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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Sinusitis / November 2006Can antibiotic kick in this fast
Started biaxin XL yesterday early evening. Woke up today feeling a better (much better than I have the past few days). But I also found this sinus crud ebbs and flows (mostly flows). Anyway, is at all even POSSIBLE that the antibiotic is working and already improving my symptoms?? I've been pretty much told NOT to expect any improvement quite a few days. Mel (really hoping) > Started biaxin XL yesterday early evening. > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Mel (really hoping) Yes, it's possible, just doesn't always work that way. For me, it takes a few days to a week to notice much effect. Susan >Yes, it's possible, just doesn't always work that > way. For me, it takes a few days to a week to > notice much effect. When I was younger, I had a lot of "tooth" problems. ....A few abscess'. Man... Talk about Painful!! ...But back then (in the 60s) I'd get a Drs. prescription for plain old penicillin, and within a day and a half, the abscess was basically cleared right up. ...I never abused the drug, and always took the dosage for the required time. ..However, about 10 years ago, I had another tooth, for no apparent reason, become abscessed. ...I tell you, I had to suffer for damn near a week, before the antibiotic finally kicked in and start to clear it up enough, so the Dentist could root canal and crown it. I don't know if the antibiotics are getting weaker, or the bacteria are getting stronger, but they sure don't work the way they used to. ..Jon > I don't know if the antibiotics are getting weaker, or the bacteria are > getting stronger, but they sure don't work the way they used to. The bacteria have evolved resistance to antibiotics. When penicillin was first developed in the 1940's, most staph infections could be cured with a penicillin shot. Today, over 90% of strains of staph have evolved to become resistant to penicillin, making it nearly worthless for staph infections. What happened is that the few bacteria that were genetically mutated to be resistant to penicillin, survived the onslaught of penicillin, multiplied, and passed their resistance to their progeny. Evolution takes many generations of a life form, for a trait to become dominant throughout the world. But bacteria multiply every 80 minutes or so. That means some 400,000 generations of bacteria since penicillin was first invented in the 1940's. That's more than enough generations for bacteria to have evolved to the point that penicillin is no longer a problem for them. (It probably took only 200,000 generations of apes to finally evolve into us Homo Sapiens.)  SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. >x-no-archive: yes > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >Susan I'm with Susan as well. I remember in college being able to handle about anything. Didn't even know I had streph until I finally started not feeling well. Went to a doc and got a shot, IIRC, and I felt much better the next day. Now, at 52, feeling bad lingered until I went on immunotherapy. Now, I may feel a little lousy for a day or so, but it doesn't inevitably turn into an infection like it would 95% of the time. I call it allergies and deal with it. Rick: Can you elaborate?? By immunotherapy, do you mean allergy shots?? Mel >>x-no-archive: yes >> [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > doesn't inevitably turn into an infection like it would 95% of the > time. I call it allergies and deal with it. > Rick: > > Can you elaborate?? > > By immunotherapy, do you mean allergy shots?? Yes, Rick and I have both been helped enormously by them, with aggressive desensitization on a 3 month schedule. Susan >x-no-archive: yes > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Susan Susan is correct and I'm happy to say I started my 4th vial Tuesday. If I keep going twice a week for two weeks, then I'll be down to maintenance, which I think is once a week, then once every other week, etc. Since it's only been 3 months, it's still too soon to tell whether the shots are my *cure*. I still have winter and spring to get through. I would say, however, if I can get through the next months without any sinus infections that require me taking antibiotics, then it'll be the nearest thing I can find in the dictionary to that term. And if you're a first time reader to this group, remember: if your doc is recommending sinus surgery and you're not sure (even if you are), get a second opinion or, even better, a second treatment. Explore all options before having surgery. If you can breathe fine but your doctor is saying your deviated septum is causing your problems, chances are that HE's causing your problems, or will be once he operates unnecessarily, so get another opinion and treatment. Remember that most GP docs (at least those I've dealt with the last 10 years) will try the most conservative treatment regarding antibiotics. The ENTs are also trained to cut you, and they like to do it. In between is where a lot of people fall, so it's paramount to find an aggressive ENT who will help you find different treatment options and isn't ready to shuffle you off to the next room so his assistant can schedule your surgery. People also get scared when they hear antibiotics won't work for them. The trick (for me anyway) was 30 days on Levaquin, with a Medrol pak and horse pill decongestant daily, then a CT scan proved I didn't need to have an intrusive instrument go inside near my brain that would have produced no good effects, but just more continued pain and misery. Irrigate, try different meds, read, keep asking questions, read some more, get allergy tested, and weigh that treatment option as well. The doctors and medicine can be your best friends. They can also be your worst nightmares. Remember at all times that you're in charge of what happens to your own body, your heart and your mind. And yes, sometimes when nothing else works, and you can't stand it anymore, then have surgery. But make it your *treatment* of last resort. Rick Thanks Rick. That's good sensible advice. At the moment, the biaxin seems to be having a positive effect. Mel >>x-no-archive: yes >> [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > > Rick Mel, You finally got someone to prescribe it? That's great. I saw a new internist, covering my usual MD"s maternity leave, she is an infectious disease specialist as well, and had concerns about the use of low dose macrolides, so I sent her some abstracts. There is a new pill for rosacea, oracea, which is slow release doxycyline at 40mg a day, which due to the slow release, never achieves anti-bacterial levels, but is purely used as an anti-inflammatory. We're becoming mainstream on one level, yet the vast majority of physicians have never heard of low dose macrolides or tetracyclines for anti-inflammatory use with chronic respiratory diseasse. And, with the concerns of antibiotic overuse and resistance, their gut reaction is to reject long term use of antibiotics. That's why I keep my file, and pass it along as needed. I'm glad the biaxin is helping. It has been very helpful for me. Unfortunately, not as successful for my daughter, but it's done wonders for her asthma--she just keeps getting sinusitis, but much milder cases. Judy > Thanks Rick. That's good sensible advice. > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > > > > Rick Judy: Oddly enough I ended up seeing a P/A ("Physician's Assistant") because my regular doc is getting too damn busy (the inability to see him within a reasonable time is getting very annoying). But I did like the P/A. She seemed knowledgeable enough. She is concerned that I might have a mucous cyst, so we may do a CT Scan if things don't reslove. But, she prescribed THREE WEEKS of biaxin XL. I seem to be tolerating it (some intestinal pain). I also seem to be improving. Of course, I remember that the first few days the amoxicillan helped (at least with the bronchitis complication) but then it clearly was NOT working. I'm hoping this course will do it! Mel > Mel, > You finally got someone to prescribe it? That's great. [quoted text clipped - 77 lines] >> > >> > Rick > Judy: > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Mel Has your mood been happier on the Biaxin XL? Biaxin XL acts as an anti depressant in some people (me) others (like my friend Lola) it made her wanna kill herself, so be careful Signaturepreesi ~~~~~~~~~ "Women complain about premenstrual syndrome, but I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself." ~Roseanne ~~~~~~~~~ My Websites and Favorite Links: http://tinyurl.com/yvw45 Yahoo/SidekickII Name: MissPreesi Skype: Preesi Interesting. No mood change here, but of course I'm much happier and in a better mood because at the moment it seems to be working. Obviously, if I feel better my mood is better. But I don't think the drug is effecting my mood. Mel >> Judy: >> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Biaxin XL acts as an anti depressant in some people (me) others (like my > friend Lola) it made her wanna kill herself, so be careful >Thanks Rick. That's good sensible advice. > >At the moment, the biaxin seems to be having a positive effect. > >Mel Mel, That's great. Just make sure to take every last bit of it. Stopping too early once you feel good only makes the bug angrier the next time around, or so it seems. Rick > Started biaxin XL yesterday early evening. > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Mel (really hoping) I am glad you are feeling better. I would just stress again as others have to complete the full course of the antibiotic. I hope this works for you. Kathyw |
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