# Stomach Issue Question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 21, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326 "2013-04-21T18:38:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jack\_V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@Jack\_V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_V)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/1 "2013-04-21T18:38:50Z")
I’ve taken Tetracycline for 1 1/2 years. I’ve missed perhaps 1 or 2 days a week. I take 500 mg in the morning. In the last week I’ve been having stomach pains in my upper left abdomen and recently a general upset stomach that gets much worse when I eat a lot. I’ve also been having loose/watery bowel movements. But only in the morning usually. I went to a walk-in-doctor yesterday and she said to stop taking the Tetracycline for a couple weeks and my stomach problems may clear up. But I went to another walk-in doctor and he doubted that the tetracycline caused my stomach problem I have not taken any tetracycline for a few days but my stomach problem is still there. What can I do to get my stomach back to normal do you think? Will it take a few more days you think? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/2 "2013-04-21T18:46:37Z")
Try eating some yogurt with active culture. Then ask for a different antibiotic. Tetracyclene ruins your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@Jack\_V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_V)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/3 "2013-04-21T19:23:44Z")
Thanks for the reply. I felt a little nauseous this morning too. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/4 "2013-04-21T19:36:16Z")
Real-life medical questions belong in IMHO, not General Quesions. Moved. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/5 "2013-04-21T19:45:48Z")
Make an appointment to see a gastroenterologist. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/6 "2013-04-21T19:54:39Z")
Just curious, but why take tetracycline for so long? If that’s too personal, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@Jack\_V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_V)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/7 "2013-04-21T19:58:24Z")
I took it for acne and it kept the acne away so I kept taking it. But I’ve stopped now that I have stomach pains. Thinking of maybe taking a probiotic. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/8 "2013-04-21T20:27:07Z")
I took tetracycline for acne when I was in high school (a long time ago), and developed a stomach sensitivity to it over a year or so. My dermatologist had me stop taking it, and it’s been on my allergy list ever since. So, IMHO, you should probably not use it again, and should consider it an allergen. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_V](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@Jack\_V](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_V)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/9 "2013-04-21T21:10:25Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > I took tetracycline for acne when I was in high school (a long time ago), and developed a stomach sensitivity to it over a year or so. My dermatologist had me stop taking it, and it’s been on my allergy list ever since. So, IMHO, you should probably not use it again, and should consider it an allergen. How long would you suggest it would take the pain to go away since I took the last dose Thursday? Smoking up seems to help a little. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2013, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/10 "2013-04-21T23:12:58Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Tetracyclene ruins your teeth. Unless you are currently _in utero_ and mommy nearest takes a course of tetracycline, or very young and your teeth are still growing, you (and your teeth) have nothing to worry about. Withal, to be complete, and honest, I must note that, yes, tetracycline can also stain teeth that would seem to have already developed, i.e. ostensibly permanent, adult teeth. Still, that is quite rare and occurs only with long-term, continuous use. More important, though, is the fact that only adult teeth that are still developing (e.g. young adults) can be affected in this way by tetracycline\*. Bottom line: if your tetracycline exposure occurred only after age 25 or so, you really don’t have anything to worry about. - [reasonable reference](http://www.sso.ch/pubmed.cfm?a=smfz-2011-05-01) (pdf) ---
**Author:** ![AGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/11 "2013-04-22T10:41:47Z")
Are you sure the pains are in your stomach and not your intestines? Seeing how you’ve been on antibiotics for so long, [C. diff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._difficile) would makes sense. There are a lot of possibilities… yeah, go see a gastroenterologist. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stomach-issue-question/656326/12 "2013-04-22T14:19:05Z")
> [@KarlGauss](#): > > Unless you are currently _in utero_ and mommy nearest takes a course of tetracycline, or very young and your teeth are still growing, you (and your teeth) have nothing to worry about. > > Withal, to be complete, and honest, I must note that, yes, tetracycline can also stain teeth that would seem to have already developed, i.e. ostensibly permanent, adult teeth. Still, that is quite rare and occurs only with long-term, continuous use. More important, though, is the fact that only adult teeth that are still developing (e.g. young adults) can be affected in this way by tetracycline\*. Bottom line: if your tetracycline exposure occurred only after age 25 or so, you really don’t have anything to worry about. > > - [reasonable reference](http://www.sso.ch/pubmed.cfm?a=smfz-2011-05-01) (pdf) Ok, didn’t realize that. I was given a lot of it as teenager and did stain my teeth, and dentists told me it eroded the enamel also.