Anyone else hate taking antibiotics?

[u4ic]

My mouth tastes like the friggin Love Canal.

Biaxin = Big Pharma's answer to lutefisk. :puke:

[Wetzelbill]

1. yes!

sometimes they make me itch terribly! I am also allergic to sulfa and septra and they used to make me so damn sick. Ugh. I hate medication in general.

[u4ic]

2. I'm allergic to those, too!

I know what you mean about the sick. I wish there was a complimentary coma shot for the time I spend taking them. Put me out of my misery in the interim.

Ugh. Two more weeks of this...x(

[frogmarch]

57. Septra

I used to be able to take Septra, but recently I developed an allergy to it and began to itch all over from it. What I do now is to take a Benadryl tablet with the Septra. No itching, and the Benadryl doesn't interfere with the antibacterial effect of the Septra.

Not sure if it's a good idea to do that, but I've developed allergies to many antibiotics and, well, any port in a storm, I guess.

[u4ic]

71. I've heard it recommended

for people taking antibiotics long term. :hi:

[donco6]

63. Penicillin! NONONO.

When I realized I was allergic, I had taken some and the palms of my hands and soles of my feet just itched like I've never experienced before. I was driving home from work and I remember thinking that holding my hands out the window and rubbing them along the concrete guardrail would feel GOOD!

Thankfully I got the Benedryl in time.

[grace0418]

3. Yes, I always picture the anitbiotics just forcing the infection to some

other area of my body and never really curing anything. I avoid taking them whenever possible and employ as many nutritional and natural remedies as possible.

[u4ic]

6. I exhausted all alternative therapies

I had been fighting this cold for almost a month before it turned.

You name it - extra A,C,D,E, zinc, raw garlic, echinacea/goldenseal, coldFX (which usually works for me), ginger tea, steaming my sinuses and humidity at night - even went to my acupuncturist, too.

[grace0418]

13. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were

using antibiotics irresponsibly. I apologize. I'm sure you're doing what's best for you. I was speaking for myself, but I realize that my post totally seemed like I was judging you. Sorry about that. :hi:

[u4ic]

17. I didn't think anything like that!

:hi:

I'm the same way...I try everything and anything before I'll go on antibiotics. Cold FX usually works great for me, and has saved me a number of times, but this one's a persistent little b*gger. :D (here's the website for it, btw...everyone I know uses it and finds it an excellent and effective product: http://www.coldfx.com/ )

I broke my nose a number of years ago, and since then, it's been more prone to infection - even after surgery, and ENT's. I've found some natural things that help, but once in a while - to quote Emeril - BAM! I get hit.

[grace0418]

36. Thanks! I'll check it out. I always use Emergen-C and

it works wonders, too. I used to get 3-4 colds a year. Now I've only had two in the last 3 years.

[u4ic]

37. I'll check out the Emergen-C.

Maybe that will do me some good. Thanks!

[qwertyMike]

39. A cold is caused by a virus

Antibiotics are useless against vruses (Virii?)

There is no 'cure' for a cold.

Lots of liquids and bed-rest help

[u4ic]

47. Started out as a cold (a month!)

but they easily turn into sinus infections for me, with an broken nose a few years back. Uh...without giving too much information, not enough on one side can be expelled as the other.

I think there may be a tooth issue here, too...got an appointment in a couple of weeks to have it checked out.

Definitely doing the bed rest and hydration thingE. (may be a bit too much of the latter :rofl: )

[ThomCat]

4. I can't take Biaxin. I get a vicious

painful reaction to it that puts me out for days.

I'm on a good old-fashioned penicillin derivative right now for an ear infection. I'm very glad I am not alergic to this. It's not terrible.

[u4ic]

7. The bad taste in my mouth

is really what's driving me batty. I can't get rid of it - even gum doesn't do the trick. Only food does, temporarily - and I'm not about to eat something every half hour.

I swear it's toxic waste, shaped into pills, bottled and sold to us. :puke:

Hope your infection clears soon, ThomCat! :hi:

[ThomCat]

8. Thank you.

You too. :hug:

[u4ic]

9. Thanks!

:hug:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. I've always enjoyed them.

At least, enjoyed them considerably better than the infections they treat.

[u4ic]

10. I think

that's the best way to look at it! :hi:

[NC_Nurse]

11. They always make me feel

terrible! But they are better than the illness!

I can't take Cipro, it makes my muscles and joints hurt so bad it feels like they're gonna explode.

Most of the others hurt my stomach. Can't take erythromycin cause I always barf it right back up.

Macrobid has been my friend though - used to get lots of UTI's.

[u4ic]

25. Erythromycin

did the same for me. Never again. :scared:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

12. Last time I took them I was 20 and in the hospital with strep.

Prior to that...I hadn't taken them since I was 7.

Seriously though, they fucked me up so bad. I had INSANE mood swings and I had absolutely no energy.

Edited to say: On a funny note, since I was under 21 I was in pediatrics. It was insane. The nurse offered to show me the toy room and I had a 15 year old volunteer offer me Disney movies and a clown.

[u4ic]

38. In pediatrics?!

:rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

49. Yeah, it was absurd all around.

When my coworkers visited me, they stole a bunch of pictures books and a "no ouch zone" sign from the lobby. My friends were all showing up with digicams to take pictures of the infection and to point out the "hottie" nurses. Then, throw in the nurses telling me I had to keep the door closed because I was watching Sex and the City and R-rated movies and there were 4 year olds in the hallway.

[u4ic]

67. !

:spray: :rofl:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

70. Aside from having to keep an eye on my tv...

The nurses all liked me. They said I was a really nice break from the little kids. I didn't cry, poop in my bed or be otherwise overly demanding. The evil night nurse used to never bring me orange juice when I asked for it though. She always told me to go to sleep and that I didn't need juice. Bitch.

[Iniquitous Bunny]

73. That was seriously lame of them.

I work on a pediatric floor (5-18 mostly), but occasionally we get 19 and 20 year olds. I treat all older adolescents like adults (since they are). We keep DVDs around that would appeal to them and they can borrow laptops with wi-fi. We have less of a selection than we do for the 5-12 years old, but it's not quite that bad either.

[Ptah]

14. Actually, no.

I'm taking clindamycin to treat a severe case
of pneumonia. I'm glad to have the medicine available
to help me recover.

I'm sorry your meds affect your sense of taste so badly.

I'm hoping your antibiotics defeat the nasties that have invaded
your life and soon.

:hi:

[u4ic]

19. Yes, it's a lifesaver for you,

isn't it Ptah?

Thank you for your good wishes. I'll be over it soon. :hug:

[sendero]

15. Another drug..

... that is different with different folks. My doctor warned me that it would taste bad, but it doesn't have that effect on me. When taking it, I feel, smell and taste no different :)

It really is a pretty good antibiotic that is usually prescribed when the doc has already tried the standard antis like amoxicillin or keflex and they didn't work.

[SeattleGirl]

16. I do. Everything I eat tastes like salt, except for one thing:

Regular Pepsi. Haven't had to do antibiotics for a long time, but last time I did, YUCK!

[Liberal Veteran]

18. Eat yogurt and/or take acidophillus

Antibiotics are not particularly discriminating and tend to kill off good bacteria which keeps your mouth and gut from becoming a sewer.

It worked for me when I was taking Septra for two years.

[u4ic]

22. Definitely doing both

I love plain (goat) yoghurt and have it every day; add my own fruit and no other sweetener.

I just got some acidophilus today (started taking the Biaxin yesterday) and have started on that. (not taking it within 3 hours of the antibiotic) It's just one of the side effects...a wretched taste. It's the medication rather than my stomach/gut. Two weeks can't come soon enough.

Two years! Egad. I hope it helped. :hi:

[BlueIris]

23. I also recommend taking Solaray's Yeast Cleanse and/or Enzimedica's

Candidase to realign all the other things that get thrown out of whack with anti-biotic use. Enzimedica's stuff is pricey--but totally worth it, especially for those times when Solaray's products aren't helping resolve a yeast imbalance, as can happen when that imbalance is the result of broad-spectrum anti-biotics.

[u4ic]

26. Thanks, I'll look into it

I eat plain goat yoghurt and raw garlic everyday. I also have little starches (wheat, esp) or sugars...I eat a very healthy, mostly unprocessed diet. That helps, as sugar will feed the yeast that often overgrows in the gut with antibiotic use. :hi:

[REP]

20. Day 1 Million of 1050mg/Daily Clindamycin

Okay, it hasn't been a million days, but it feels like it. I have cellulitis (again), am allergic to many antibiotics, so huge doses of Clindamycin is what I'm stuck with to keep my leg from falling off. I'm not allergic to it, but I am sensitive to it, so yes, I'm SICK of shoveling in three pills three times a day!

On the other hand, I "like" taking Cipro - I'm not sensitive to it and helps *everything.*

[u4ic]

24. Oh my goodness, REP!

:hug:

What's cellulitis? A skin infection or something like that? What causes it?

I haven't tried Cipro, but had Levaquin before...I had some weird tenderness in my tendons for a month or so afterwards. I want to avoid that one as much as possible.

Do you get the yucky taste, too?

I wish you all the best...I hope your cellulitis clears up soon. :grouphug:

[REP]

35. Nasty Staph Skin Infection

I've got a long list of stuff wrong with me, but the short version is my immune system is shot, so even the staph normally found on skin gets nasty. Cellulitis is precursor to necrotizing fasciitis and looks gross. Really gross.

I'm not so much having a problem with the bad taste in my mouth (metrodiazanole {Flagyl} is the worst for that, hands down), but it's making me wheeze a little and have other issues to icky to discuss.

Hope you get over what you're dealing with soon!

[u4ic]

40. Oh, REP

I hope you'll recover soon. I've just got a lousy sinus infection, nothing near as serious as yours.

I've got CFS and Fibromyalgia, and my immune system isn't the best, either. Never had to deal with cellulitis, however - and hopefully never will. It sound downright awful.

Take care of yourself, REP. :hug: :hug: :hug:

[REP]

46. Sinus Infections = Super Suck

There's nothing good about a sinus infection. I mean, it's on your face so it can't even be ignored!

I'm nephrotic from early stage non-diabetic kidney failure, plus I'm diabetic (etc). Sort of a 1-2-3 punch of "goodbye, immune system"!

[u4ic]

48. Oh my :(

You've sure got it tough. :grouphug:

[tuvor]

21. Lutefisk: The piece of cod which passeth all understanding.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

[u4ic]

27. Thanks, tuvor!

:hug:

[auntAgonist]

28. i take tetracycline 1000mg daily

for roseacea <sp> I hate how it has yellowed my teeth. It's not gross or anything but i'd love to have nice pearly whites :(
:hi:

aA

[u4ic]

29. Hi auntieA!!

How long have you been on it?

Any news on Ashley? :hug:

[auntAgonist]

30. I've taken it for about 6 years

It's just part of what I do daily.
Ashley is quite sore and feeling very "flu-ish" Her Dr says she'll feel worse before she starts to feel better. I talked to her tonight and she wasn't able to tell me the name of the drug (anti-biotic) that they have given her though. I'm quite curious as to how they are treating her. She doesn't ask enough questions and she's not very assertive. If I were there .... suffice to say we'd have more answers.

They're having problems, too much stress, illness, new baby, not enough money, .. etc.
It's a struggle, I hope they can weather the storm.

:hug: thanks for asking !!

:loveya:

aA

[mdmc]

31. i hope all y'all feel better soon

peace and low stress... best mix for health... :)

[auntAgonist]

32. thanks mdmc..

I wish there was a way to de-stress them. I can't meddle, as much as I want to just get in there and set them all straight and make things right! I want to fix it all. I can't :(

aA
:hug:

[mdmc]

34. well, you got my thoughts and prayers

hang tight, your motivation is right and honorable.
peace

[u4ic]

42. Thanks mdmc!

:pals:

[mdmc]

59. welcome

:~)

[u4ic]

41. So it doesn't cure the rosacea?

I've never noticed it from your pictures, so it's either good makeup, or does the antibiotic keep it in check?

I know you're worried, but the doctor is right in what he says...especially the 3rd day of antibiotics. It's always the worst.

She'll get better, hon. :hug: With lots of love and support, they'll get through these tough times. You're a treasure, have such a big heart - and that will help them through.

:hug: :loveya: :yourock:

[auntAgonist]

44. the tetra keeps it at bay

good makeup tricks help too. I was taking my tetra with all my other supplements and the roseacea got worse, it turns out that when taken with calcium, the calcium binds to the antibiotic rendering it useless. I couldn't figure out why the flare up wouldn't go away. The dermatologist knew right away as soon as he looked at my vitamin and supplement list. Learn something every day. So now, the tetra is taken alone first thing in the morning, then the first of 4 rounds of vits and supplements, and in there somewhere I take my prescription Iron. It can't be taken with vitamins OR tetracycline. Yup, I'm a pill poppin' grandma :)


:hug: I'm off to bed u4ic. take care my friend. we'll chat soon. :yourock:


aA

[u4ic]

45. It's a rather huge pain

to try and get one's supplements and antibiotics at a safe distance.

Pill popping grandma? You're a cool one! It's not like you're full of Geritol and canned prunes. :yourock:


Nighty night, my sweet friend! :loveya:

[flamingyouth]

33. They always make me sick.

I try to avoid them at all costs. Hope you feel better soon. :hi:

[u4ic]

43. Thanks, flamingyouth!

Your good wishes are much appreciated! :pals:

[KitchenWitch]

50. Yes

I just got on a particularly strong one yesterday...I feel like I licked a cesspool.

[u4ic]

61. Hope you feel better soon, KitchenWitch!

:hug:

[riona]

51. Sometimes the cure

seems worse than the illness. If you can get through it without nausea, another unpleasant infection, a rash, or headache, it's a miracle.

[Orsino]

52. Why is no one talking about the worst side effect?

Some antibiotics will kill off your intestinal flora, and the results can be frightening.

Whew!

[riona]

53. Didn't I mention "unpleasant infection?" yuck

[Orsino]

55. Or lack of infection, in this case.

E. coli are our friends, and I apologize to them for trying to kill them off. :puke:

[Nikia]

68. I had that problem when I took cephalosporin for a month

For my chronic sinus infection. I had diarrhea all month. I didn't call the doctor because I wanted the sinus infection dead and I had spent over $100 on the the pills even with insurance.
I lost 10 pounds that month.

[khashka]

54. Yep, me too

They leave this fucking ungodly aftertaste!

And you brush your teeth and scour your mouth and that damn taste is still there!



Khash.

[u4ic]

66. I hope the awful taste

doesn't transfer into an ungodly smell! :scared:

I'll have to ask someone, maybe I need to carry mints around with me.

[nickinSTL]

56. mmmm....lutefisk

:sarcasm:

Actually, I hate fish, and the idea of fish cured in lye...:puke:

sorry about the antibiotics. Seems the last time I took antibiotics my digestive system never quite got back to normal, despite eating yogurt frequently afterwards.

[u4ic]

65. Not all yoghurt is created equal,

especially the flavoured ones. They have lots of sugar in them that feed the not so great bacteria in our gut. The best is plain yoghurt; adding some fresh fruit for flavour is fine, just not any other sweetener.

Yoghurt also loses the acidophilus very quickly as it sits on the store shelves. If you have to go on antibiotics again, perhaps an acidophilus supplement may be best.

Here's hoping you don't have to! :hi:

[noonwitch]

58. I think a lot of women do....they cause yeast infections

Whenever I have to take antibiotics, I make sure I eat yogurt once a day to prevent that from happening.

[dolo amber]

60. I don't mind, except for all the dying

I'm highly allergic to like 99.9% of all the ones I've ever tried. x(

[u4ic]

62. Oh my!

I hope you never need them! :scared:

[donco6]

64. Try grapefruit.

When I was sick and had to take all kids of meds, I found grapefruity things tasted most like normal. And I didn't like grapefruit before that! But after that experience I've grown fond of it.

[u4ic]

72. That's very interesting!

I personally rate grapefruit only slightly less appealing than the taste in my mouth now...maybe like cures like...:rofl:

Some meds are not meant to be taken with grapefruit juice, as there are compounds in it which magnify the effect of the medication. I don't know if antibiotics are one, but I remember heart meds being an example.

Maybe I'll give it a try. :-)

[Nikia]

69. When I took cephalosporin for a month it seemed to have killed

all the bacteria in my body. I didn't have any body odor or morning breath. It was a little scary.

[Iniquitous Bunny]

74. I, for one, love diarrhea and yeast infections!

(Not to mention making my birth control less effective!)

NOT! :sarcasm:

I try to avoid antibiotics at all costs, but occasionally (like for the 2 bouts of pneumonia and 1 bout of polynephritis I've had) they were life-saving. Great when you need them, but yeah, the side effects can be rough. :(