Would it be irresponsible not to give the antibiotics?

[emkana]

Dd2 has a chest infection with a temperature of 39. The doctor said it was a bit rattly, but not severe, and he couldn't be sure if it was viral or bacterial, but he prescribed antibiotics anyway.
Should I definitively give them to her? Am dreading it because she hates hates hates taking medicine from a spoon, and if I start the course I have to finish it which means a week of battles and tears trying to get the antibiotics into her. Would it be totally irresponsible to just give her Calpol and cuddles and rest and to wait for it to get better by itself?

I got given antibiotics recently which I chose not to give to my daughter, because I just wanted to find out whether she had a chest infection, or what was causing the wheeze.

Wasn't my usual doc - I see two who I really trust and they rarely give anti biotics, unless they really give me a reason why.

He didn't give me any real answers except it sounded "croupy" which is a wheeze on the way out, not on the way in. That as she was under 1 he wouldn't say asthma (yet). And I felt the anti biotics were "to make me feel better"...

She got over it a few days later without any trouble.

Whether bacterial or viral, they will get over it. Just might make it slightly quicker if bacterial, and pointless if it is viral.

Your choice. Calpol will rid temp. Medi sed will cure temp, and dry up excess mucus and help sleep.

In those situations I usually wait a couple of days and see how the child is doing - sometimes they get better, or are definitely improving, and sometimes they get much worse. And my GP always tells me to look at the 'whole child' - you know, they might be coughing but be otherwise OK - a bit grumpy, but eating, playing, talking etc. Or they might become very definitely ill - listless, sleepy, not eating, crying or whining all the time etc. HTH and that your daughter is doing OK.

thanks for your answers.
She still seems to be the same, and I haven't given her the antibiotics yet.
Still undecided what to do and finding it really difficult to make a decision.
Would be grateful for more answers.
TIA

I recently gave ds2 antibiotics as his ear drum burst and he had a chesty cough. Wouldn't have given for either one alone but together though he may need them. Wish I hadn't though- as I now don't think he needed them. I don't think they help much with ear infectons, and they haven't done anything for the cough (which is obviously viral). Very unlike me to give them, but my mother was bending my ear, and I was worried about the burst ear drum as he hasn't had any jabs. Still think he would have been better off left though. Homeopathy has seemed to help the cough more than anything.

I know she has a temp but how off colour is she? If her temp spikes or something then I would probably give them in your situation then pump her full of probiotocs as well.

Certainly not irresponsible - I think antibiotics are best avoided unless absolutely necessary- much better for a child to fight off the infection themselves (and less antibiotic usage is better for society as well)

I was in this position this time last year over a suspected ear infection. Doc said she thought it wasn't an infection but gave anti-bis anyway.

I didn't give them to dd. Turned out it was an ear infection, which developed into mastoiditis (although she did get better in herself). Result: emergency operation and 2 weeks in hospital.

Don't mean to scare you, and to be honest I would probably wait a couple of days to see how she is with a chest infection (I would give antibiotics straight away for an ear infection though. I am paranoid about them). Just want to point out that docs don't always just give antibiotics to keep you happy.

Have you picked up the prescription yet? In Spain you can get antibiotic medicine with a dosing syringe rather than a spoon. Much easier!

jimjambells - just read your post properly: seriously - always, always give antibiotics for ear infections. Like I say, dd did get over the fever herself but the infection remained.

although others say that giving antibiotics for ear infections makes glue ear more likely (and in ds1's case he ended up with about 8 courses over 2 years for ear infections- far far too many- and his gut is completely screwed up- that's what we've been trying to avoid with ds2). But yes ear infections do tend to worry me more than others as I know they can turn nasty (meningitis always springs to mind as well) so I tend to worry about them more than anything else. DS2 has had 3 courses of antibiotics (he's 3 in Januaury- and I am paranoid about them) one lot when he was very poorly as a 6 week old baby, and 2 lots since then- one for a join ear/chest infection and then the recent one. TBH I still don't think he really needed the last lot, although he probably did need the other two. One thing I find difficult these days in that in cases like the last one its hard to get a definite answer from a doc as to whether they are really needed (locum doc who prescribed on the phone!)

emkana - if I were you I would take your DD back to the GP to have her reviewed to decide whether she does need antibiotics. Did you make it clear to the GP you were keen to avoid antibiotics if at all possible?
We musn't forget that antibiotics are sometimes necessary. My DS2, when he was 6 months old, had a rattly chest that ended up turning into pneumococcal meningitis. If he hadn't had antibiotics he would have died. Best advice will be from GP in this case.

With a rattly chest, I'd worry about pneumonia--that is, I'd worry that this could lead to pneumonia. I see your point about the battles, which would be doubly irritating if antibiotics proved unnecessary, but I would give them in this case.

Hi, my doctors are now very reluctant to prescribe antibiotics; I took DS2 (3) in last week coz he was complaining of ear pain and she declared them rather pink but not in danger of bursting. But 2 days later he had deteriorated a lot - not feverish, but just sleeping, crying, listless, not eating - and I took him back. She still thought it was probably viral but gave amoxycillin - it clearly was bacterial as a day later he was bouncing around as usual, though still tired. I gave the meds because I could tell he was really unwell against my normal benchmarks, whatever the colour of his ears - turns out both DH and DS1 got the same infection - but it showed up in DH strep throat, and in DS1 as infected lymph nodes. Hope DD is doing better.

trouble is mears - half the time I find the doctors prescribe them but then leave the decision as to whether to give them up to me. This seems to be something new - in the last couple of years. if a doctor says that defintely yes they need them then I do give them (I especially trust my GP as I know he only prescribes them if he thinks they are really necessary), but often these days the decision seems to be left to me and then I end up with an emkana type situation of not really being sure what to do. It's particularly hard for something like a chesty problem where it can last for ages anyway- actually that's where my own GP is good as he seems very good at telling when its a problem or not. I've had more difficulties with locums.

Coughs and chests can take ages and ages to clear anyway- ds2 has had his cough for about 4 weeks now (its that nasty waking them up retching at night one that seems to be doing the rounds- although finally its getting looser so I hope its finally getting better). I do think that these days we tend to be used to the quick fix and want our children to be instantly better (no criticism meant btw- I know its how I feel) whereas having got more into as little intervention as possible - a repeated message that lots of authors make again and again is that natural infections can take quite a long time to run their course and you need to be prepared to nurse a sick child for quite a while if you're going to take that approach.

Agree that there are times when antibiotics are an absolute must- just wish I wasn't left to make the decision as to when that was! Personally I think they're are the greatest recent medical discovery- but unfortunately the most over-used and abused as well (although not confined to medicine- farming is a real problem).

I do agree, jimjams - that's why I didn't give the antibiotics when the doc said she didn't think dd had an ear infection. Felt very guilty when they told me what it was at the hosp though.

The idea of your doc leaving the decision up to you made me smile though - doctors would not dream of doing that here. The price we (the British) pay for having got rid of the old doctor-always-knows-best attitude that still prevails in Spain. Did I tell you I mentioned the MMR controversy to the nurse when dd had hers? (I said something like "I'm very nervous because of all the controversy" - he said "what controversy?" )

Jimjams, I've noticed that too. In fact, I went to the GP in early November about a cough (my own) that had lasted for 3 weeks. GP said she'd be happy to prescribe antibiotics if I wanted them. I said, "Er. . .but do I need them?" She said probably not. So of course I said "No thank you" to the prescription--I mean, who wants thrush just for the fun of it?

But 2 weeks later I was in the US for a funeral, and my cough had turned into bad bronchitis, and then mild pneumonia. I took antibiotics for 10 days, which cleared up the problem, but even now, a month later, my chest is still a little funny (doctor said this whole chest infection had brought on some mild asthma, a new thing for me) and I wish I'd just taken antibiotics first thing, and that the decision hadn't been left up to me. Because, like everyone else here, I would never, ever choose to take antibiotics unless it was necessary.

I suppose part of the problem is that we would be better off with the doctors reviewing our cases every few days or so, so they could get a better idea of whether antibiotics were needed- but they're too overworked. I am quite lucky in that its usually fairly easy for me to get an appointment for the kids and I don't hesitate to go back if I think a chest is developing (and my doctor never makes me feel bad for going back for another listen).

My dad had pleurisy last year and has had no end of problems since then. I can't remember at which stage he was given antibiotics, but seem to remember he needed a few doctors visits and was quite ill before he was given them.

My docs said they would happily see little ones every day for five days with an ear infection or whatever, rather than give antibiotics unnecessarily - they keep appointments every day. But in I absolutely agree about the antibiotics being overprescribed - we were living until this summer in Singapore where you come back from the paediatricians with antibiotics for everything plus about 6 other meds for all manner of symptom relief. Most of the time I just didn't give them.
DS2 has only had antibiotics 3 times - once for bacterial dysentery in Thailand, once for a serious mycoplasma infection (older brother hospitalised with it) and this most recent time. He had been ill for 3 weeks preceding this, so I just knew he wasn't going in the right direction...Anyway, they are now on acidophilus.....

your docs sound great singersgirl. Singapore sounds like Japan- I remember having a throat infection and having to fight off a drip Used to come away with so many potions and powders from the doctors.

Just on the medicine-taking, my ds doesn't drink a lot of milk so choc milk is a real treat. When he was prescribed an antibiotic (which looked like neon yellow milk...) I mixed it with the choc milk and it went down no problem!