Clindamycin for Bacterial Infection User Reviews (Page 2)

• Ulcer...
• December 24, 2016

"I took this medication for a tooth infection. I have ulcers so I was concerned. My dentist told me a trick.. drink a half glass of water then eat half of your meal, take the pill, finish your meal and follow with full glass of water. Don't lay down for an hr. I followed his instructions and boom not one side effect. No stomach pain at all. ALWAYS take with food. Medication works wonders. I take 300mg 3x a day."

• Anonymous
• July 12, 2010

"Let me just say this about this medicine. DO NOT LIE DOWN FOR AT LEAST 20-40 MINUTES AFTER TAKING DOSE! I just did like a half hour ago and I am regretting it. I started taking the Clinamycin for a very nasty, very large abscess that took up a huge portion of the roof of my mouth. The infection started in the tooth to the right of my right front tooth. The pain was UNBEARABLE. I've been taking the medicine since Wednesday night (5 days ago) and I haven't had the problems that I've had with Penicillin (nausea, twitching, hunger pains that don't stop). But I ignored the warning and lay down. So much burning in my chest! I hope it goes away soon. It's so weird!"

• Jayfr...
• April 10, 2013

"Was prescribed the meds for a tooth infection after the first part of root canal (just had pulp removed due to inflammation but not the roots). Took my first dose before bed, woke up the next morning feeling wonderful. I have not suffered from the heartburn or anything. My tooth really feels great, no pain, all the tartar left on my teeth have started to fall off while brushing, and I can notice a big difference in my overall health. It does make me extremely sleepy and nauseous though. I believe it is worth it. The tooth pain was so bad I could not talk, close my mouth, or even drink. Even hurt to swallow my own saliva. I will recommend this antibiotic for anyone that has a weak immune system already. DO NOT USE TOBACCO WHILE USING THIS MED."

• Soka
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 3, 2015

"I woke up two days ago with the entire right side of my face swelled up like a balloon (from back of jaw to mid chin). Normally I try to tough things out - but this was quite frankly terrifying, so I ended up going to the ER. I was prescribed clindamycin 300mg every 6 hours, and naproxen twice daily. The first night (after taking two doses of the clindamycin, 1 of the naproxen) the swelling had increased by about 6%. However, a further 6 hours would have the swelling down about 50% and the pain nearly non-existant (battled with plain Advil). This is day three on the medicine and the pain is practically gone (only sore to the touch) - as is the swelling (about down to 20%, possibly even 15%). No side effects to speak of... yet."

• Sxoxo
• February 22, 2020

"I took this for one week for a dental abscess which turned out to be chronic so it did not work for me. As far as side effects go, I read all the horror stories in these reviews and I did my best to avoid them. I took a probiotic every morning and I ate probiotic yogurt twice a day. I ate a full meal before the pill each time and waited about 10 minutes before I took it. I drank two glasses of water with the pill and I did not lay down for 40 minutes. I avoided all the crazy side effects, I didn't get heartburn or anything like that. For reference I am 23 years old, female and I weigh about 135. The only side effects that I experienced was actually after the pill and it is constant pooping, multiple times a day, for about a month now. I only started to experience this when I stopped taking the probiotics which were countering the effects of the antibiotic which I guess last a while after you finish it. So take your probiotics and don’t stop them for a while."

• Bsmith
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 3, 2017

"I was perscribed this medication for a tooth infection and upon reading reviews I was TERRIFIED of it. So many negatives! I went ahead and took the advice of those who gave it higher ratings. I am on four 300mg doses everyday, so I take a pill at noon, 6pm, midnight, and 6am. I take it with 20 ounces of water and a small snack or near a meal. Afterwards I make sure to sit up or sleep a little elevated for at least the next 30 minutes. I also am taking a probiotic everyday to counter act against all the "good" bacteria this medication is also killing off. So far I've had ZERO side effects, my tooth pain has gone away and gums no longer swollen. I still have a couple days left but I am assuming it'll be the same."

• magic...
• November 1, 2009

"I was prescribed clindamycin 8 days ago as a result of an extraction of two roots in a molar. The other root remained so the dentist can do a root canal to keep the tooth for a bridge. I developed a bad infection. My face became swollen, red and inflamed. I was taking clindamycin 3x a day 500 mg. Almost all better except for jaw spasms. The only problem I had was last night. I took the pill with a sip of water and went to sleep. Bad mistake. I didn't know you should not lay down for 30 minutes and to drink 8 oz with it each time taken. I woke up with the worst heartburn ever in my life. Antacids didn't work at all. Had to take pepto bismol. It helped. It still hurts when I swallow but better. Warning: sit up for 30 min & drink h20"

• anon
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2019

"I've had 3 abscessed teeth and taken clindamycin for all of them before I could get in to the dentist. The pain was almost totally gone within 24 hours every time and the infection cleared up in a couple of days. I would highly recommend it for an abscess. Just listen to the instructions and take it after a meal. It is a powerful antibiotic and will cause stomach problems if not taken properly."

• eelhead
• November 3, 2013

Cleocin (clindamycin) "Tooth infection. After taking 5 of the 28 pills I had the worst heartburn of my life and could not even lay down. After 10 of them I ended up in the ER with chest pains, excruciating heartburn, diarrhea, and the itchiest hives from head to toe. They were however very effective at clearing up the infection which in turn reduced the pain in my mouth significantly. So for me, where tooth pain is almost intolerable it was a trade off I accept."

• PSteele
• July 12, 2013

"I was prescribed 300mg, 4 times a day for 10 days for a tooth abscess. I too felt the "burn", but my burn was immediately after taking the capsule. I could feel the burn as it went down my esophagus. What I found relieved it was drinking at least 8oz of water with the pill, and then topping it off with a few spoonfuls of yogurt. No more burn as it went down, no more stomach upset."

• Julie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2024

"Had a paronychia of the big toe with infection spreading to my leg. Took a sulfa drug that did not completely clear it. Prescribed clindamycin for two weeks, 2 pills 3x daily. Drank kefir an hour after the first two doses and Yakult before bed. Missed the gastro problems completely (thankfully)! However, before taking this, I had occasional painful diabetic neuropathy of the foot (once or twice a month). Now I have it several times every day (2 weeks post Rx). Doc says it's coincidental. I highly doubt that. Wishing I had been prescribed Penicillin instead and don't know why I wasn't. Living off Tylenol for the pain - hopefully temporarily. Infection 90% cleared, but not completely. Hoping my body does the rest on its own. Unless nothing else works, there is no way I would take this again. The neuropathy is debilitating."

• old...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 15, 2013

"Dr prescribed clindamycin for an infection. Did not know that laying down after a dose of this would feel like your insides were burning up. Worst heartburn I have had. Of course this was due to the fact that I was trying to be diligent and take them every 8 hrs. causing me to take them in the middle of the night. Good to know that others have this problem. Like others, I was scared I was having a heart attack."

• anon
• August 9, 2013

"Dr gave me this prescription for a tooth that was abscessed. The swelling had intensified after taking a hot shower which made it look like I had a softball in my jaw. The pain from it was utterly unimaginable and I was popping Vicodin and Tylenol 3s like skittles. I did hear this particular antibiotic is linked to causing a specific disease in the colon because antibiotics do not discriminate when it comes to bacteria. Good or bad it has to go. However, after taking my first dose of this and a ibuprofen, the pain literally disappeared within 30 minutes. It was amazing. I cried, then went to sleep. No terrible side effects other than soft stool. "

• Mano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 13, 2020

"I took this medicine clindamycin for an infection I had after getting my wisdom teeth removed, and it was awful!!! The first few pills didn’t really do anything, but then I woke up one morning to take my pill and had immediate heartburn so bad I couldn’t even lay down for the next two hours, not to mention that it gave me esophagitis! I had no appetite nor was I thirsty but I knew I had to keep drinking water to get the awful taste out of my mouth! It made me nauseous a few times, but the last straw was when I hadn’t been able to eat without pain for 24 hours so I had to force down some chicken noodle soup around 1 PM, I took my next pill at 3 PM and immediately threw up and called my oral surgeon and told him I was no longer taking the pill. It cleared up my infection, but I do NOT recommend this pill unless you want 24/7 heartburn."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 6, 2018

"A lot of people say clindamycin makes them feel sick. Hell I couldn’t ever finish a cycle because it would make me feel sick and have chest pains. Come to find out this antibiotic likes to get stuck in your esophagus and that’s when the negative side effects begin. Make sure to drink a lot of water and eat something after taking it to ensure it moves thru your esophagus and gets to where it needs to. Ever since I found that out and I drink about 16Oz of water right after taking, the ill feeling side effects have vanished"

• texmex
• January 15, 2017

"My dentist put me on clindamycin after I had my wisdom teeth taken out because of the infection in my gums (and I'm allergic to penicillin). I read reviews before taking this and was terrified. I've always had a weak stomach, suffering from both IBS and acid reflux. I always made sure to drink half a bottle of water and eat part of my meal before taking this. After taking the pill, I'd drink a full bottle of water and finish my meal. Besides feeling bloated from so much water, I never had any side effects from this antibiotic. I was on 300 mg every 6 hours. No issues."

• Nothing
• February 21, 2017

"Did what it was supposed to. I went from being in the worst pain of my life to being in no pain in about 3 days. Works very well. Took it with water and probiotic yogurt as you're supposed to do and as a result I had no side effects. Pay no attention to all of the negative reviews complaining about indigestion, diarrhea and heart burn. If you take the medication properly and follow your pharmacist's orders you won't have any problems. I don't think it's smart to advise other people not to take potentially life saving medication because you weren't able to listen to instructions. Just take it with plenty of water and probiotic yogurt and you'll be just fine."

• Tdavey
• May 6, 2013

"Had an awful infection along my right side of my gum line, including a tooth that was abscessed. I have terrible side effects to almost any antibiotic so I was not very impressed having to take it. I started the medicine yesterday, and drank it with tons of water, made sure I didn't lay down for almost an hour and also took acidophilus. I had no issues whatsoever, however this morning after taking the first dose I started with heartburn, I've also noticed an odd taste in my mouth. I took Pepcid and hope that will help knock the heartburn back a bit. Seems to have been improvement with the abscess already so I hope this is as bad as it gets. In comparison to the toothache, I'll take the heartburn. Drink plenty of water!"

• Tia_C
• October 15, 2015

"SOFT GEL PROBIOTIC and a ton of water. I can't stress this enough!!! After reading the reviews I was absolutely mortified about starting this antibiotic(clindamycin 300mg 2x's per day) . I'm one of those people who always get every possible side effect of medication. I stumbled upon a very helpful review of someone suggesting taking a softgel probiotic . I took the probiotic once daily approximately one hour before my first dose. I am entering day 3 of this regime and have yet to get any of the unpleasant side effects mentioned. I also drank about a liter or more of water with each pill. I will update this post once I finish the med. Don't let all of the scary reviews get you down. You can do this!!"

• Heart...
• March 5, 2017

"To those who are saying the negative symptoms will not be experienced if you follow instructions, screw you. I'm on this for an infected cat bite. I'm pregnant, it's the only safe antibiotic for me apparently. I am taking these as prescribed by doctor and pharmacist with lots of water and food. The heart burn and stomach cramps/diarrhea are hell. And guess what!? On the package it describes these as known symptoms to the medication. I hate what I am going through. So far I have found no relief and want nothing more than to stop taking them. I will be following up with my doctor. To those who are lucky enough to not experience the symptoms/side effects? Good on you! others aren't as lucky."

• JavaG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 18, 2016

Cleocin HCl (clindamycin) "This is my 2nd time using Cleocin HCl, this time for a dental abscess (300mg every 6 hrs). Today is day 3 of a 7-day course, set by the ER Dr. The swelling of my gumline, lip, and cheek has all but disappeared (just a tiny bump on the gumline left). The pain too is almost nonexistent, unless of course I bite down hard on the tooth that needs extraction. Side effects are slight nausea and heartburn if taken without 8oz of water or lying down soon after taking a dose."

• glester
• July 1, 2016

"I had penicillin-resistant tonsillitis. A week of amoxicillin had no effect, and I'd had the infection for 3 weeks. It wasn't too severe, but it was steadily getting worse, and I was in no rush to have body parts cut out of my mouth in order to get rid of the infection. An ENT prescribed clindamycin and an anti-inflammatory, and within a single day I visibly saw the infection peeling away from my tonsils (yeah, it was gross, but in a good way)., and all the discomfort was gone. I had no side effects, and haven't yet seen any antibiotics-caused diseases. Maybe it's just a single anecdote, but so are all the other reviews on here. Thought I'd throw in a positive experience."

• mishni
• March 20, 2017

"I was given 300mg to take 3x a day for 7 days for an abscess. Dentist & pharmacist warned of nasty side effects. Enclosed papers with instructions and warnings were scary and only recommend taking with food, water and avoid laying for 10 minutes after taking. I looked online to see if taking probiotics would help prevent colitis. Found these rating and was even further scared. I noticed everyone who gave positive reviews mentioned probiotics, yogurts, and staying upright for at least 30 minutes. So that is what I did. No side effects what so ever. No heartburn, diarrhea (I actually became constipated), or belly pain. I took a Probiotic with 10 billion strains 1x a day and ate a 0% Activia yogurt at every dose. Pain gone by day 3."

• Sassy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2016

"Clindamycin is one of the oldest, safest, and most effective broad-spectrum drugs on the market. It must however be taken as directed, meaning you should probably eat something before you take it, you must take the entire prescription, and follow proper dosaging instructions. If you fail to do this, your infection can return, the bacteria can become resistant, which means the bacteria could become immune, and you will no longer be able to take this antibiotic. As someone who is not able to take antibiotics like penicillin due to a life-threatening allergy, I consider this to be a wonder drug. All drugs have contraindications (side effects), the least of which is stomach ache/GI issues."

• fla
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 24, 2013

"Being treated for a leg ulcer with this medication. I have 5 pills left out of the 2 wk dose and I am finding it hard to finish. I too am experiencing extreme heartburn on top of the acid reflux I already have, so bad I have knots in my stomach which is making it hard for me to eat. It is very painful when the food goes down. My chest hurt and I was tired a lot after taking this. It did though clear up this infection right away. Going to try and get through the last 5. Reading others posts have been so helpful. I knew nothing about not lying down for 30 mins after taking it and I will get back on yogurt to. Thanks for all the tips"