Antibiotics, is this too much?

From what I understand of amoxicillin, 250 to 500 mgs 2–3 times a day is customary dosage. I have never seen a dosage by weight. I have not heard of it prescribed 4 times a day.

Why would your dentist be trying to make you hang onto a baby tooth? It is going to come out no matter what is done.

I heartily suggest that you go to another dentist.

Thank you Arisztid.
I called my doctor and the nurse said it’s totaly fine. I’ve never heard that either. Is there anything I can do to get my system back?
I dunno why he wanted me to hold onto it. It’s like he’s punishing me. Now not only is my system messed up from the antibiotics but my nerves are shot because of the stress of everything and then the fact that I’m going into surgery the 30th to get it extracted and an implant done! It’s like i“ve lost all control over everything

That’s about what I took for my severely infected wisdom tooth. It was so bad that I could not open my jaw wide enough to chew on a pen. And required immediate surgery to remove it. Don’t worry, relax. He may have just been concerned with the expense related to pulling the tooth for your sake, rather let it pop out on its own then pull it unnecessarily. Since it is now infected, it’s likely he sees it will be problematic and is willing to continue.

That’s what happened with my wisdom teeth.

Sounds ok to me. I think Amoxacillin is typically given three times a day, but four should be fine. @Arisztid might be thinking of Amoxicillian Clauvanate (Augmentin) which should only be taken twice a day. You can actually get Augmentin in 2000mg doses twice a day now, so a total of 2000 mg of amoxicillin does not sound dangerous to me at all.

To be more clear it is the clauvanate that cannot be taken in high doses, and that is not in the amoxocillin alone.

@Rebelwoman Good on you for calling your doc! I do not understand your question about getting your system back.

I was about to ask if he had suggested implanting a tooth. Maybe he is trying to keep it in so your others do not start to shift before the implantation?

I know what it is like when you have health problems and it feels like you have lost control over your life. Just remind yourself that this is only a small portion of your life and it shall be over soon. :)

@JLeslie Could be. :P

Acidophilus will put your system back in order pretty quickly. Not all yogurt has enough “good bacteria” to get your intestinal tract back in order.

Asmonet- Really? And the antibiotics didn’t affect you badly? I’m just so stressed. I duno what to do or how to calm down. I just quit smokeing so it sucks to go through this without having a smoke lol. I was told tooth infections yea they always need hard core medication and it’s not unusual for them to prescribe that amount. It just seemd a bit rank. But ya know my tooth feels better the infection was all black around the root. Thing that pissed me off the MOST was the fact that the dentist knew about it. And he did nothing about it till I went in about two weeks later in such bad pain I almost passed out from it. Gosh they were happy to see me!

JL- It’s generic name is amoxil. I’m not sure if that’s a heavy dose with that or not but no doctor seemed concerened, and my doctor overworries about everything. (He’s actually really good)

Arisztid- I kinda I think have IBS so my system is always off whack and I normally take Imodium to keep it regulated. The stress i’m under is like affecting my PTSD too. SO what can I do to keep the stress down, Get my stomach back and not have anxiety attacks and the runs? And yea I didn’t think that was a good dose. So I called three people. The dentist who prescribed it. The surgan. And my doctor. the nurse actually said that she just finished a 10 day dose too. And yea. The abuse my ex fiance did and the whole stress of worrying and thinking of when I had my wisdom teeth out and all that it just is taking a toll.. I sure hope this is the last thing this year. I’ve quit smokeing, and it seems when i did that everything falls apart!

Pandora- What exactly is that? I been getting better and better. But seems stress triggers it. My boyfriend going back home or something like that, I just I feel i’m looseing control and I hate that feeling and it really bugs me. I feel i’m going crazy and loseing control of my body

Here is the insert http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_amoxil.pdf see page 14. It says three times a day is more typical, but I still think with that drug it is fine that you took it 4 times a day.

By the way, don’t eat the yogurt at the same time you take the medicine. I always recommend people look up the actual prescription insert of a new drug or call a pharmacist if you have a question. But, if you are the type of person who freaks out when you read, “may cause…” some scary side effect, then don’t do it.

Also, in general taking dairy with many medicine reduces it’s absorption. I don’t think that is part of the warning on Amoxil, I don’t remember, but it is prudent to know for any medications in the future; a good habit. Also, acidopholus pills usually recommend not taking at the same time as taking the antibiotic. Maybe it the good bacterias get killed off if it is in your tummy at the same time?? Not sure.

JL- I’m not sure. Yea I’m kinda a hypricondriact, (Runs in the family so does OCD) I was diagnosed with OCD. I’m not on antibiotics now. I took them till the end. ANd yea most times I ate saltine crackers or bread with the pill. I made sure to eat something and didn’t want it hitting my stomach empty. I know any biotic can destroy your stomach

Tooth infections don’t simply eat your facial bones away if left untreated, they can also kill you. The whole site becomes a cesspool of toxins that can and will get into your bloodstream. When that happens, your heart is poisoned. There is no stopping it at that point. You die.
Look up “Andy Hallet” for verification.

That said, you may as well be on an antibiotic IV drip rolling it around everywhere you go. Your dentist is right. Antibiotics don’t go according to body weight in healthy adults, they are administered depending upon the degree of the infection. He CAN’T pull the tooth until the infection is under control. If he does, he releases the toxins that are currently pooled in what is – for now – a secure pocket. You will end up in the hospital, fighting for your life as your organs shut down, and he will end up with a lawsuit that guarantees he will lose his ass.

Phillis- I read all that and I belieave that. But why didn’t he just pull it before? My tooth had been breaking and chipping for years. He just kept refilling it. It wasn’t quite absessed but the infection was well around the first part of the root. It’s not in the tooth it was in the gum. What happened was the tooth broke, and when it broke it let in alot of bactera Im guessing. I know when it was broken I tried to keep it clean but Chiping away and breaking more off and digging the black goo out of the pulp of it probably wasn’t the best, but I hated the taste and the smell… The pain was pretty bad and I never wanna go through it again. I don’t understand why they couldn’t just do it now. the infection is gone, the gum looks good. Sense being off the antibiotics I gotta wait another well till the 30th. I don’t care what happens after in the recovery as long as I’m taken care of. I’m actually very scared! The thought of a bone graft maybe and some titanium thing in my jaw. Drilling in my jaw. Ugh… It’s so scary but many go through it right?

Why do people ask these medical questions on here…CALL YOUR DOCTOR!!

There may be a good reason for it. I’m not a dentist, so I don’t know what that reason might have been. However, YOU are his patient, and the fact that YOU are asking people this question tells me that he didn’t listen or explain his reason(s) in a formal consultation with YOU, his patient.

My first concern is that he isn’t telling you why he chose this course. Surely, he consulted with you on the cost of a bridge versus the cost of trying to save the tooth. So, we’re missing part of the story here.

My second concern is that you wouldn’t have the infection in the first place if he had done what YOU, his patient, had asked him repeatedly to do.

My third concern is that working on the tooth over and over again makes him roughly the same amount of money, over time, as a bridge. Again, I think money may be the issue here. Perhaps you culdn’t afford $3,000 for bridge work.

My fourth concern is that all doctors, including dentists, take the Hippocratic Oath, the first line of which is “First, do no harm.”

Until I get more information from you, I am suspending all judgement.

@Ponderer983 She did call her doctor. And by the way doctors many times have never looked up the medication either, and ignore when someone has a unique reaction to a drug, so sometimes talking to other people you might find someone who had the same problem. I could tell you stories of docs prescribing horribly wrong dangerous combinations of drugs they prescribe every day. The best bet is to double check with a pharmacist if you are concerned with dosing and your doctors answer is unsatisfactory. And, we have doctors on fluther (I am not one).

@Rebelwoman the drug you took does tend to tear up peoples tummy’s it is many times recommended that people eat at least some crackers with it. Some antibiotics require taking it on an empty stomach or very little of the drug is absorbed; many drugs it does not matter if you take with food or not. Always wise to ask the pharmacist if you should take a medication with food or on an empty stomach if you are unfamilar with it.

JL- thank you. Yea I did all the research and it said i can take it with an empty stomach or full. I chose to not let it eat the liner of my stomach up. I’m addicted to saltine crackers lol (No salt though)

Phillis- I’m not sure what he was thinking. HE is a good dentist. My folks can afford it, and it’s an implant so the whole titanium thing in the jaw the whole 4 to 6 month healing time. But by that time I belieave i might go see another dentist because other fillings are breaking and chipping and my parents are tired of paying and paying. I dunno what he wanted to do with this baby tooth. I understand the risk of my other teeth falling in and all that and would’ve gladly had a fake tooth put in. This baby tooth has been nothing but a hassle to me. When I went back in after I almost passed out from the pain the first thing he says is, “I bet it’s that baby tooth again” he put pressure on it and all that, and OMG it hurt! He goes “yep an infection, we need to get it out now, it’s not saveable, the root is decaying” It’s like, and why is he looking at the chart that he just took of my tooth now and saying this? He seen that chart two weeks ago and gave me no numbing (Which wouldn’t have helped) and no laughing gass which may’ve taken the edge off (Probably cause my mom didn’t clarify I had insurance through them) and it just it wasn’t that great. I’m just thankfull I have a oral surgan who knows what he’s doing and that I can trust. I’m just hesitent and scared.
I am 22 and the last surgery I had was wisdom teeth all four out. Bone impacted and OMG it was bad. but much better afterwards! The oral surgan even saw the infection, and the oral surgan told me that maybe he thought the sensitivity to the heat lamp thing for the fillings and the cold and the metal was due to half the tooth was broken. Turns out it was from the infection and I literally was crying. I knew something was wrong. I just didn’t know it was an infection.
My question is, if the oral surgan saw it by looking at the same xray the dentist did, why in the WORLD did he just fill it and send me on my way. Why didn’t he put me on antibiotics and sent me to the oral surgan?

@JLeslie while i realize that her doctor prescribed her this amount, I would hope that her doctor knows her best. I also realize that doctors are not always correct, and that there are other doctors on fluther, HER doctor should know her history, other meds she is taking and many other factors that influence the drug and dosage a doctor prescribes. I am not shunning the asking off other people’s advice, I just personally would not take anyone’s advice in an internet forum over my real doctors. I trust my doctors. Maybe she should find a new doctor if she is questioning his/her ability. She also doesn’t mention really what is wrong with her (unless I missing it in the quesion). She just says “I fear it may have done something to me” What is she feeeling? Maybe she is having a typical side effect of the drug. I think my rash reaction of “call your doctor” is because the question was so vague that one can not really give her any good advice without knowing more of what’s going on

@Ponderer983 I agree with you, prudent to ask your own doctor, and never take advice on the internet as the gospel. I don’t think you were rash, except for the matter that she had mentioned she called the doctor already. My impression was she was just afraid it was too much medicine, and may be having digestive problems since she talked about eating yogurt. I agree we are not clear on exactly what her fears are and what actual symptoms she is having, good point. The problem with only relying on your doctor is if something seems to be very wrong, and they are ignoring it, then not a bad idea to call a separate professional or look up some info yourself (I don’t mean fluther, I mean the medication insert). I think it is great you trust your doctor, I trust very few, but there are a few, and they are human and can make mistakes even if they do know what they are talking about.

@Rebelwoman I am a little confused, maybe I should go back and read everything you wrote. Are you saying that you are having trouble getting rid of an oral infection in general? Maybe consulting with an Infectious Disease doctor is in order if this does not do the trick. Shilolo is an ID doctor.

Also, are you having specific symptoms that are worrying you? Or, are you just nervous it was too much medicine? Penicillin (amoxil is penicillin) commonly causes vaginal yeast infections. If you have very bad watery diarrhea that can be dangerous, but if it is a mild case, it should clear up within 72 hours after stopping the meds.

@Rebelwoman Amalgam fillings last YEARS, whereas the new ones that match tooth color can crumble away in a few year’s time. This is a problem dentists are well aware of, but they they won’t usually inform patient’s, as it means more $ down the road. I do not know the location of the tooth, but from what you’ve described, it’s a front molar (can’t recall the name of it right now, sorry). From now on, NEVER use anything but amalgam ones, okay?

Phillis- I’m getting a new dentist. I had two fillings lasting no more then a few months. I floss and the new ones chip and break. I’m just tired of that.

JL- it was I was just worried that it was too much and if it was I was wondering what I could do to help with helping my system. I’m under a great deal of stress. Infact from the stress I have anxiety quite often and I can’t relax. It is just soft. Nothing to big, but it gets irritateing that it’s soft in the morning then fine at night or later afte rI have yogurt. Am I doing everything right? I don’t trust many doctors, I have a hard time trusting anyone to be honest.

@Rebelwoman Don’t just let your fingers do the walkin’. You can check complaints filed against doctor’s businesses (the complaints are of the doctors, but are listed as a business. When you input the doctor’s office, details will come up) at www.bbb.org/us/
I would suggest you check for complaints with the ADA and AMA as well, but unfortuntely, they won’t tell you of current charges, pending investigations, OR pending cases, and it takes moving heaven on earth to get those organizations of professionals to “narc” on their fellow doctors. By the time it becomes a formal inquiry, much damage has already been done. Don’t count on those two associations, but DO call them. THey are required by law to give you successful cases against doctors, whether licenses have been revoked, and in what states, as long as they were in U.S. states and territories.

@phillis Really? That’s awesome. that would make me feel so much better. I know a person he knew and it just wasn’t pretty. I wanna find a good dentist. I’m so tired of fillings breaking. Infact right now the gums are bleeding around that baby tooth and it’s a bit tender to tap. I know what that means. but I only got till the 30th. I don’t wanna go on more antibiotics. I think my body is saying time for it to go. It’s loose I can pull it myself but they reccomend not to do that.

If you’re worried that your doctor is missing something or giving you improper treatment, get a second opinion with another doctor (one in a different practice). Much more reliable than the internet.

@Rebelwoman Please do not do that. You can cause the infection to spread into your bloodstream. Let another professional handle it, okay?

@phillis lol I know thats what they said. So it looks like I’m waiting 10 or so days. :) Then it’ll all be fixed. After the implant I’m going to a different dentist to get my other teeth fixed and better. I wont let my tooth do this agian

Let me correct a significant amount of misinformation on this thread.
“Tooth infections don’t simply eat your facial bones away if left untreated, they can also kill you.” This can occur, but very rarely. No need to panic. Most tooth infections are modest infections, and do not erode bone or cause life threatening diseases.

“The whole site becomes a cesspool of toxins that can and will get into your bloodstream. When that happens, your heart is poisoned. There is no stopping it at that point. You die.” No. A tooth abscess can lead to bacteremia (a bloodstream infection) and even endocarditis (a heart valve infection), but these events are uncommon. Moreover, your heart most certainly is NOT poisoned, and, even if bacteremia/endocarditis ensues, there are antibiotic and surgical treatments that are quite effective.

“Antibiotics don’t go according to body weight in healthy adults, they are administered depending upon the degree of the infection.”
No. Many antibiotics are indeed weight based (and based on kidney function). It simply is that “standard” doses are formulated for the average 70 kg male. As an ID doctor, I routinely prescribe antibiotics whose doses are adjusted for weight and other concerns (kidney function, drug-drug interactions, other considerations).

“He CAN’T pull the tooth until the infection is under control. If he does, he releases the toxins that are currently pooled in what is – for now – a secure pocket.”
Again, that simply isn’t true. Root canals and extractions occur all the time in the face of dental abscesses. As long as the abscess is adequately cleaned, there should be no severe consequences.

“You will end up in the hospital, fighting for your life as your organs shut down, and he will end up with a lawsuit that guarantees he will lose his ass.” This is highly unlikely. In ten years of practice, I’ve rarely seen dental infections result in more serious infections, and have never seen anyone die from one.

Now, to answer your initial question, the antibiotic treatment was appropriate for your condition. I don’t have a sense for what you are experiencing now that makes you think it was “too much”, but your dentist followed the standard of care for dental abscesses.

@shilolo Hello, I have been really hopeing you’d go on here. You’re always great at answering and thank you so very much you have eased my worries. I think I’m just going through alot of stress and it’s wearing me down. I am getting better day by day though.

I am curious though Shilolo, why didn’t he prescribe me antibiotics then? If he knew the infection was there, why did he just fill it and do nothing? I’ve had a infection in a baby tooth before. That was when I was real young. It was christmas and I had to wait. Finally I was able to see the dentist and my baby tooth was pouring blood our of the middle of it. But no sign of puss. It took 8 numbing shots and laughing gas and I still felt every jerk and pull. But once it was out I felt so much better. The swelling went down. I did get very sick from the blood I think but that was horrid. I had the tooth for a while, it was decayed all the way through the middle down the root. He pulled it because it was about to infect the other tooth below it. So if he pulled that why can’t he pull this one now? And I can get the implant the 30th? Or is it easier to just wait and do it all at once? These are questions he wont answer.
Thank you agian for taking the time to read my post

@Rebelwoman Sorry, I don’t quite understand your post regarding the dentist’s decision to save the tooth. Perhaps he was trying to save you the hassle of needing an implant? Maybe he thought that the baby tooth could last throughout your adulthood?

I’m no dentist, but I understand that it is common to not lose a baby tooth if, for example, the permanent tooth below it is missing and never comes in. So, maybe he took a calculated risk to let you keep the tooth hoping it would last, and that if it got a cavity or infected, he would extract it? I can’t really say.

@shilolo I’m sorry I’m kinda scatter brained. I think you might be right. He might have been wanting me to try to save it. I’m not fully sure. I remember long time ago saying I’d need it out by late twentys and he was hopeing for early thirtys. But.. he never said much about it. He just called it trouble tooth. I do know if it is pulled and nothing is put there my teeth will shift.

So you think that the antibiotic was fine and I do not need to worry about fixing the bacteria in my stomach. So many people say “Get on probiotics” but I don’t want to. I eat yogurt twice a day. I’m aware that it is a penicilin and as such it cancels out my Birthcontrol which might be why I’m so moody and having like menstrul cramps. Not sure though. I’ve never had to be on antibiotics for that long. Normally it’s five days (Like when I get this surgery, Antibiotics five days afterwards)

@Rebelwoman What precisely about the bacteria in your stomach do you need fixed? Are you feeling bad? Nauseated, vomiting, stomach pains, diarrhea, or are you simply concerned that 10 days of antibiotics was “too much” and “too long”? Many people take amoxicillin (and it’s cousins) for weeks to months without significant issues. Perhaps you can provide more information.

@shilolo I just thought it was too long and too much. I’m not really having issues, No nausea, no vomit, no real stomach pains. Soft that’s about it. I am used to being on imodium for my IBS but I haven’t been diagnosed, but family members have. My friend picked me up and reinjured a few ribs and my core again so that’s the only pain I feel there. I know that because I was totaly fine till he picked me up and I felt a rip again.

Ok. Get plenty of rest and eat a balanced diet. The rest (i.e. the tooth) will get sorted out, eventually. Good luck.

@shilolo thank you Shilolo. I’m trying lol. My diet has changed quite a bit seeing as how I“m really scared this tooth will break again.
It’s difficult to not want a smoke either

@Rebelwoman Undoubtedly, quitting smoking is good for your teeth and gums, as well as your overall health. Good decision!

@shilolo Thank you. It wasn’t to tough but still I’m having my challanges. I did that a month and like week ago. Silly reason why I quit though. Not only was I coughing but that really didn’t stop me, it was seeing these innocent beagles smokeing. I didn’t want to aid in there testing so I chose to quit. It made it that much easier. I just thought of My dog and cats smokeing, so I up and quit

@Shilolo Not quite. First, the author is female. Thought that might help you out a bit. The correct term I was refering to, as evidenced by my NOT mentioning any medical terminology that would send people running for a medical dictionary, is cardiomyopathy. Nothing about heart valves, nothing about mitral valve prolapse, not endocarditis, no confusing details, and that is definitely NOT what I said.

Fact is, I didn’t miss it by much at all. And that’s without being a doctor, since none of the ones here cared enough to help her. If you can show any place where I did not encourage the author to stay in the care of a qualified physician, please DO point it out. Doctors are notoriously late for appointments, and frankly, I had no idea whether one would show up at all on this thread. In fact, no one gave a damn about the author at all until the opportunity to strut their stuff presented itself. Too bad the patient wasn’t the primary concern.

Indeed, bacterial infections CAN and DO eat through bone, such as in the case of severe decubitus ulcers, so please do be careful to mention it to your patients in the future. It can scar them for life. I can post plenty of photos of such infections, should anyone require it.

I cited the following as an example of what CAN happen, and DID happen, for the sole purpose of keeping her in the care of a qualified professional, specifically, a dentist or oral surgeon.

“Health complications and death
According to a 2005 interview, about a month after filming the last episode of Angel, Hallett suffered a dental infection which spread through the bloodstream to his heart, leading to a case of cardiomyopathy, for which he spent five days in the hospital.[5] Although he recovered, his heart muscle and valves were weakened and he found himself easily fatigued afterward. He did not return to acting (except for a voice part in the animated film Geppetto’s Secret), but pursued his music career and frequently appeared at media conventions for Buffy and Angel and for science fiction and fantasy in general.[6]

Five years after first experiencing heart problems, and after at least three additional hospitalizations, Hallett died from congestive heart failure on March 29, 2009 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles with his father by his bedside.[7] He was 33 years old.

The character of Lorne continued to be used in the comic book series Angel: After the Fall, and a (for the time being) final 48-page book about the character was written by John Byrne. Chris Ryall of IDW Publishing said, “the issue serves as a tribute to Andy as well as a final send-off for Lorne, too.”, however also stating that the character of Lorne would return at some point in the future.[8]”

NOW, you may help her, since you’re already here. I TOT the scene to you. Good night!

@phillis Thanks for pointing out that the author is female. With a username like rebelWOMAN, it was hard to tell. That has absolutely nothing to do with this question.

I answered this question because your post was full of extreme statements that happen 1:100,000 to 1:1,000,000 patients, as well as downright wrong statements (antibiotic dosing, surgery for abscesses, predictable death from an oral abscess). Indeed, your anecdote about an actor (taken from a “reputable source”, wikipedia), is full of holes. First, systemic bacterial infections rarely if ever lead to cardiomyopathy. Indeed, more likely is that the cardiomyopathy (if that’s what he had) was discovered incidentally during his hospitalization. Furthermore, a much more likely explanation of cardiomyopathy in a young person is drug abuse (note that although it lists “infection” at the Mayo Clinic website as a potential cause of cardiomyopathy, that actually means viral infection and not bacterial infection). Also, young people with severe cardiomyopathy are frequently listed for and given heart transplants, and it appears he was not. Now, it could be that he was on the list, and died before getting his transplant, OR, he was excluded as a candidate for other reasons such as a history of drug use.

Now on to your other comments. This is a private forum where people can come and go as they please. Neither I (nor other people) are forced to reply. I don’t have any responsibility to anyone here, it’s purely voluntary (like pro bono work). For all you (or anyone else knows), I didn’t see the question, or didn’t feel like answering it initially because @JLeslie had it covered, until I became concerned about gross misinformation. How presumptuous to assume that we somehow neglected this question and a heroic figure showed up to “save the day” with an incorrect answer. In any event, you can see from the remainder of the thread that the OP was actually helped, though I think @JLeslie was also providing accurate and useful information.

Moving on, while you are correct that some infections can result in bone infections (osteomyelitis), a diabetic foot infection in someone who neglects the wound because they can’t feel or see it (owing to diabetic peripheral neuropathy) is not the same thing as an oral infection. Not by a long shot. While almost anyone can find extreme examples of almost any disease (like Jim Henson), that doesn’t mean that everyone with a mild disease (for instance, strep throat caused by Strep pyogenes, the same bug that killed Jim Henson) is suddenly going to die.

It’s ok to be wrong. It happens to everyone. Most people are able to accept that.

@phillis and @shilolo come on you two I didn’t want argueing.. I just wanted facts. I myself have read up many many things on teeth. That a infection turned cyst can decay jaw bone and destroy nerves if it is on the bottom. I have read that if you have an infection on the top it can spread to the brain and give you a syst or tumor in your brain. It can go into your sinus’s. Wisdom teeth are the worst for causeing infections that you’re not fully aware of. When I had mine out I got a bad infection in the top and it was draining puss, blood and just fluid. It took 3 days to go back and get more information from the dentist. Sense it was a top infection and draining they did nothing with it. However; the two massive dry sockets I had on the bottom took 4 days before I could GO IN and have it taken care of.

I know alot of information for being 22. I don’t want argueing or fighting in here. I just wanted to know if there is anything I should worry about with the antibiotics. But seeing as how it somehow turned from the antibiotics and infection and surgery to who knows more. I’m going to wait untill one of you guys answer me.

@Rebelwoman I’ve already said that after completing your course of antibiotics, you really have very little to worry about.

As for the “arguing”, there really IS a point to refuting misinformation. These questions are indexed by search engines, and random people can read them at any time. If Fluther is to remain a useful entity for valuable information, then the content should be as factually correct as possible (assuming there are users with the appropriate knowledge base to answer accurately).

All you had to do was present what you know WITHOUT acting like an ass. I am delighted that the author has a person here with knowledge. Thats what I wanted for her! She has been jerked around by a DDS who repeatedly did not listen to his patient, and, as a result, now has an infection so bad that she has to scoop gobs of black goop out of her mouth. Even by your own calculations, her daily Amoxycillin course is not WNL per her body weight. That is a doctor who is covering his ass, plain and simple.

She has spent pointless money on ridiculous “fixing” a tooth that she didn’t even want in the first place. No way in hell is filling a baby tooth over and over again, which, by nature is not designed to last, above board and A-okay. Fucking absurd, is what it is.

This is an ethics issue, not to mention it is in direct opposition to the Hippocratic Oath. Because so many people often won’t tell the whole story on the internet, I couldn’t come out and accuse the guy of anything, but those were damn sure my thoughts on it. I am a paramedic and a nurse, nothing more. In lieu of no one here to help her, least of all a dentist, I worked with what I knew while directing her down the safest possible path at the same time, including keeping her in the care of a qualified physician.

Medical questions will be asked again, and I will do no differently. You will see me again, so expect it. If you want, feel free to jump in on every medical question from now on, because somebody has to be there to help people. That’s what a doctor is supposed to do.

I’m glad @shilolo was able to confirm the OP’s concern, that the treatment seemed reasonable on the information we have available.

@phillis where do you see that @shilolo was disagreeing with the dosage? He agreed. He said the antibiotic treatment was appropriate for your condition. I don’t have a sense for what you are experiencing now that makes you think it was “too much”, but your dentist followed the standard of care for dental abscesses. Using body weight for adults is only utilized when the patient is well outside of an average body weight, except for some very specific medications like cancer chemotherapies, dyes for testing, and some others, where dosing is much more specific to the patients weight. As far as most antibiotics how they are metabolized does have to do with body weight and kidney function, etc., as he mentioned, but not to the speicificity you seem to think.

Look, if you know a woman who is 5’1” 100 pounds, I bet you hear her complain all of the time that she seems to get more intense side effects from medications. It is because she is probably many times slightly over medicated, even when taking OTC drugs. If a man who weighs 180 can take a Drixoral and it is effective, she probably is actually getting more medication than necessary and most likely becomes more lethargic on the medication and that is just to clear a stuffy nose. She can opt to get childrens pills and liquids for some drugs and dose by weight which might be more appropriate than dosing her as an “adult.”

Meanwhile, you are a nurse? And, I have to explain this to you? It is no secret to @shilolo that I can be a pain in the ass when it comes to medical things, I debate the docs and feel frustrated (so on that point I can empathesize with you) and I am sure at this point part of the problem is me, that I do not handle it all very well. I have had my share of horrible interactions with doctors, probably have mild PTSD from it, and have been sorely dissappointed by the medical establishment. I would almost include you as being frustrating considering you are medical professional and don’t know basics about antibiotics and dosing. Not that I expect you to know how much medication is customary for something so specific as a tooth absess, but certainly you have taken z-paks, or some other antibiotic and know that the same zpak is given to all adults pretty much whether they weigh 110 or 180. Ampicillim, Amoxicillin, Eurothromyacin, Cipro, I mean I figure you and people in your family have been prescribed one or more of these drugs and the doctor did not calculate your weight. This is a fairly commonly prescribed drug we are talking about.

And, I have to say it is a pleasure on fluther to find doctors who are willing to share their knowledge and help when they have no obligation to do so. I hope the special doctors of fluther, even though I do not always 100% agree with them either, never leave.

It is possible the OP should consider switching dentists, you are probably right a second opinion is a good idea in the future. But, for now it sounds like she is safe, the procedure was not completely for naught, and she was given an appropriate amount of antibiotics which was her concern.

Thanks @JLeslie for the support. You aren’t that big a pain in the ass, more like a little pinprick ;-)

As for the comment “somebody has to be there to help people [on Fluther]. That’s what a doctor is supposed to do,” I disagree, not surprisingly. This is a QA site where I (and others) come voluntarily and (for the most part), for fun. This isn’t my job. I don’t have to do anything. I could not turn on Fluther for a week and that would be just fine. In fact, I had given up answering medical questions for precisely this reason, and only recently restarted. I’m beginning to see the error in that decision. Though I worry constantly about people receiving bad advice and wrong or misguided information, I’m not a public servant, and I really don’t need the agita.

@shilolo- Thank you for your advice. I didn’t want arguments and all that I just wanted to know what to do. I decided to call the nurse to ask her if I can take Imodium for my stomach issues, she complained but she said it was okay. So… I took it and I’m fine. I’ve been through alot of stress and after this appointment to get my tooth extracted and implanted, I’m not going to another doctor. I’m done with them for a while!
The stress the docs cause and the stress the dentist causes isn’t worth the pain.
Thank you everyone for your advice