Anyone else scared of taking antibiotics due to reactions?

Every single freaking thing you put in your mouth can have side effects. No, I’m not going to beat myself up over something so unlikely to happen.

So suck it up and just take them!

Well, only if you want to get better! I take amlodipine for blood pressure. Have for 15 years and will until the day I die. Here are the possible side effects:
feeling like you might pass out;
swelling in your hands, ankles, or feet;
pounding heartbeats or fluttering in your chest; or
chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling.
headache;
dizziness, drowsiness;
tired feeling;
stomach pain; or
flushing (warmth, redness, or tingly feeling).

I had never heard of this antibiotic, so I had to look it up. It’s not uncommon to have these two things prescribed for a sinus problem, and the stories I just quickly found were positive. I’m not a fan of the over subscription of antibiotics, but if you have had a culture/CBC done and indeed have an infection, you should start feeling better soon. Some of the stories I came across was Roxy being subscribed as a preventative against coming across bacteria that might cause an infection (shopping with the grandkids) and that sort of surprised me, but I guess in elderly patients susceptible to pneumonia, it might be called for.

At some point you need to deal with the underlying issue of your panic around your health. If you need the antibiotics, take them and stop freaking yourself out.

Yes I really do, will get onto that once I’m better. I’ve been perpetually sick this winter :(

I quite smoking in March and I’ve been sick ever since!

I am scrared that antibiotics will kill off my good gut bacteria. I still take them, and I remember to eat probiotic yougart after.

I had one of the worst reactions you can have on antibiotics without actually dying. But I recovered from that and immediately was put on another one that I was not allergic to. Even going through all of that, I think antibiotics are good medicines when used correctly. I am not afraid of them.

I am not scared so much as cautious. I take them when I absolutely have to, but I accompany them with strong pro-biotics and just ride it out.
But yeah, it’s always unpleasant, at best.

Feel better soon, @tan253.

Thanks guys I think I feel bad as the Dr wasn’t sure I actually needed them but given I’ve been congested for almost 2 months and not feeling better she thought it was worth a try and now I’ve got puffy eyes so now I“m more paranoid!
I’ve taken them though….. battle through.

The steroids would freak me out more than the antibiotics….

Just keep taking them exactly as prescribed.

Yeah I am but freaking out at every little thing, my puffy eyes are worrying me that it’s the start of some reaction. I have a bad stomach etc agh

@tan253 Call your doctor and discuss it with them.

Will do it’s Sunday though so will need to wait till Monday but yes I can’t go looking for Dr advise here… my apologies, just trying to find like minded people to help me calm my freak out.

I hope we have!

Yep you have… I“m still taking the antibiotics and the steroids despite freaking out! ;)

Breath! Wooosaw…..

Am I really that ridiculous @Dutchess_III ;)

Not I. A MRSA type infection has the worst complications/reactions!

Sorry you’re not feeling well. :(

Glad we could help to ease come of your anxiety. Though I’m curious about your history. Do you have a history of anxiety? Have you had a bad reaction in the past?

If you have a history of anxiety, it might be helpful to find a therapist to talk to?

If you’ve had a bad reaction in the past, it might be helpful to look into pharmacogenetic tests

Of course if you stop taking the antibiotics the infection itself can also cause Steven-Johnson syndrome and is more likely to do so.

Steven-Johnson syndrome, also very similar TENS (they are basically the same thing) can happen with every and any medication. Literally, all medications have this risk. Some have shown higher incidences than others. This is why ALL medications have a warning to contact your doctor if you see a rash. My sister worked on a burn unit for a few years and one woman got it from Tynelol. That’s extremely rare. In fact, getting the condition at all is extremely rare, which is why most people have no idea what it is.

No, I don’t worry about severe reactions when taking antibiotics to answer your questions, and I am allergic to sulfa antibiotics (I get a rash, but was not to the level of TENS) and I get a horrible reaction to clindamyacin (burning skin and like an elephant is sitting on my chest).

Meanwhile, I unfortunately have had to take many antibiotics and I’m fine on the vast majority of them. I even take quinolones, and all over the internet are horror stories about quinolones, and social media needs to shut the hell up about it. Lay people scaring people, and it’s over the top and out of proportion. Even people who blah on about how horrible they are don’t even realize they take them! Both Cipro and Levaquin are quinolones, and prescribed all the time.

If you experience a serious reaction, but not ER worthy, just call your doctor and get your meds switched.

You have taken a lot of antibiotics the last couple of years if I remember correctly, and you are fine. Remember that, you’re history is you’re fine.

I do try to take my first pill of a new medication when others are around. My husband, or in a public place.

Edit: The drug you are taking is in the erythromycin family, a macrolide, and those are usually tolerated very well.