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Water Bug

Nick Stayner · · Wymont Kingdom · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 2,315
Tom Nyce wrote:Since the "treatment" is somewhat carcinogenic, I went untreated and let the disease run its course (months of discomfort).
Source? Specific drugs? I've never read this about any of the top-choice giardia treatments.
Keith Boone · · Henderson, NV · Joined Jul 2013 · Points: 492

If you are concerned about your liver, then I wouldn't take metronidazole or flagyl. I believe these drugs should be a last resort.

Tom Nyce · · Flagstaff, AZ · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 45
Nick Stayner wrote: Source? Specific drugs? I've never read this about any of the top-choice giardia treatments.
Back when my wife and I got giardiasis (1989), part of her job was to organize and prioritize literature resources for a research MD, who published a lot of papers. She had easy access to all medical literature, and she brought home half a dozen recent (back then) papers specifically on the treatment of giardiasis. Metronidazole/flagyl was specifically mentioned in many of those papers. There were other drugs as well. We are both used to reading technical literature, and from that we decided to go untreated.

In addition, I knew a couple people at the time (mostly backpackers) who had had the treatment (with flagyl) that was presented at "the normal thing to do", and regretted getting them (i.e. "their gut was never the same"). Generally, they at least wished that they had been given a choice, along with information about the pros and cons of getting treated.
Lee Green · · Edmonton, Alberta · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 51
Keithb00ne wrote:If you are concerned about your liver, then I wouldn't take metronidazole or flagyl. I believe these drugs should be a last resort.
Metronidazole is used widely and safely for many things, not just Giardia. You don't need to be concerned about your liver on metronidazole unless you have other reasons to be concerned about your liver, or are on meds that interact with it.
Jan Tarculas · · Riverside, Ca · Joined Mar 2010 · Points: 917

I was doing a search on steripens and their real need for them on drinking water from rivers in high elevation and ran into this topic. Here's more info on flagyl...All info is from a website we (nurse at my hospital) refer to when clarify and need info on medications...

"•Metronidazole is a nitroimidazole antibiotic that appears to selectively produce cytotoxic effects in anaerobes by a reduction reaction, depriving the organism of required reduction equivalents. The complete mode of action of metronidazole has not been fully elucidated. The cytotoxic property of metronidazole is specific for anaerobic organisms and is thought to be due to intermediate or final products of reduction of the nitro-group of metronidazole. Preferential reduction of the 5-nitro group may occur by a ferrodoxin-like system and an anaerobic environment is required for reduction to proceed "

FDA uses:
•Abscess, Anaerobic
•Amebic dysentery, acute
•Amebic liver abscess
•Anaerobic infection
•Bacterial meningitis
•Bacterial vaginosis
•Infection of bone;
•Infectious disorder of joint
•Operation on gastrointestinal tract, Colorectal - Postoperative infection; Prophylaxis
•Rosacea
•Trichomoniasis

No info about it being carcinogenic

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
Ray Lovestead wrote:I just broke my leg today. The bone is protruding through the skin and there is a lot of blood. I can't really see what is going on through all the clotting and I feel really light headed. I don't want to go to the doctor. Can anyone on here give me some advice on what to do??
Chuckled out loud at this one.

And the idea of home remedies makes me shake my head, chuckle, snort and guffaw when there is proven real medicine out there.

Keep up the good work, Ray, even though your post was last year. Timeless humor.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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