Clindamycin for Surgical Prophylaxis User Reviews

• Im ...
• October 6, 2015

"I'm just 2 capsules (150 mg) into a week's prescription. I'm having dental implants, and this is to prevent bone infection. Based on the stories here, it's powerful enough to prevent even worse problems! No side effects so far. Scary to read about these issues, so thanks to all for the heads-up! I eat yogurt every day for breakfast anyway but will now up my intake to 3 times a day... yogurt for dessert after every meal! Will keep you posted if anything changes. One week later: The meds are finished, and I had no problems! No diarrhea, no nausea, no infection. I was lucky! But I took each pill with a full glass of water, never lay down right after taking it, and I ate plain yogurt 3 times a day, every day, to keep my intestines happy. Good luck."

• lmr...
• November 19, 2011

"2 pills 3x day - 5 days. Got 4 wisdom teeth removed. Day 1 - 1st dose, pills were hard to swallow, and a few minutes after I took the pills, I got an upset stomach. 2nd dose was about the same, but I got a rash on my face (cheeks). 3rd dose stomach pain got a little worse. Day 2 stomach pain got even worse with every dose. Day 3 morning dose was unbearably painful in my esophagus/stomach. Called my doctor, and he told me to stop taking pills. I figured stomach/esophagus pain would go away since I'm not taking pills, but it's been 6 days since I stopped taking pills and I still have pain. A lot of pain when I eat and burp. Pain feels like a tightening and burning in my chest every time I swallow."

• Bet...
• July 16, 2018

"So I had my wisdom teeth removed on June 5th of this year and was prescribed this medication in case I developed a post-op infection. As I'm 17, my immediate favorite 'side effect' of this medication is that it began to improve my acne. Here's where everything begins to go south. About a week later, I began to notice urgent diarrhea. This problem persisted for several days, at least 10 times a day. I began to lose weight, insane stomach cramps, nausea, I couldn't sleep, severe dehydration. I began to have bowel movements that only consisted of blood and mucus. I was admitted to the hospital for GI scopes. The next morning, my surgeon came to review the procedure. He said I was positive for C. diff and immediately asked if I had been on clindamycin. He then explained how powerful this antibiotic is and how it basically stripped my colon of all of my 'good bacteria', allowing the C. diff bacteria to become toxic. Do not take this antibiotic if you can at all help it!"

• Nev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 3, 2020

"I blindly took this as prescribed for my wisdom tooth removal. 1000 mg 3x a day for 7 days to prevent post-op complications. DO NOT TAKE IT! A week later, it caused me to have a severe case of C. diff colitis. I didn't know about any of this, but I would have taken my chance on complications (look up studies about if antibiotics even help prevent complications). I've lost so much weight, so tired, bedridden, diarrhea for two weeks now with blood and severe cramps and pain, 102.5 fever, nausea, loss of appetite. The diarrhea being impossible to keep clean has also caused a UTI from E. coli with another fever, blood/clots/tissue, severe pain. NOT WORTH IT. I feel like I was uninformed."

• Cli...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2023

"I was prescribed clindamycin following major non-sterile plastic surgery as a prophylactic for MRSA and other potentially serious infections. I took the medication 4 times daily for one week as prescribed. Only after I had been taking it for a few days did I learn it could cause Clostridium difficile infections, but since I hadn't had any symptoms, I assumed I would be alright. Fast forward one month after finishing the regimen, and I'm in the ER with a positive Clostridium difficile test after 48 hours of intensifying diarrhea and cramping just above the groin. Thankfully, the first dose of my vancomycin regimen knocked out the symptoms. I'm now on probiotics and will probably continue taking them for three months just to ensure that the Clostridium difficile is gone for good. It sure would have been nice if someone had warned me of the potential for Clostridium difficile in advance so I could have requested a different antibiotic."

• Anonymous
• February 13, 2011

"I was prescribed clindamycin by my oral surgeon as a prophylactic antibiotic before having my wisdom teeth extracted. Neither the doctor, pharmacist, nor the drug fact sheet indicated that it could cause severe heartburn or chest pains. Within a day of taking clindamycin, I had developed clenching chest/esophageal pain and heartburn. My doctor extended my clindamycin script to fight these symptoms. I went to the E.R. this morning for fear that my artificial pulmonary valve was infected. I was told to take Maalox. After stopping my clindamycin dosage (I have already finished all that were initially prescribed), my fever has broken, rash went away, and I feel drastically better."

• Joe...
• November 10, 2015

"Ask the pharmacist if this antibiotic was strong or had any side effects. He said that it was not considered a strong antibiotic with any serious side effects. I rarely take antibiotics, avoiding them like the plague just because of bad side effects, but when I have to take them, I always increase my daily intake of probiotics and yogurt. None of that helped with this miserable drug. I was fine taking this drug the first three days, but then on day four, I took a pill with kefir (like yogurt) and had the most severe chest pain I ever had, which lasted for over two hours. Skipped the next two doses for the day. Tried one the next morning - had some discomfort. Next dose, more chest pain as if having a heart attack and still have terrible discomfort."

• Chr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 28, 2017

"Consider another drug. Clindamycin has ruined my gut. I have had diarrhea for over a month (tested for c. diff: negative). The only thing I can eat is peeled, white boiled potatoes. Everything else goes through me in just a few hours. I've lost a lot of weight, and I'm permanently tired. My doctor has run all manner of tests, and I am just not recovering. I was a healthy 70 kg, 31-year-old male. Now 62 kg, one month later. I can't remember being so ill."

• Mer...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 2, 2015

"I had three wisdom teeth (third molars) removed on Monday. I took two clindamycin (150 mg) before the surgery without anything in my stomach and was fine. I was instructed to take 4 a day and therefore took one pill every six hours (this is important). One night, I fell asleep before taking it, and I noticed I had mild heartburn, but once I made sure I did not miss a dose, this did not return. Remember to sit up straight for at least 20 minutes to prevent heartburn, this medication is concentrated, and you don't want it laying in your stomach. I was warned about diarrhea and increased my intake of plain Greek yogurt and kefir. My poo was mucusy, but no diarrhea. Taking precautions and reading instructions will make this medication effective."

• kco...
• March 28, 2010

"I started this medicine almost a week ago, before oral surgery, and I must say that the biggest side effect I experienced was feeling sick to the stomach and loss of appetite. I have learned that you must take this with a glass of water and don't lay down right after."

• Anonymous
• February 8, 2010

"Clindamycin is a good drug for oral bacteria, and since I had an allergy to penicillin, I was prescribed this for 5 days after my oral surgery. The first dose caused terrible heartburn and nausea. I was very nervous about vomiting after mouth surgery. The next dose I took with a big glass of water, yogurt, and applesauce and sat up for 30 minutes-no problems after that. Except for watery diarrhea, which started the day after stopping. Keeping well hydrated and taking my probiotics should help."

• Bar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2015

"The swab taken from my wound revealed NO serious bacteria, however, the drug was selected by the consultant. I managed 8 of the 300 mg capsules, which were prescribed 4 daily. What a hellish experience. Severe diarrhea began following the stopping of the drug after only 8 capsules. It continues. Severe fatigue, oral thrush, and feeling 100% worse than having the abscess treated in the OR and the wound packed, etc. I will never touch this poison again, no matter what is wrong with me!"

• Lab...
• October 2, 2016

"Did fine for 10 days on this drug for an abscessed tooth. Dentist pulled the tooth, and then began the most horrible diarrhea! Dr. prescribed Flagyl, but I'm still having issues after weeks! I will never take clindamycin again! I'm using charcoal and oil of oregano, liquid probiotics, and got prayed for at church! I've lost ten lbs and have gone from normal stools all my life to a mess!"

• Ann...
• July 29, 2017

"Prescribed 300 mg every six hours after having 3 wisdom teeth extracted. No issues other than increased vaginal discharge. I definitely don't take it with enough water and usually don't have a meal with it, but I have zero complaints about side effects. I'm not sure if it's doing what it's supposed to be, but it's day 6, and I don't think I have any signs of infection."

• noc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 12, 2016

"I was prescribed 300 mg Clindamycin 4x daily for 5 days after getting all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. Took my last dose before going to sleep at midnight last night. The past five days I was doing okay. My Percocet messed me up one day, so I stopped taking that. But today started out fine, until about 11 pm when I went to the bathroom. I was in and out of there every 10 minutes or so. Not the usual liquid runs, this was thicker. Maybe everything that had built up from the constipation caused by the Percocet? This went on for a good hour before I downed two probiotics and ran to the store for anti-diarrhea. Now I've got glossy eyes and pink cheeks on an otherwise pale face. Not entirely certain if Clindamycin is to blame, but it's a suspect."

• All...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 23, 2023

"Not good. Broke out in a rash on day 7 of it all over. Lots of intense acid reflux too! I ended up stopping this a day early because of the side effects. Now, fast forward a month later, and here come all the digestive issues: diarrhea, mucus, bloating, and gurgling. A month after taking it, and the worst part is it's sporadic and comes out of nowhere. Absolutely terrible. Never taking it again."

• Jmz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 2, 2015

"Had an extraction, then a severe infection. This antibiotic killed the infection. The only side effect for me was a yeast infection. I already take Prilosec for heartburn, so I didn't notice this side effect. I took 300 mg three times a day for one week. Now if only I can figure out why I have severe headaches after my tooth was pulled. Since I never had headaches in the past!"

• Sxa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 19, 2017

"I was prescribed this medication after having all my wisdom teeth removed to prevent infection. I took 1 capsule 3 times a day. For the first few days, it was fine, I found if you don't take it with a lot of water, it burned all the way down, and it made me feel funny with a metallic taste in my mouth. Around day 3, I started having cramps in my stomach, back, and right under my ribcage, so painful they would keep me up at night and wake me up out of a dead sleep. I was warned that it could cause stomach problems, so I didn't think much of it, but it's been a week since I stopped taking them, and I'm getting these awful cramps still. Off to the doctor tomorrow for me. (I took probiotics the entire time I was on it and lived off yogurt too)"

• MJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 28, 2019

"I received an IV dose of Cleocin brand Clindamycin before surgery to remove my gallbladder. About a week later, I experienced severe stomach cramping and horrible diarrhea. I waited another week to see if it was just part of the gallbladder removal recovery. Days later, I was in the hospital, I couldn't eat, drink, or even think about food without constant trips to the bathroom. I tested positive for C. diff and, after research, learned that studies have shown that this antibiotic comes with an increased rate of C. diff contraction. If you've had any history of digestive issues, I would consider asking your doctor to use a different antibiotic!"

• CCa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 5, 2020

"Prescribed after having wisdom tooth removed. Worst antibiotic imaginable. Diarrhea and stomach pains. Diarrhea took 3 weeks to subside, even with the use of Imodium. Will never take this medicine again."

• Gra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 22, 2021

"Wow. I don’t know if this medication would have worked or not for my root canal. I was on it for a day and a half and had to stop because of the horrible taste in my mouth night and day, no matter what else I ate, how often I brushed, or how often I used a mouth rinse. It was horrible! Bad enough that I tossed and turned all night with the horrible taste in my mouth. So, so bad. I will never take this again."

• bra...
• November 27, 2022

"Since I was prescribed clindamycin after having multiple teeth extracted to prevent infection (although recent journal articles indicate it isn't particularly effective for treating oral infections). The side effects are NOT worth it. I am still gut-sick, two weeks later, with disabling cramps and constipation. The rectal bleeding this drug caused has thankfully tapered off. But I feel dreadful for most of the day, and pain wakes me from sleep. The doc says it gave me medication-induced colitis and that it will pass. I am on Florastor (saccharomyces boulardii) and another high-priced probiotic, as well as yogurt. I can't believe the gut issues take this long to resolve. I was prescribed this because I had a shock allergy to Augmentin so now they are wary of giving me other penicillins. As soon as I am better, I want to be allergy tested to find other antibiotics I can tolerate because this cure is worse than the disease."

• Not...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 20, 2022

"Spent 3 days in the hospital, 2 trips to the ER, 3 weeks in bed not being able to eat (due to liver pain with eating), and $20k in medical bills after experiencing drug-induced liver injury from clindamycin."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 4, 2021

"I had two wisdom teeth extracted, and the surgeon prescribed clindamycin. My reaction to the drug during the dosing period was mainly reflux. Upon finishing the dosage, I had some diarrhea, which appeared to clear up. However, two weeks later, I was hit with a bad bout of C. diff colitis, which is awful, and now will need even more antibiotics to clear the infection. Why, in heaven's name, do oral surgeons prescribe this drug as a prophylaxis is beyond me. Had I known of this potential mess, I would not have taken this antibiotic without there being an actual infection."

• Lae...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2021

"Was prescribed this twice for prevention after the extraction of 4 wisdom teeth (2 in June and 2 in August of the same year). I had to take 4 capsules of 300 mg per day, every 6 hours. I didn't get some of the severe side effects most comments here are describing, but I did have diarrhea for a few days while on it (both times). I also makes me super tired, and it doesn't help that I can't drink coffee while on it. My stomach 'feels upset,' but I'm not in pain. It just rumbles, and I think it makes me nauseous at times. All in all, it's what I expected from antibiotics in general - I will incorporate some Greek yogurt into my diet to try and give my guts a break. It does taste absolutely horrible and leaves an extremely bitter taste in my mouth."