How are relapses of C. difficile colitis treated?
Treatment options for relapses of C. difficile colitis include: • A second course of the same or a different antibiotic • Six weeks of treatment with decreasing doses of antibiotics • An oral resin by mouth such as cholestyramine (Questran) that binds toxins and inactivates them • Non-pathogen (harmless) yeast by mouth such as Saccharomyces boulardii, for example, Florastor Doctors usually treat patients who relapse with another 10 or 14 day course of metronidazole or vancomycin, and a majority of the patients so treated will recover. Nevertheless, some patients will have another relapse. Treatment options for multiple relapses include: • Treatment with one of the options listed above that has not already been tried. • Vancomycin for six weeks in decreasing doses (125 mg four times a day for one week, three times a day for another week, twice a day for another week and so on), followed by four weeks of cholestyramine (Questran). • Two weeks of vancomycin or metronidazole along with fou
