[mccannable]

I went in to urgent care today due to some intestinal issues that google seemed to think is a form of cancer aids from hell(i dont know why i always look up symptoms). Dr was nice did blood/urin work and determined it was E-coli and nothing major. She gave me the prescription Levaquin. I looked up the stuff online and FDA has released a some new "warnings" of serious nervous system side affects and there is alot online about it. The drug is recommended for serious infections. CDC doesn't recommend antibiotics for treatment of e coli.

last time i went to a Dr for(assuning the flu) he just looked and gave me antibiotics. My wife went else where with same issues they did a flu test and confined flu.

why does it seem doctors alway just give antibiotics for everything.

im not taking the antibiotics either

cliffs: dr's suck

[i dunno]

um I think you need to find a new doctor. antibiotics for influenza is completely retarded. this isn't even high school level biology. flu is caused by a virus, not a bacteria.

[mccannable]

2 different places. They didn't even do a flu test.

[Eagle1oh7]

I was prescribed some a few years ago, Azithromyicin(sp?), and it wasn't enough and I eventually ended up with a MRSA infection complicated by pneumonia.

[i dunno]

Originally Posted by Eagle1oh7

I was prescribed some a few years ago, Azithromyicin(sp?), and it wasn't enough and I eventually ended up with a MRSA infection complicated by pneumonia.

ouch. mrsa is definitely a lot more complicated. those super bugs are crazy. hope youre ok now.

[Eagle1oh7]

Originally Posted by i dunno

ouch. mrsa is definitely a lot more complicated. those super bugs are crazy. hope youre ok now.

Yeah, haven't gone back to the hospital since then, but was warned that if I got pneumonia again, I might not be so lucky. It was a terrible experience.

[1fastdoc]

Originally Posted by Eagle1oh7

I was prescribed some a few years ago, Azithromyicin(sp?), and it wasn't enough and I eventually ended up with a MRSA infection complicated by pneumonia.

MRSA is the direct result of bacterial evolution and over prescribing of antibiotics.

And Zpacks are pretty much a placating drug. I don't think they're first line treatment for anything other than atypical pneumonia. However, they generate few side effects and are easy to take, they're cheap and patients want a fix.

I think they give them out at Urgent Care Centers before you even fill out the paperwork.

And for what it's worth, patients suck too. It is far easier for an ER doc or Primary Care Provider to write a script than deal with an argumentative housewife that's been Google searching and self-diagnosing.

[F1Venom]

"Doctors always prescribing antibiotics" (and shit)
Yeah, that's their job and they usually have valid reasons for doing so.

[mccannable]

Originally Posted by F1Venom

"Doctors always prescribing antibiotics" (and shit)
Yeah, that's their job and they usually have valid reasons for doing so.

If a valid reason is present I don't see the issue. It's like replacing a car battery at first sign of electrical issues with out doing a simple test.

[mccannable]

Originally Posted by 1fastdoc

MRSA is the direct result of bacterial evolution and over prescribing of antibiotics.

And Zpacks are pretty much a placating drug. I don't think they're first line treatment for anything other than atypical pneumonia. However, they generate few side effects and are easy to take, they're cheap and patients want a fix.

I think they give them out at Urgent Care Centers before you even fill out the paperwork.

And for what it's worth, patients suck too. It is far easier for an ER doc or Primary Care Provider to write a script than deal with an argumentative housewife that's been Google searching and self-diagnosing.

I'm sure they are terrible.

[firstkill]

1. If the doctor is wrong, you might not get a 2nd chance (so often they over treat)

if the car mechanic is wrong and the car breaks down so be it. Buy a new part/ get it fixed again.

If you die, theres no 2nd chance. Yes ecoli can kill. It the main bug that causes food illness that you see on the news for recalls.

Taco Bell, green onions, meat, or whatever.

2. Most people will get upset if doctors tell them to tough it out and wait.

3. Tests are good if you can wait, but if your feeling sick (like intestinal cramping/diarrhea) u gotta crap in a cup and wait for a lab to run the test.
a lot of people wouldn't want to take a day off to see a doctor and a day to come back to discuss the results.

fk

[dvpouldar26]

You do realize where you went....to an urgent care, not a primary physician who could follow up, perform more tests, etc. ER physicians might prescribe stronger drugs than needed and cover their bases (ie prescribe multiple antibiotics to cover gram-pos and gram-neg if blood culture results have not yet come in from the lab). So rather than prescribing a medication that might not work, they cover their bases since at urgent care facilities and ER's, patients do not have follow-up. Rather, if you went to a primary physician, the treatment plan could be different than in an urgent or emergent setting.

The flu would not be treated with antibiotics. If you did actually have the flu, your blood tests would have tested positive for Influenza, and your doctor would have treated you accordingly and would not have given you antibiotics. If you still insist that it is the flu, try Tamiflu and see if your symptoms improve.

[mccannable]

Originally Posted by dvpouldar26

You do realize where you went....to an urgent care, not a primary physician who could follow up, perform more tests, etc. ER physicians might prescribe stronger drugs than needed and cover their bases (ie prescribe multiple antibiotics to cover gram-pos and gram-neg if blood culture results have not yet come in from the lab). So rather than prescribing a medication that might not work, they cover their bases since at urgent care facilities and ER's, patients do not have follow-up. Rather, if you went to a primary physician, the treatment plan could be different than in an urgent or emergent setting.

The flu would not be treated with antibiotics. If you did actually have the flu, your blood tests would have tested positive for Influenza, and your doctor would have treated you accordingly and would not have given you antibiotics. If you still insist that it is the flu, try Tamiflu and see if your symptoms improve.

The dr did not take any blood for that visit. Asked 3 questions and wrote a script. I was so sick and had been there for hours I didn't complain.

[F1Venom]

Eh, you're in Florida. That's the sham-doc capital of the States.

[bbbbmw]

And in other news... Antibiotics only work for a period of time, until germs become immune to them. For the past 70 years, drug makers have continually developed new ones, and kept ahead of the germs. But in recent years, the profits have been greatly reduced, and drug makers are no longer investing in antibiotics - there are only 4 in the development process, which takes about 12 years.

As a result, we are now seeing "superbugs" like MRSA, and resistant pneumonias.

[i dunno]

part of the problem is people's misuse of antibiotics also. not completing the course of antibiotic treatment contributes to antibiotic resistance

[upstatedoc]

*popcorn*

[DOCTOR 3VIL]

Another important issue that hasn't been discussed yet is opportunistic douchebag lawyers that will sue the doctors for not prescribing antibiotics if the problem actually happens to be bacterial.

[upstatedoc]

so there's a few docs in this thread. what do you do with a patient that comes in c/o a tick bite and is concerned about Lyme? Pt. doesn't know how long the tick was on, they didn't save it, yada yada. we all know the tick has to be on 24-48 hrs to transmit Lyme. Do you give them abx? My policy is to give doxycycline 200 mg X1 and have them come back for a titer because heaven forbid one of them gets Lyme and I didn't treat them.

[Templar]

Lesson learned...

Next time you have the shits, just take some pepto and drink some water.

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by Templar

Lesson learned...

Next time you have the shits, just take some pepto and drink some water.

+1

[upstatedoc]

Originally Posted by Team Plutonium

Yeah, but then he comes back and complains about having the shits....

can't win sometimes.