To not finish my course of antibiotics?

[duckling84]

On Wednesday I was diagnosed with tonsillitis and prescribed erythromycin. I've been told to take 2 tablets 4 times a day so 2000mg so I've taken 7 lots so far (so 14 tablets). Since yesterday afternoon I've been in agony with stomach cramps which just seem to be getting worse and I really don't think I can go through the weekend with 5dc in this pain.

I would never usually consider stopping antibiotics early but I seem to have worse symptoms from the abs then the infection right now.

Aibu to stop?

the dosage is perfectly normal 250-500mg 4 times daily but stomach pain is a side effect so I would talk to your pharmacist in the morning
does do need to be reasonably spaced out as near 6 hourly as possible not 4 doses within 12-14 hours
many antibiotics do work best on an empty stomach but it is better to take with food than to miss a dose
Current theory is working towards a higher dose shorter course

The problem with changing prescription (and yes I'm allergic to penicillin as well) is that I cant actually afford another one. I only have £4 left in my account until Tuesday so even if a gp prescribed something else, I cannot buy it :( (both dh and I are paid too little to pay tax but too much to get NHS help)

According to the NHS website (which I have just looked at), it says that you need to call the doctor straight away if you get more severe side effects. Including severe stomach pain, as it can be a sign of pancreas problems.

I think you need to contact the doctor OP, and ask their advice.

Go and buy some hydrogen peroxide from the chemist and gargle with that (diluted as per instructions) it'll clear up bacterial tonsillitis quicker and with no side effects.

It's less than £1 too

The NHS wouldn't class it as a severe pain, I used to work for the 111 service so am aware of their definitions. Severe is when you cant do or think about anything other than the pain. Seeing as I can still mumsnet and watch TV it would be classed as moderate. I'd put it along the same lines as early-to-mid stage painful contractions

I've had similar problems with erythromycin, I had to make sure I ate food with it every time
Check to ensure this isn't against your instructions though.

I didn't realise so many people on MN had medical degrees and GP training. Amazing. No idea why I wasted 10 years of my life.

Though since starting this thread I have taken both paracetamol and ibuprofen which have eased them so it's more "they bloody hurt" cramps as opposed to "f$%&ing agony" cramps right now

memorial Fri 15-Mar-19 19:21:54
I didn't realise so many people on MN had medical degrees and GP training. Amazing. No idea why I wasted 10 years of my life.

Your arrogance is outstanding though

Really? Not the arrogance of people absolutely stating completely incorrect things about doses and management. With absolute confidence. From Google. No wonder my job has become ever more difficult. No wonder no one wants to be GP's.

Oooh they are nasty ones! I had them over xmas. Within 10 minutes of taking them id be on the toilet for ages. Just ride it out as they do the job and as soon as you stop taking them you feel better. You dont want to end up more ill for skipping the end of thr course. I feel your pain tho.

OP! Please take advice before stopping or reducing your medication. Untreated tonsillitis caused my friend to develop nephritis which has had long term and serious effects on her health.

memorial Fri 15-Mar-19 19:31:48
Really? Not the arrogance of people absolutely stating completely incorrect things about doses and management. With absolute confidence. From Google. No wonder my job has become ever more difficult. No wonder no one wants to be GP's.

................................................................................

My friends enjoy the fact that they can work part time and still bring in a good salary. There are not many careers where you can achieve that kind of middle ground. Any career where you deal with the public on a daily basis is problematic.

Again agree with pp. I developed reactive arthritis ( i think thats what she called it) after a nasty strep throat infection. Much better to keep taking them.

I take until I start to feel my body taking over them stop. Never finished a course before. I put off taking them too!

You need to get your gut flora back on track too as all your good bacteria will have been wiped out too which will cause tummy issues! Natural yoghurt or other form of pro biotic. I even give my dogs natural yoghurt when they're on A/B's!

Untreated tonsilitis lead to a quinsy and hospital level dehydration which almost killed myself. Just take the pills WITH FOOD (force the food down) and ride it out. Erythromycin is usually unfun but it's less unfun than the consequences of not finishing the course.

Actually that's entirely untrue. Tonsillitis and quinsy are totally different disease processes. Most tonsillitis will improve without abiotics. But you know arrogance not actual medical degree and 20 years experience as a GP

In my area you can go to Asda pharmacy who will take a throat swab, test it and tell you if your sore throat tonsillitis is bacterial or viral. I only found out last week, but it is useful to know.

I had the same symptoms recently on erythromycin. I stopped taking them after three or four days as I had stomach cramps and felt sick all night and was starting a new job the next day. The toothache I had been prescribed them for had gone anyway.

I told my dentist who had prescribed them and he said the new advice was you didn’t have to take the whole course any more if the symptoms had gone.

I stopped my antibiotics for an ear infection after 5 days out the 7 at the beginning of the year after I developed horrific thrush. The ear infection was gone but the thrush was the worst I’d ever experienced. Within 24 hours of stopping the antibiotics (plus some help from canestan) the side effects had stopped. They were the first antibiotics I’d had in over 10 years so wasn’t too worried about developing a resistance to them

Memorial your medical education obviously trumps my lack of. But actual medical doctors told us that this is what caused her quinsy so..

I realise my autocorrect went totally spazz. It was my sister with the quinsy not me. Still. The doctors told us that and I have no reason to either doubt their medical education/experience or consider that they might lie.

I was taking 2000mg a day for cellulitis and ended up having to take lanzaprozol and an antacid as I really thought I was having a heart attack. It was very scary. The doctor said it was becoming a common side effect. So now when I have antibiotics I ask for the other medications. I am lucky to not have to pay for prescriptions due to an ongoing illness. I would definitely stop the antibiotics.