Im on an immunosuppressant drug, so Im prone to some infections. This antibiotic is one of the few antibiotics that doesn't mess with my INR, doesnt facilitate my ulcerative colitis to flare up, and I have had success with it for treating the sinus infections that I get a 3-4 times a year.

I think it comes down to weighing risk against benefits for any drug, and discussing the pros and cons with your doctor. Most drugs can be dangerous, most have reported side effects, most people do fine on them. Some people don't. Levaquin really adversely affected me so I never take it when considered for treatment, and I've developed an allergy to penicillin so sometimes, Im limited in what I can take.

Here's my 2 cents: Antibiotics are WAY over prescribed anyway. And the reason is that patients demand medication when theyre sick. My doc said it happens all the time, that people come in after having a cold for 5 days wanting an antibiotic. He doesnt do it. But some docs do just to shut people up. Even with being prone to infection, I try to avoid them. So as patients I think we aught to really try to use them only when absolutely necessary.

I've had really bad reactions to both Cipro and Avelox, but not Levaquin. All in the same family, go figure!

I also don't like taking antibiotics unless I have to. I had a horrid, horrid cough and cold in March and my doc and I both put off the antibiotics until I'd been dealing with it for a week with no improvement. We were in agreement on that, especially since the antibiotics almost always mess with my INR.

But I saw another doc (my asthma/allergy guy) about a month later and he went on a rant about how docs never prescribe antibiotics and it doesn't make sense to him and so on. He didn't seem to believe me when I told him I didn't want them either. I think he just never prescribes antibiotics, so he doesn't see the ramifications that come with them.

Yeah, everything has ramifications, including doing nothing and just waiting it out. I had a really bad sickness in 2006 that I didn't get treated. Came out of it with a cough that wouldn't go away and, a few months later, I was diagnosed with asthma, which I'd never had before. To this day, I'm annoyed with myself for not seeing a doctor sooner and basically "giving" myself asthma because I was too stubborn to see a doctor.

It is important to be aware of what different drugs might do, but it is also important to know that sometimes, a drug really is the best choice since the alternative might be much worse.

***it is also important to know that sometimes, a drug really is the best choice since the alternative might be much worse.***

That's why I stay on Coumadin! (grin)

I hear you on the waiting it out thing. I was sick for a couple of years with my UC before I was ever diagnosed. I'd never been seriously sick before and just I assumed going to the bathroom 20+ times a day was normal for me. I had gotten dysentery from traveling so I was sick for a while with that, but Cirpo killed it and I was clinically cured. But I still continued with diarrhea for 2 years and then I started having other issues. Still I thought, this is just how it's going to be for me. So dumb on my part. It wasn't until I had serious blood loss and a trip ER that I realized I've got a big problem here. My dilly dallying around didn't cause my ulcerative colitis but it certainly prolonged my agony until we got things under control.

"But I lived. Most will. However, it's best to be informed. "

*** Most drugs can be dangerous, most have reported side effects****

I'd change that to ALL drugs can be dangerous. And we're back to that pesky risk/benefit thingy.

Adding from the NEJM:

"RESULTS
During 5 days of therapy, patients taking azithromycin, as compared with those who took no antibiotics, had an increased risk of cardiovascular death"

" Patients who took amoxicillin had no increase in the risk of death during this period."

But----- would the amoxy cure what ailed them? Back to risk/benefit!

Yes, abx are rx'd for many things that they shouldn't be rx'd for (I'll blame the doctor, not the patient. The doctor is one who went through medical school and the buck stops with him.)

Antibiotic over use. Definitely going on and it's digging a hole deeper than can be fixed at this point!

The CDC states:

"Information about a national campaign to reduce antimicrobial resistance through promotion of more appropriate antibiotic use."

Teens are kept on abx for years for acne.

Babies are often given abx because they have an earache. That may be needed if the child is very ill with it---- and it's more for secondary infections than for the earache. (Otitis media --- there are cases when abx IS needed)

Idiots who don't finish the course of abx before they stop taking them just because 'they feel better and I don' need no stinkin' antibiotics!'

And on and on.

But wait! Let's examine how many tons of antibiotics are used in the cattle/dairy business yearly!

Yes, I said tons!

" there is considerable concern from public health, food safety, and regulatory perspectives about the use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals. Over the last two decades, development of antimicrobial resistance resulting from agricultural use of antibiotics that could impact treatment of diseases affecting the human population that require antibiotic intervention has become a significant global public health concern."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21133795

I think patients and doctors need to be held accountable: Doctor on knowing better, and patients for educating themselves.

We should know what we're ingesting. After all, it is MY body, not my doctor's, not the pharmaceutical companies', not my pharmacist's, but MINE. So now, it all starts with me and what I'm willing or not willing to do. There's so many ways for patients to have access to information now that the days of, well if my doc says so then it must be ok, should be a distant memory

Amen.

rmb said:
****There's so many ways for patients to have access to information now [...]****

Yes I wholeheartedly agree. And we're all sitting in front of one right now! (grin)

But the Internet is also terrible----- and a person has to learn how to 'read' the information.

Maybe I'll start a thread about how to get good information on the Internet and how to interpret it. People will probably stay away in droves (grin) but it might help some lurkers,

rmb.... how long did it take for z-pac to clear up your sinus infection please? I was on doxy for 9 days without any success, so just switched to z-pac yesterday. Today I had a slight optical migraine (had a few years ago), but not sure if related at all. I'm SO over this dizzy/vertigo/pressure! I CANNOT go back to the ER ... twice in one week and all is well with MRI, so I guess just need to be patient,,,, which I am NOT! Thanks!

For me I usually start feeling better by my second or third day on the drug. But you know, everyone is different and I think sinus infections are particularly stubborn and so sometimes it's a matter of finding the right drug. With sinus stuff sometimes I can't even move my head because of dizziness. And generally, it's my jaw that is most painful because of all the pressure on my teeth. I would say really keep drinking a lot of water. You could be somewhat dehydrated as well.

TossNTurn may have more insight into the whole sinus stuff. She's the Sinus Queen.

Thanks,,, i'm hoping that tomorrow will be my turn around day... i feel much worse today than yesterday tho.... but think that I'm stressing and my BP is up again.... which is what happens to me all the time... I'm trying to calm myself..... hmmmmmmmm.... MRI was fine, heart was fine... this too shall pass.... and now we are under a tornado watch here in the mid-atlantic...not helping at all!

Hunker down in the basement with a nice bottle of Cabernet and let it all blow over.

Seriously, if you're worked up I'm sure that doesn't help. Do you think you're feeling worse just from the stress of it all? If not and it continues to get worse call your doc for sure.

Please try to get some rest and take it easy. Hope you feel better. And I hope the storm doesn't impact you.

RMB - "Hunker down in the basement with a nice bottle of Cabernet and let it all blow over." Am I allowed to do that even if I'm not sick! Hahaha. Love that!

If only I had a basement! I hide in the hall bathroom! My neighbor has a basement tho and I told her that she might see me running over.... Kitty may have to fend for himself! I'm been very good about NOT having wine with the warfarin/antibiotic combination, but I might forego that today.... I just took another BP pill as it was high.... I do SO stress,, Dr. said that if I take it and it is high, i can take another pill... my dosage is not that high to begin with.... thunder and storms are a'comin!

@Donnarae

I gotta say that sinus infections are a bit of a challenge sometimes. It really can depend on what kind of bug you've got up there. Some respond really well to certain antibiotics and others just don't.

I had sinus surgery back in November and I probably took about 7-8 different kinds of antibiotics before and after surgery just trying to get the inflammation down, kill off the infections I was getting on a regular basis, and so on. All told, I was probably on antibiotics for about six months. The havoc that wreaks on your systems (and your INR!) ... lemme tell you!

With the right antibiotic, I usually saw some results within 2-3 days. With the wrong ones, if I didn't see anything changing within about five days, I'd call my doc back and we'd switch it up. Not all antibiotics are good with all things. There are some that are better with sinuses ... others with ears ... others with lungs ... and etc.

For me, the biggest issues I saw with the sinuses were losing senses of smell and taste, constantly running or stuffy nose, crazy bad dizziness and vertigo and nausea, pain/numbness in my upper teeth, pain in my cheeks and eyebrows. What you are describing sounds pretty standard for a bad sinus infection.

When your sinuses are jacked up, pretty much you're gonna feel horrible. You've got to hope you get the right antibiotic and just wait it out. Try to stay hydrated, if you can. I know sometimes I'd get so dizzy and nauseated, that even thinking about eating made me queasy.

Hang in there!