You will only need treatment for a Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection if you have symptoms. No treatment is needed if the bacteria are living harmlessly in your gut.
Mild or moderate symptoms
If you have symptoms of a C. difficile infection, it is best to stop taking the antibiotics that may have caused the infection, if this is possible. This will allow the natural 'good' bacteria to regrow in your gut. In many cases where the symptoms are mild or moderate, stopping the antibiotics is often enough to ease the symptoms and clear the infection.
Severe symptoms
If you have symptoms that are more severe, such as severe diarrhoea or colitis (swelling and irritation of the lining of the bowel), you may need to take an antibiotic that can kill C. difficile bacteria. This will usually be either metronidazole or vancomycin, which should ease the symptoms within two to three days.
Possible side effects of these antibiotics are stomach ache, nausea and vomiting (see Medicines information).
Some patients treated for a C. difficile infection will have a repeat of their symptoms. In rare and serious cases of C. difficile infection, surgery may be needed to repair damage to the intestines (bowel), especially if there are tears in the lining of the small intestine.
