Community Chat

[house_cat]

I didn't take it last night or this morning.  I called the doctor's office this morning and they are going to speak to the doctor and let me know which alternative antibiotic will be prescribed.

I love this forum because it allows me to get feedback and insight from so many people in such a short amount of time.  It validated my feelings to know that others have had similar side effects with this medication. I learned a few things, as well. Thanks for all the responses, even those that suggested I'm too clueless to consult my doctor :-)

[QueenDanceALot]

Feel better, House Cat!!!

[Tribesters]

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@house_cat wrote:

I didn't take it last night or this morning.  I called the doctor's office this morning and they are going to speak to the doctor and let me know which alternative antibiotic will be prescribed.

I love this forum because it allows me to get feedback and insight from so many people in such a short amount of time.  It validated my feelings to know that others have had similar side effects with this medication. I learned a few things, as well. Thanks for all the responses, even those that suggested I'm too clueless to consult my doctor :-)

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@house_cat

It would be one thing if you were seeking advice instead of consulting your doctor but you clearly stated you were going to consult the doctor. No one should have suggested you were clueless!

I think these boards are a great source of info. I saw your post early this morning. Both of my son's are pharmacists & I usually check with them & relay the info back here.  I was going to consult them about your issue but they are both traveling today. I know there is also at least one pharmacist on the boards as she has responded to posts before. If you're still having trouble after you hear from the doctor then post again. My youngest spent 2 years specializing in infectious diseases. I'm sure he knows every antibiotic there is & what other one you could try. Hope you feel better soon!

[JustJazzmom]

Augmentin to me, is a 'big guns' antibiotic and should be reserved for when other less newer antibiotics of this same class are ineffective. I would say, if you have had this infection for a long time and it wasn't being killed with other 'cillins' then your doctor was correct in giving you this drug.

JMHO.

[house_cat]

@Tribesters

Thank you so much. Two pharmacists! Wow!  Good for you!

I use Ralph's pharmacy, which is Kroger.  They are the best I've ever dealt with in my 57 years on this planet.  Of course, between my DH and me, my two oldsters and my son, we have given them lots and lots of business over the years. There is nothing they won't do for us and honestly, I'm sure they are more knowledgeable about the RXs than are my doctors.  I have the utmost respect for pharmacists no matter where they work.

[Moonchilde]

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@JustJazzmom wrote:

Augmentin to me, is a 'big guns' antibiotic and should be reserved for when other less newer antibiotics of this same class are ineffective. I would say, if you have had this infection for a long time and it wasn't being killed with other 'cillins' then your doctor was correct in giving you this drug.

JMHO.

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That was my first thought as well. Most doctors wouldn't over-prescribe it if they didn't feel it was what was required to knock a persistent infection or in someone who might have some compromise to their immune system.

[QueenDanceALot]

Why mess around with round after round of a possibly less effective antibiotic when the heavy hitter would do the job more efficiently and much quicker?

[JustJazzmom]

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

Why mess around with round after round of a possibly less effective antibiotic when the heavy hitter would do the job more efficiently and much quicker?

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We do not know the person's medical history so we do not know the duration of this infection she has had. Certain drugs are used as 'drugs of last resort' and if it was a first time use of this drug for a non recurrent infection, then it was irresponsible on the part of the MD IMHO to have prescribed it. BUT, if the patient has been on several rounds of antibiotics of lower class without knocking it out of her system, then this drug being prescribed is appropriate.

Inappropriate use of antibiotics as well as ordering the incorrect antibiotic can also lead to bacterial resistance. There are only a handful of 'antibiotics of last resort usage' and it would be wise not to prescribe it for a typical sinus infection.

The true ideal way to prescribe an antibiotic is to get a culture of the sinus area and grow out the bacteria with little antibiotic circles on the agar jelly pans and see which one kills the bacteria -- that is the one to prescribe.

[Moonchilde]

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@QueenDanceALot wrote:

Why mess around with round after round of a possibly less effective antibiotic when the heavy hitter would do the job more efficiently and much quicker?

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That would be my thoughts. I do understand that some people have severe reactions to drugs, but most are inconvenient or unpleasant rather than severe or dangerous. I've gone through the usual lower tract issues with antibiotics, and just sucked it up and took Imodium, because I needed the antibiotic.

Drug-resistant bacteria are still a *relatively* new talking point, and I think most people believe there are many, many antibiotics available, all equal to every task. This has never been true (different classes of antibiotics have always been prescribed for different types of infections), but it's even less true now with the increasing frequency of drug-resistant bacteria.

The more antibiotics you take, the longer you take them, over your lifetime, can have a cumulative effect, especially as one gets older and the frequency may increase. Then when hospitalized with a truly drug-resistant infection, nothing may work because the body has just been too over-exposed.

[Moonchilde]

LOL GMTA, @JustJazzmom. We must have been typing simultaneously ;-)