Taking antibiotics before LOS trip

[deepthroat]

Ok, as previously mentioned, I have a staff infection on my finger that's required me to take antibiotics up until I leave for LOS on Tuesday. Doctor just gave me a prescription for an additional 2 weeks of antibiotics which means I'll be on these through most of my LOS trip. What are the possible consequences and are there any recommendations? As I understand it, these drugs kill the good bacteria we have in our stomach as well as the bad ones that create infection, so this could open me up to other problems, especially related to the food in LOS. The prescription is for 2 weeks so it will run out on day 14 of a 22 day trip. Should I continue taking them the whole trip?

Hey look - no countdown timer!

[katoeylover]

Means you cant drink alcohol though..

[rxpharm]

If your dr. has prescribed an additional 2 weeks for you it means the staph infection was serious. You must complete the entire course of antibiotics.

There is no need to continue them past the 2 weeks, unless you see that the infection has not totally cleared up. If that happens get yourself over to a good hospital - as mentioned Bumrungrad is one of the best ones in BKK.

KL is generally right - it is not a good idea to drink alcohol with many antibiotics. If you let me know the name of the antibiotic, I can let you know more specific things to look out for.

As for disturbing the natural bacteria in the GI system - yes this can happen. To help get around this problem there is a nice yogurt drink available in most 7-11s, called Yakult. A few of these everyday can help restore the balance of good bacteria in your stomach. You should be very careful about trying street food as well, and be sure to only drink bottled water.

[ramboz]

Google 'Mariana Bridi da Costa' she lost both hands and feet due to a misdiagnosed infection.

DANNO

[pacman]

Too many of those Yakult drinks & you may need to wear an adult diaper, they can play havoc until your system is used to them.

Any good probiotic in capsule form needs to be kept refrigerated but should survive the travel from the US, just keep them in your bar fridge & remember to take them with you when you shift.

Many of the better products that may be of assistance are not approved by the FDA & are not sold in the US, another way they ensure the ill-health of the population, thus allowing the drug companies to make profits from selling more drugs rather than allowing the people to make their own decisions.

That's the reason why so many alternative health companies have relocated in Mexico, they can still supply the US market via personal orders & safely export without the interference of heavy handed bureaucracy.

[Tomcat]

A nasty side effect is sometimes Thrush ...a sore penis for sure

Anti Biotics can bring this on as i found to my cost in Hong Kong last October..this seems to be a common side effect

[Stogie]

(ramboz @ Jan. 24 2009,16:13) Google 'Mariana Bridi da Costa'  she lost both hands and feet due to a misdiagnosed infection.

I suspect this young lady had some pretty bad problems before this came along and destroyed her. In fact I suspect that if she didn't have AIDS then she was a serious drug user...

What she had could have (well, should have) been pretty easy to fix even if it was misdiagnosed at first.

[kahuna]

For what it's worth...I have twice taken several different antibiotics while in LOS...both times while
under the care of a Thai physician...and neither time did I suffer any side affects...

Let Rxpharm know what drug (s) you are taking and I'm certain he will give you sage advice....

[ramboz]

She has died as a result of the infection and subsequent surgery. It turned out to be 'Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.

Many ailments are passed along due to not washing your hands often enough. Any infection can turn ugly if left untreated, take each one seriously.

DANNO

[El_hefe]

Yes, listen to rxpharm. I am just recovering from a staph infection on my finger as well.... noticed a minute pimply thing on my knuckle before the new year & now it's still all red and raw almost a month later, amazing. Buy some Betadine to wash your hands & the affected area frequently would be my only addition to the advice, but don't under any circumstance not take the FULL prescribed regimen of antibiotics. There are quite a number of antibiotic resistant strains of staph out there now and not taking the full could put you at risk.

Staph can be limb or life threatening believe it or not, be careful of touching your partners & friends with it as well for a bit. Bummer I know on a holiday!

[SamplerDoc]

Dude....you talked to your Doc.   Now, Listen to your Doc.
Enjoy

[deepthroat]

asking for info on here is like drinking from a firehose - you get WAY MORE than you really need.

Jeezuz, thanks for the horror stories, I don't think this is going to lead to amputations (the infection is well under control now) but thanks for bringing it up. How come no one latched onto a story about infections leading to castration? Seems like that would have been a natural.

Thanks Rx and Pacman. I'm leery of taking any probiotics until completely sure the infection has been decimated, as the medical info is inconclusive on whether probiotics can negate the effect of antibiotics. I do plan to of course follow medical advice and take the entire course of prescriptions. I'm currently taking Doxycycline Hyclate 100MG 2x daily (last dose tomorrow) and Sulfameth/Trimethopim 800/160 2x daily (6 more days ends on Thursday when I arrive BKK). After that I have a prescription for 10 days of Sulfamethoxazole/TMP DS TAB AMNEA to be taken 2x daily for 10 days.

I don't drink alcohol, so no loss there. I was planning on eating at the food carts but sticking to bottled water. From what I've heard and read, many of the food carts are no worse than the restaurants. What say yea?

[deepthroat]

please, no more medical horror stories, ok...

[batman4ever]

its almost a total myth that you cant drink alcohol while beeing taking antibiotics....

the reason for the doctor to tell people to dont do it , is because drinking while "sick" is not smart...

a few antibiotics can give symptoms like disulfram if mixed with alcohol...that will be higher puls and a feeling that youre going to die...

one of those are metronidazol....

but its easy to test....before you go have just one beer while talking antibiotic...and if you puls are getting higher...and you starts get red in the face...well its proberly one of the few that dont go well with alcohol...

then just take some antihistamin...and the symptoms will go away...

but why dont ask your doctor... ??

[deepthroat]

By the way, the girl at the local supplements store made a strenuous argument for why I should take probiotics with active cultures NOW to assist my body in fighting off the infection, so I've gone ahead and bought a course of 6 doses that have to be refrigerated for use before I leave, and then a packet of 30 that can be taken without refrigeration for the journey.

Rx, get back to me when you can about the scripts I'm currently in possession of. Thanks for the advice.