How I Beat Auto Brewery Syndrome in Three Days without a doctor

A case study for Gut Fermentation Syndrome

Preface: I am a 35-year old female. Normally healthy except for deteriorating teeth. We have the mandated health insurance, but choose to use it only for glasses and teeth.

Auto-brewery syndrome definition: also known as gut fermentation syndrome, is a rare medical condition in which intoxicating quantities of ethanol are produced through endogenous fermentation within the digestive system.

It was a rare combination indeed: Antibiotic medication prescribed by my dentist as a precursor to a tooth extraction and homemade apple crisp. I had been taking the antibiotic twice daily for about a week. The apple crisp (which is like apple pie) had been sitting on the counter since I made it the night before. I had a serving with bread for breakfast Friday. Another for a mid-morning snack. And a third for lunch. I grew drowsy around 3:30pm, not uncommon for me, and took a nap.

When I woke, I felt wretched. I felt like the worst drunk I have ever been in my life: Dizzy, spinning room, might puke drunk. I did not think of it as feeling drunk, I just felt terrible. My husband was the one who suggested that the apple crisp had fermented and that my over-indulgence lead to drunk. The next day — Saturday — I still felt wretched and somewhat dizzy, but not as badly as the night before. I thought the worst was past and decided to try a packet of oatmeal. The oatmeal was, admittedly, not as bad as three helpings of apple crisp, but it did send me back to bed.

While I was writhing in bed, my husband pulled up research from the web and diagnosed gut fermentation syndrome, as well as deciding on the treatment.

Essentially what happened is the antibiotics killed many bacteria, good and bad in my intestines, leaving a void. Nature abhors a void and I adore apple crisp, leading to the perfect conditions for a fungus called candida to grow out of control.

The Treatment: First, I ate nothing containing sugar or simple carbohydrates of any kind. I ate only a few hard boiled eggs and spinach for two days (not all of which stayed down, incidentally.) I drank literally gallons of water and took a vitamin C pill every 1–3 hours starting Saturday afternoon. The human body can not overdose on vitamin C, excess simply passes through, but the ascorbic acid kills the candida fungus. I stopped taking the antibiotic. I slept, or dozed, for most of 24 hours.

One day (24 hours) after we began treatment, I woke up Sunday morning feeling…better. Not good, but better. I was woozy, but not dizzy. For the first time in days I felt slightly hungry. My husband made me a simple meal of barely steamed broccoli and chicken. With the meal, I also had the first 2 pills of probiotics to replenish the. The meal was like the breath of life. After eating two generous helpings, I felt well enough to have a walk outside, water my plants, and have a shower. Then I was hungry again. I ate broccoli, eggs, sunflower seeds, and chicken, drank tea and water, and continued taking a vitamin C pill every 2 -4 hours and a probiotic pill at regular meal times, as well as a daily multivitamin to balance the deficiencies in my diet.

Two days (48 hours) after treatment began, I resumed my normal daily activities for a Monday: Teaching 2 hours of classes, stretching, cleaning house, going to the grocery store, even carving pumpkins for halloween. I was exceptionally hungry and became very fatigued if I did not eat every 2–3 hours, or graze throughout the day. I continued taking vitamin C every 3–6 hours and probiotics with meals. I continued my sugar free diet to be sure that the bacteria had enough time to colonize before reintroducing the candida’s food source into my system.

Well, that was my weekend. Tomorrow, Tuesday, is Halloween. I am going to try a cup of coffee after my morning classes — the first bit of sugar I have had since Friday and see how it goes. With any luck I can have a few pieces of Halloween candy tomorrow night and rejoice in the simple pleasure of a gut that is working as it should.

AmarA is not a doctor nor is her husband. Self diagnosis and treatment is recommended only to the intelligent individuals who are willing to endure the consequences of their decisions.