Best Antibiotic for PANDAS

[MarcyJ]

Hi.. Our son is on Keflex for 8 months and his doc just recently started him on Augmentium 850 in AM and 850 in PM for 21 days for the reflex alone wasn't reducing strep titers. Anyone else have any luck with these 2 antibiotics used together. And son only on since 6 days and we see more speech. But he is sick again so he is flaring right now. Does Augmentium work fast and well for PANDAS? Also anyone use Gutpro for their PANDAS child I have been reading a lot on how probiotics are bad for PANDAS but there is a probiotic Gutpro specifically designed for PANDAS because it's D-lactade free. And may even help with recovery? Any advice on both these topics is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[MomWithOCDSon]

Unfortunately, I don't think that we know at this point that there is any such thing as the "best" antibiotic for PANDAs, or even strep, for that matter, particularly as different strains of strep react differently to antibiotics. In our case, my DS did take Augmentin, and he did respond quickly in terms of behavioral improvements. But that didn't mean full recovery/healing was quick as, in his case, it was a 2+ year process.

 

Regarding probiotics, I've neither read nor heard that probiotics overall are bad for PANDAs kids; rather, some doctors recommend that you not give PANDAs kids probiotic strains that include streptococcus thermopolis as it is a strep strain, and some kids have unfavorable behavioral responses to other strains, most notably sachrommyces boulardi (or "sach b," well-known brand name, Florastor). I can't speak to GutPro specifically, but hopefully some other folks here can. We successfully used a multi-strain probiotic throughout antibiotic therapy, as well as lactobacillus gg (Culturelle) which has been studied for being helpful with respect to fighting depression.

 

All the best!

[Mayzoo]

I find it a bit odd that the doc is giving two abx that are so closely related. Augmentin is amoxicillin and clauvulanic acid and keflex is a "first cousin" so to speak of amoxicillin.

 

Not to say this cannot be done, but if you do not see enough improvements on this regimen, you may ask that one (probably keflex) be swapped with an abx in another category such as macrlide (Biaxin, Zithromax etc...).