Antibiotics not working, or just impatient?

[WatchandWaitorNot]

Trying to work out if I should try to see a doctor again today before the weekend (I have private GP through work so should be able to get an appointment today but not at weekend).

Had bad cold that went to my chest, after over 2 weeks of bad coughing I saw GP on Monday (ie 4 days ago) and was prescribed Amoxicillin for chest and sinus infection (though I never had a temp and mucus was only yellow not green). The trip out of the house to the surgery was exhausting.

Started the antibiotics straight away at 3pm Monday. Have been resting completely since then, signed off work, it’s now Friday morning and I am still coughing badly (bringing up yellow phlegm) and my left ear is completely blocked (can’t hear from it at all). I have had zero taste for a week now.

Should I try to see a doc again or am I just being impatient? I feel like the antibiotics never kicked in at all, so that would point to it just being viral maybe? Or possible that it’s an infection that is resistant to amoxicillin and I need different ones?

I’m also mildly asthmatic (have blue inhaler for use when I get allergies to animals and dust mites).

WWYD?

I’m recovering from something very similar sounding and the antibiotics didn’t make a difference. I’d been ill for approx 2 weeks before going to the GP so was sure it was an infection as I usually recover from viral things much more quickly.

The doctor sent off a sputum sample which was negative for bacterial infection so that and the antibiotics not making a difference indicated it was viral in the first place, I had negative Covid test so likely caused by flu.

I did start feeling much better a week after going to the doctors and 10 days on I’m left with the blocked ears and fatigue so still off work, but I’m no longer coughing and my lungs no longer crackling.

My MIL had something similar and she did need a different course of antibiotics, so it could still be worth you going back. Can you do an online or phone consultation to save you dragging yourself in?

Hope you feel better soon, you have my sympathies!

Thanks so much for replying. Your experience does sound really similar, but interesting that you and your MIL had different outcomes.

In the end I did exactly that, had an online consultation today. Doctor said it was possible that the antibiotics were not the right ones and certainly didn’t suggest that this lack of improvement was par for the course, but said it was worth giving it till Monday and then having a face to face if no better. He was mostly interested in whether I was deteriorating (I’m not, just no improvement) or wheezing to the extent that I had trouble breathing when not coughing. I’m not quite at that point.

Sorry your ears are still blocked!