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Fecal Transplants or Anti-Map Therapy
- Thread starter Moe.
- Start date
David
Co-Founder
- Location
- Naples, Florida
If a lot of people start taking them, then yes, we could open a new subforum. But for now, a thread dedicated to them (you're welcome to start such a thread) would be sufficient.
Hi Moe.
My husband has had ileal Crohn's disease for 10 years. In 2011, he finished a two-year course of anti-MAP therapy as recommended by Dr. Borody of the Australian Centre for Digestive Diseases (clofazimine/rifabutin/clarithromycin).
During those two years, I should note that he remained on Imuran and had to be given prednisone temporarily after a bowel obstruction and his first surgical resection, shortly after he began the antibiotics. During the two years of antibiotics after the surgery, he felt the most symptom-free and healthy as he ever as (but it was also after surgery, so it's hard to pinpoint cause and effect).
At the end of the two years, he had a follow-up colonoscopy and had a few new, small ulcers around the site of the surgery (Rutgeerts i2). We've read all the research there is about MAP, and had high hopes for the therapy. It may have prevented a worse recurrence, but we can't say for sure. His gastroenterologist at the time discontinued the MAP cocktail to avoid antibiotic resistance and long-term side effects.
I don't think there have been any studies so far on fecal transplants and Crohn's disease, only Clostridium dificile. Some researchers in Toronto have published a paper that describes their donor instructions and administration protocol (see journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology). We are going to ask about it at my husband's next appointment and will update you if we are successful. The "ick" factor doesn't faze us at all - not after 10 years of Crohn's!
My husband has had ileal Crohn's disease for 10 years. In 2011, he finished a two-year course of anti-MAP therapy as recommended by Dr. Borody of the Australian Centre for Digestive Diseases (clofazimine/rifabutin/clarithromycin).
During those two years, I should note that he remained on Imuran and had to be given prednisone temporarily after a bowel obstruction and his first surgical resection, shortly after he began the antibiotics. During the two years of antibiotics after the surgery, he felt the most symptom-free and healthy as he ever as (but it was also after surgery, so it's hard to pinpoint cause and effect).
At the end of the two years, he had a follow-up colonoscopy and had a few new, small ulcers around the site of the surgery (Rutgeerts i2). We've read all the research there is about MAP, and had high hopes for the therapy. It may have prevented a worse recurrence, but we can't say for sure. His gastroenterologist at the time discontinued the MAP cocktail to avoid antibiotic resistance and long-term side effects.
I don't think there have been any studies so far on fecal transplants and Crohn's disease, only Clostridium dificile. Some researchers in Toronto have published a paper that describes their donor instructions and administration protocol (see journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology). We are going to ask about it at my husband's next appointment and will update you if we are successful. The "ick" factor doesn't faze us at all - not after 10 years of Crohn's!
Hi Moe, I underwent anti-MAP Therapy under Prof Borody and have found it a miracle therapy for me. I still have some symptoms but I was in a very bad way and can now get on with my life. Six months into the therapy Prof Borody said that I should be doing better than I was (it actually took about 2 years to reach the point I am at now and the rate of improvement was dramatic early on but slowed as time went on) and tried a faecal transplant on me - I then went home and as instructed did 50 at home (1 per day) using my brother as a donor. Faecal Transplants did not help but I was told that when the bowel is inflamed with IBD the new bacteria does not implant as successfully as it would in a healthy bowel (this is different from when the bowel is inflamed as a result of C. difficile infection where the treatment seems to be very successful) and they want to try faecal transplants in me again at some later point when my bowel is in a better condition. If they try it again I'll let you know how I go.