do we need to decrease antibiotic dosage in elderly patient with community-acquired pneumonia?
539014
Not if they're not getting any better. You need to find out what the organism is that's causing the pneumonia & find out it's antibiotic sensitivities so that you can treat the infection effectively.
1035379
Good question!  There are two lines of thought- one, that it is possible to erradicate completely with high doses of antibiotics, and the other that it is not curable, but controllable.  Suffering from it myself, as well as two coinfections, I'm interested in the debate-  but meanwhile, I've found a specialist in NC who treats me with increasing levels of antibiotics.  I'm going to reccommend some excellent websites for you to bookmark and look at if you really want to read up on Lyme's-- they really helped me when I was full of questions and didn't know who to ask tht would know.  Good luck, and, from one who has been sick for sixteen years and treated now for six months, it gets so much better.  Don't despair- find a doctor who will listen and who know what they're doing. don't accept jsut a month of antibiotics and think it will be all better... find a infectious disease specialist who specializes in Lyme's, and read Dr. Burrascano's papers on the illads site.  Much luck and prayers to you- H
598195
Alcohol does reduce the efficacy of antibiotics read the leaflet that comes with the packet.
759926
sputum culture. Often pneumonia is treated without culturing and broad spectrum antibiotics, levaquin or Z-pack
115896
most antibiotics become less effective or ineffective when you drink.  I wouldn't do it myself.  Usually, when you fill a prescription like this, it has a warning label that you should not drink alcohol with this product.  Check the package.
218594
Walking pneumonia. It is a ticking bomb, treat it and get well or it will most likely get the better of you.
1111981
Consider, a hundred years ago medicine was practiced completely differently, it is an evolving practice.  Personally I would prefer to take homeopathics that have been used for thousands than an antibiotic that has been used for less than a hundred years.  Yes, each doctor has his or her own idea of how to treat an ailment, however there are certain socio-economic conditions affecting treatment.  Antibiotics are cheap, commonly accepted and easily prescribed, they are monitored to be the same in each dose and the individual only has to understand to take the medication as prescribed whereas an individual trying to take a more natural route has to understand when, how in what combination to take herbal supplements, dietary needs and changes and possibly the finances to see a doctor that is less likely to prescribe antibiotics.  I, like your sister took many antibiotics as a child (perhaps girls are prescribed more antibiotics than boys, generally men go to the doctors less than women do) was freguently sick and as a result have worked hard to improve my immune system with the assistance of an excellent holistic healer and get sick rarely.
1174795
That's what my doctor has always told me, but thanks to your question I just did a little research and it seems that is only true for certain medications, such as anti-fungals.\n\nHere is a reference from June of 2004:\n\nhttp://www.antibioticresistance.org.uk/ARFAQs.nsf/0/C2E63418D2370AED80256EBA004D9B3D?OpenDocument\nDespite a commonly held belief that antibiotics and alcohol don't mix, it is only necessary to avoid drinking alcohol when taking some types of antibiotics. These include metronidazole, cephamandole and oral ketoconazole. See the following recommendations from GP notebook for more details. You should check with your doctor or pharmacist when you are given your prescription.\n\nThe famous Dr. Andrew Weil has this to say:\n\nhttp://www.drweil.com/u/QA/QA326593/\n\n Do Alcohol and Antibiotics Mix?\n\nDoes drinking while taking antibiotics lessen the effect of the medication?\n\nA widespread myth holds that you shouldn't drink alcohol while taking antibiotics, but in fact, drinking doesn't lessen the effects of the drugs. However, alcohol can lower your general energy and delay your recovery so it is best to minimize drinking until you've finished the prescribed course of antibiotic treatment. (Beyond that, chronic liver damage from excessive alcohol consumption can affect the metabolism and toxicity of antibiotics.)\n\nThere are other precautions you should take when on antibiotics. Antibiotics not only kill harmful bacteria that are making you sick, they also destroy the beneficial flora in your gut and can promote the development of resistant organisms in your body. To restore the helpful organisms, be sure to take supplemental acidophilus while you're on antibiotics. Acidophilus is the general name for dried or liquid cultures of the living lactobacillus bacteria that aid digestion. Always check the expiration date to help ensure that the acidophilus product you choose is still viable. Take one tablespoon of the liquid culture advertisement\n \nor one to two capsules after meals, unless the label directs otherwise. I recommend taking acidophilus to restore "friendly" cultures even when on antibiotics for just a few days. And I particularly recommend products containing lactobacillus GG, a strain proven to survive passage through the strong acid in the stomach. (Visit Culterelle for more information: http://www.culturelle.com/)
783650
Start eating yogurt.  If you need to go on antibiotics you will have some protection from the side effects.
1073348
Some antibiotics you can take and have no effect. It just depends on what it is. If you're worried, call your doctor or even your pharmacist and ask them.
876862
I Think you Would Feel Better In At Least 24 Hrs., Amoxicillin is a Beta-Lactam, I Would Expect Almost Immediate Killing (Bacteriocidal) of Bacteria.
86953
try your local farm co-op.  you can get several broad spectrum antibiotics there.  you just need to figure dosages based on weight
71359
Please find a gastroenterologist for an evaluation.  I have heard of many people having to have more than IV antibiotic.  But in some cases that is all that is needed.  Get at least one if not two more opinions.
350623
if u had asked this question 50 yrs back doctors would have been in real trouble. but now loads of other options are available... quinolones e.g. ciprofloxacin, macrolides e.g. erythromycin, cephalosporins e.g. cefradin, ceftriaxone... the list goes on. however, choice of antibiotic depends on the nature of the organism, i.e. the bacteria. we live in a age of scientific excellence baby, at least in some fields!
633222
Certain antibiotics will bind to the calcium in the dairy rather than be absorbed and used by your system.  This is the reason for the warning on the label to avoid dairy while taking the med
892378
5 - 10 days, depending on the antibiotic.  Be sure to eat yogurt and take acidophilus as soon as you stop taking the antibiotic, to prevent yeast infection or thrush.
16203
It is an infction that came about because a person or people only took the first few doses of thier antibiotics - all that does is kill off the weaker bacteria, and allows the strongest to survive and thrive. Once the infection with this leftover strong bacteria gets full blown, antibiotics don't always work to destroy it. That is why you have to take ALL of your doses of antibiotics. This is becoming a world problem. In a lot of southeast asian countries, if people get sick, they can go buy antibiotics over the counter. They take them only until they 'feel better', which means that the bacteria is probably not gone, and that only the strongest are left to reproduce. Some bacteria like this adapts to the point where it actually feeds off the antibiotics, killing the host. The only way to take care of this problem is for basically the entire planet to keep careful control of antibiotics.  Some strains are becoming resistant because of this.