Guest Julia59 Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Hi Folks,What a mess I am this morning. I'm never known to have diarrhea when taking antibiotics. WOW---this has changed apparently----unless this is part of this nasty virus. This morning I had the worst cramps---then the diarrhea.. My dose of ceftin was doubled from 250mg to 500mg twice a day. I did ok yesterday, but this morning after my morning dose I was a mess. Along with the diarrhea, I was tachy, shakey------extremely weak legs, and then I started coughing, gagging, and then mucas. I felt like I was drowning in mucas. This has passed, but i'm still a little weak and shakey.I'm thinking this is too high a dose for me---and my ANS is say no way. I usually take a shower, but I knew it would make my tachycardia worse so I washed my hair over the tub and then undressed and took a quick bath in the tub. I barely made it through---I thought I was going to pass out. I feel worse off now then before tha antibiotics. How in the world did I get such a nasty infection?The thought of trying another antibiotic scares the you know what out of me.I wish I could call Dr. Grubb and get his advice, but he is out for a while.I'll call my PCP and ask him what to do. He really doesn't know much about ANS dysfunction-----soo he'll probably just change the antibiotic. I am So very sensitive to meds another antibiotic could send my ANS system spiraling---and I don't weant to go back there........................ Any thoughts?Julie :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geneva Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Julie, so sorry to hear that the ceftin is causing you some problems. I know that high a dose of ceftin would be impossible for me to take without major GI and POTS flare. My guess would be that the diarrhea is a reaction to the Ceftin dose but if you are coughing up stuff then it does sound like the antibiotic is doing its job. This is always the catch 22...you need the antibiotic to fight the infection but the med triggers a reaction.I think it might be worth asking your doctor if going back to the lower dose would be an option, especially since you will be on it for 2 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GayleP Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 Julie,I'm so sorry that you are having a hard time with the higher dose of Ceftin. It sounds like it's the antibiotic and not the illness that's messing with your ANS. Plus Ceftin and drugs in that class are known to cause intestinal problems.I took Ceftin when I had the flu last year and by day 4 or 5 I was so sick (ANS stuff). I thought it was because I was had the flu but I felt so much better when I got of of the Ceftin that I knew it was the drug. A few months ago I took 500mg for a bladder infection, same thing by day 4 I was so lightheaded and felt so strange that I could not even get off the couch. Luckily that was my final day of having to take it. I felt better as soon as the drug was out of my system.Up until those incidents I did fine on Ceftin. It doesn't list Ceftin as messing with HR or BP on the list of side effects but I think any side effect is possible wtih any drug. You might want to see if you can go on something else if you can tolerate another antibiotic better. I unfortunately have no coice but to take Cefin because I'm allergic to evverything else.A lot of Drs don't get the concept of med sensitive. They think if you are not allergic then there shouldn't be a problem. I have to start taking 2000mg of Keflex ( cousin of Ceftin) in one big dose for dental cleanings and no one ( doctors, pharmacists etc..) get the that Keflex at that high of a dose might make me very sick .Anyhow hope you can find something that you'll tolerate and that you'll start doing better soon.GayleP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Julia59 Posted November 17, 2004 Report Share Posted November 17, 2004 I called the Docs office---and they will call me back to let me know if they are going to put me on a lower dose.I feel worse now on the ceftin---then before I took it.Julie :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Julia59 Posted November 18, 2004 Report Share Posted November 18, 2004 The Docs office called and told me to get OFF the cefitn. They set me up with a pulminologist due to the leasions they saw on my bronchial tubes.I'm clueless. I did not know I had bronchitis. I think I do now after this cold I got over the weekend. This was seen on my x-ray before the cold-------AND AFTER I TOOK A WEEKS WORTH OF ANTIBIOTICS---which you think would have killed anything there. I just had a dry cough-----I had NO congestion---no cold---just a cough.I thought it was from a nerve being pinched from my cervical spine issues. I also have a herniation on C7-T1---and I thought that was the cause. I just felt like I was a little short on air. My ox-levels were good----98----so i'm a little lost. I see the pulminologist on Tuesday---next week.Julie :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jersey Girl Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 If your bronchitis is viral, the antibiotic will just keep you from getting a secondary infection, but doesn't affect the virus. You should be cautious how much activity you do so you don't develop an pneumonia. Not usually an issue for those of us with dysautonomia. Extra fluids and rest are in order. Dr. Weil's website sometimes recommends zinc lozenges and other herbal remedies to fight viruses. I will only try very small doses of any new herb or medication because I am so overreactive to many things. Hope you're feeling better soon. Martha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laila Posted November 19, 2004 Report Share Posted November 19, 2004 I have always done well with Biaxin, but you have to make sure to have a full stomach, esp. with first dose, or I was very nauseous. THen it makes me feel like a whole new person. As a matter of fact, I was on it so much for sinus infections before my sinus surgery, that when I am not on it I feel weak, tachy , shakey, like I can barely walk. (except around the house) I am also on xanax .5 mg 4 times aday and I found out that biaxin can prolong the effects of xanax in your body. THis I was told by a doctor. And tthey keep sending me back to my psychiatrist who will not change the dosage. After all the other docs keep saying it is anxiety! I am now going to a rheumaltologist, I saw an infectious disease doc, who is running some more bloodwork, because everything is completyl normal, of course, with all my bloodwork. I am going to a new psyc. doc next week, and a cardio the next week, and my pcp doc who is new is ordering a colonoscopy test. I have pushed really hard these past few months to get it through to the docs that something is going on I wake up sometimes with my heart racing and bp high. I cant stand it anymore!!!! I take extra xanax and somehow make it stretch out. I do have beta blocker but it gives me insomnia! I think the rheumatologist will prescribe ambien, he said to call if the the flexeril didn' t work, which that gave me horrible nightmares and tacky wakening. I feel like a big medical mystery. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, am getting a tt test to check for pots. I swear somethimes when Im having these "anxiety or panic attacks" i feel like I am going to die. THank god for this site. No one can truly understand. I also have problems with a lot of antibiotics and antidepressants. Levaquin was awful, there was one with the cramping and diarhea, and another that made me nervous. All these Docs are now trying to find out why I feel so much better on Biaxin. I think I need more anxiety med. but the last psych doc said 2mg a day is a big dose. Does this sound right????????????? Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingLight Posted November 21, 2004 Report Share Posted November 21, 2004 julie,how are you doing today? i just wanted to chip in my two cents on the antibiotic thing...i know you were concerned about having taken an antibiotic for two weeks already and still showing stuff on the xray.okay, i'm not a doctor...but, i know that when i used to have sinus infections (one every six weeks) i couldn't figure out why i kept getting them. it turned out that i needed to take a prolonged dose of antibiotics for several weeks...and it was also biaxin, like lailisa takes. anyway, what was happening was that i got rid of enough of the infection to think it was gone each time i took a round of meds, but it wasn't completely gone and kept coming back. finally after the longer dose time, i was much better.so, what i am saying is that you have no idea how long that infection has been brewing in your system before you really started feeling badly. sometimes we need muhc more than the standard couple of weeks on antibiotics to clear things up. so, may be what is going on.just wanted to let you know i was thinking about you. i know you were worried that infection would still be there....but i think that probably happens a lot. and remember, there's other junk going on with your body and your immunity may need a little extra help!okay, enough for now!emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Julia59 Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Thanks everyone for your support---and helping me with my questions.Well today we tried a little outing to the mall. WE first went over to my parents house for a bit. They live close to the mall. We took my dog India out to get her out of the house too. I haven't walked her anywhere except the back yard.Still weak---struggling to breathe----and coughing. My POTS is flaring up along with my chiari symptoms from all the head pounding from the constant coughing. The Doc did not prescribe any more antibiotics due to my reaction. That was one scarey morning. I was alone and afraid I wouldn't make it through my shower, so I sat in the tub in shallow water and bathed. I haven't been this sick in a while.While at my parents today it was pretty pathetic. They asked how I was doing----but they haven't a clue how messed up I really am. When my husband called to tell them we couldn't come over for my brother's birthday last Sunday----my father's main concern was---"who is going to eat all this food".Never asked once how I was feeling. My mother called two days later to tell me my DAD was sick. I think she asked me how I was first. I worried about my Dad as he is in his 70s now---but he seemed to lick his virus pretty quick. I've never been taken very seriously about anything---especially health issues. So I just chalk it up to ignorance and try to take it with a grain of salt.I'll pick up my x-ray tomorrow and then head over to the pulminologist Tuesday. Tomorrow, I have PT----traction. I don't know if I can handle it.................Julie :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Hang in there Julia! I hope that you're feeling better soon. The way you've described how you feel today reminds me of when I had pneumonia. Do take it easy as it's not a huge leap from bronchitis to pneumonia. That sense of profound exhaustion, trouble breathing and coughing are not good signs -- be sure to listen to those things that tell you to take it slow and easy.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Julia59 Posted November 22, 2004 Report Share Posted November 22, 2004 Yes---thank's Nina. Thankfully I have that appointment with the pulminologist Tuesday, this week. He should be able to help me---I hope. I'm taking things slow.Julie :0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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