Giardia treatment?

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quentinc
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Giardia treatment?

Post by quentinc »

I seem to have picked up the nasty creature. This also once happened many many years ago, and my doctor prescribed Flagyl, which was unpleasant and didn't work. I remember doing research and coming up with an alternative, which I had to get filled at a compounding pharmacy in NJ (after convincing my doctor to prescribe it), because it's not normally carried in the U.S. I'm thinking it was Tinidazole, but I can't remember for sure. Anyone have recommendations?

By the way, I'm guessing that my friends forgot to filter the liter of water they claimed they had filtered for me. I treat with iodine when I'm doing my own water. This was in the extreme Southern Sierra, which is subject to an annual plague of cattle, so it's not that surprising the water was infected.
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Carne_DelMuerto
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by Carne_DelMuerto »

The Flagyl didn't work? Did you complete the course?

My week on Flagyl was terrible, but it killed the bug. Good luck to you!
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rlown
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by rlown »

quentinc wrote:By the way, I'm guessing that my friends forgot to filter the liter of water they claimed they had filtered for me. I treat with iodine when I'm doing my own water.
I'm thinking you need new friends..
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paul
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by paul »

Tinidazole is the stuff. I beleive a brand name is Tiniba or somthing like that. Works like a charm compared to Flagyl - and I have taken both at different times. Mind you, I have no idea how toxic it may be, or why you can't get it in the USA when it is available in other countries. I got in it Nepal in 1985.
quentinc
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by quentinc »

rlown wrote:I'm thinking you need new friends..
I know. They're starting to remind me of your friends (on this board)! :)

CDM: Yes, I did. The reading I'm now doing on the Internet shows it has a lower success rate than Tinidazole.

Paul: thanks.
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maverick
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by maverick »

Hi Q

You probably have read this already, but just in case http://tinidazole.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Would it not be great if these medications did not have all those side effects.
A lot of meds you see advertised on tv have worse side effects than the primary
illness.
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AlmostThere
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by AlmostThere »

I'm thinking you need to get something other than iodine for regular use... CDC is saying that due to potential health issues cause by long term use and iodine being less effective on giardia (and ineffective for crypto) they recommend chlorine dioxide or other treatments that don't have health risks and more efficacy against cyst borne critters.
quentinc
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by quentinc »

Thanks all.
Mav, interesting that that website says Flagyl is carcinogenic.

AT, I'm still suspecting that my friends only thought they had filtered the water in that bottle (they were using it to collect water dripping very slowly from a catchment basin). But it's interesting to hear that chlorine is considered more effective with giardia. As for iodine health risks, I'm not real concerned since I usually don't treat water, except in stock country, so I use it pretty rarely. Even on this past trip, I collected recently fallen snow for most of my drinking water.
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AlmostThere
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by AlmostThere »

Not chlorine - that's not effective either, until you turn the water into swimming pool water. Chlorine DIOXIDE. It's not the same stuff as bleach.

Just don't give any of the iodine treated water to anyone else. Especially pregnant women.
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rlown
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Re: Giardia treatment?

Post by rlown »

REI has it: http://www.rei.com/product/736898/potab ... kage-of-30" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

not sure i like a 4 hr wait for a drink of water though..
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