading about systemic strep and/ or candida, but whatever I've got came on slowly over the years and then got really bad after I took a medication that damaged my muscles. Through peatish stuff I've gotten marginally better, which is extraordinary if I've had strep all of this time, but now I'm just hoping to get to the bottom of it. I have the feeling that it has just been a long duration of bad things living in my gut that finally caught up to me. I see no starch in my future, as things got much worse when I brought starch back in for the love of grilled cheese sandwiches.