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Dan said...
So, if my, um, fish need to use that, what would the dosage be? You know, for the fish? Say my fish were about 150 lbs (I have a big fish tank), how much and for how long would I give my fish? I'm sure the labels don't cover, um, fish that big!
:)
Dan
ps: heh - the word verification is "prepers"!
Depends on the type of antibiotic you are using and your age and weight. You can google the dose for each type. :-)
Before antibiotics where discovered, a simple infection most likely ended your life. There’s a chance you’ll get better, there’s also a chance you’ll get worse, and that’s where it gets interesting: If you don’t get antibiotics prescribed, the infection keeps spreading and you eventually die.
During a trip to USA a few years ago I ended up with a sore throat. I ended up with an infection but pharmacies in USA don’t just cell you antibiotics without a doctors recipe. (more power to them of course, its not as if antibiotics are more dangerous than antifreeze if you drink it, yet I can buy all the antifreeze that I want). I should have gone to the doctor and pay the small fortune but kept finding excuses not to go. By the time I took the plane back home the infection had spread and it was turning harder to breathe. It required a long treatment to control and then stop the infection and I was left with a nasty scar in the throat for my stupidity. I don’t travel anywhere without a couple of broad spectrum antibiotics any more.
This may sound like dangerous ground because in general terms its not safe to take medicine without medical supervision.
Having said that, doctors are not God, even though we are brainwashed to believe so. I’m 31 years old and already have had the following experiences a) A doctor of recognized reputation almost killed my son by not telling me to take him to the hospital even though he had been throwing up for three days. He said it was normal and not to worry, just hydrate. Had I listened to him my son would be dead by now. b) A fancy (expensive) doctor told me I had to get surgery in my right wrist after a boxing injury. Otherwise, he said, and I quote “you could end up losing your right hand” I’m just fine and in fact keep drawing, shooting and boxing, lifting weights without a problem. c) With my son’s illness, it took over 20 doctors to actually find one that was smart enough to figure out what he had. This doctor simply ran every single test he could think of until he had a positive result in one. Not exactly a medical genius, just following a rational scientific method. d) Just last week, a doctor almost killed my sister prescribing her corticoids for her back pain she just didn’t need. She ended up hospitalized for 3 days. Good for her she stopped taking them when she started feeling ill.
Now I know better and understand that doctors are just people, in the most cases people that aren’t that smart either, or have their heads so deep into their asses they just don’t listen to you. Now I take everything doctors say with a huge grain of salt, if I don’t trust what I’m hearing I’ll get at least two other opinions or more.
Bones Said:Additionally, "-cillin" type (and many others) antibiotics carry a risk of fatal anaphylactic shock if the patient is allergic, which is fairly common.
It is certainly not fairly common and most people know soon enough if they are allergic or not. Have you taken Amoxicilin before? Then you know if you’re allergic or not.
Besides, self medication is a truly bad idea because most people aren't doctors and infections aren't something to play around with. Can YOU tell the difference between a viral and bacterial infection just by looking? I can't.
I can, not by just looking but because of prior experience. You know your body better than any doctor, you know your children. Say I have the flu. Feel sick, fever. Do I start popping pills? No, you go to bed, hydrate, drink tea with lemon and honey, chicken soup too. If the fever is high I start taking something for it. Aspirin, Ibuprofen. Why? Because that’s what has worked (and what doctors told me to do) the last 20 times my kids, my wife or myself had it. In my case it sometimes gets worse. The fever doesn’t go down. In that case, the last 10 times this has happened, I was prescribed Amoxicilin 500mg. and it worked. Guess what I’ll be doing if I have those same symptoms, I have the antibiotics, and I don’t have a doctor around to say “yes, take it”.
Its not that different if you have an infected wound. In some cases you can control it, the body takes care of it, but in others you see the redness around the wound, it feels hot, infected. If there’s no doctor around and the infection just gets worse as the days go by you can a) wait until you die b) do something about it yourself and try with a broad spectrum antibiotic like amoxicillin or Clarithromycin.
(Warning: This is in no way medical advice. Always go to the doctor and do everything he says.)
This is an emergency/post disaster type “what if” exercise where there’s no professional medical help available. One in which you’ve done some research about what antibiotics can do, you’ve read “Where there is no Doctor” and you happen to have some sort of antibiotic at hand.
Amoxicillin covers a borad spectrum of uses. This is what you generally get prescribed when there’s respiratory infections, wounds, or you’re getting a tooth pulled. In my case (31 year old average height and weight adult) they give me 500mg every 12 hours for 7-10 days depending on the doctor.
If you’re allergic they give you Erythromycin, or so I’ve heard. If your fish happens to be allergic it’s the same thing. Erythromycin
(read the reviews, people are happy with how its been working for their fish)
(read the reviews, people are happy with how its been working for their fish)
Guys. I like to think that my readers are smart, responsible adults. None of this is medical advice of any kind. Personally, I have a big box full of meds of the type you guys just cant buy across the counter unless you go to Mexico. The most important ones I have, the ones I know can be life savers in some situations, those are antibiotics. If you need them and you don’t have them you may die, that’s why I stocked up on Amoxicillin 500mg, also the pediatric version which is the same thing but in liquid form and 200mg, Clarithromycin and Azithromycin. Thinking about getting Cephalexin. These I get legally in Argentina across the counter in pharmacies.
What if I couldn’t get these? I’d do what I can in case my fish get sick, I’d learn what each antibiotic does, the dosages and try not to use them but would use them in a worst case scenario, when a vet is not available.
8 comments:
I am envious of your ability to buy the medicines you need.
I recently tried to buy a local anesthetic so that I can more easily clean/treat a severe wound on the scene. Turns out I go to jail if I have anything besides that ineffective spray stuff. That type of regulation is definitely a negative about my great country.
You are right in that doctors are just people and are often fallible. I think most people have at least one awful experience. I do, however, owe my life to a very good doctor that I had when I was younger.
"Now I know better and understand that doctors are just people, in the most cases people that aren’t that smart either, or have their heads so deep into their asses they just don’t listen to you. "
I've found this to be true about anyone who's profession involves people coming to them for advice on a regular basis. People aren't as smart as they think they are. I personally feel dumber and dumber the more I learn. A lot of this stuff is pretty basic and a doctor will tell you the same thing. The information is readily available. I'm not a big fan of doctors at all. There are some really good ones out there but they're hard to find. Most of them have built a solid reputation and are so busy that it's hard to get them to really look at your case unless you have a lot of money. It's a vicious cycle.
Penicillin is readily available at any farm and ranch store, at least in Texas.
My friend once had an infected tooth the dentist would not pull until the infection was gone. She couldn't afford the meds. 5cc of cattle penicillin in her coffee twice a day for 2 weeks cleared it up... tasted nasty but it worked.
Amoxicillin is going to do diddly squat for a lot of infections, mostly because for the last 15 years doctors gave it away like candy, and people popped it like a half-full box of Tic-Tacs.
You'll need bigger guns for more severe infections. Amoxicillin + clauvinate, or a cephalosporin & macrolide, or a flouroquinolone. Good luck getting those OTC. Better to get friendly with a doctor--which, under Obamacare, shouldn't be too much trouble.
Doctors have a monopoly on healthcare in the US. They, along with lawyers, Big Pharma and the Insurance industry are the reason the US Medical industry is so dysfunctional.
My brother is a doctor...he's in it for the money. I haven't spoken to him in years nor do I wish to have anything to do with him. To my way of thinking, he... like much of America... is willing to screw others to milk the system such that he makes a lucrative living. We see that in Wall St, the upper ranks of corporate America, politicians and of course...lawyers.
Let it all melt down, let it all blow up. That's the only solution now...a total reset.
Good source for information:
www.Drugs.com
I am a doctor. I agree that there are many bad docs out there and we are, indeed only human. Let me clear something up: Often the reason a "good" doctor isn't so free with antibiotics and advice is because the average patient hasn't been to medical school. The choice of antibiotics has a great deal to do with advanced knowledge; Knowledge of kinetics, side effects, indications, regional infections, dangerous doseage levels, patent health, kidney function, liver function, age, etc. In some parts of the Country MRSA infections are sensitive to sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim while in others, that drug would be useless and clindamycin is indicated. Gentamycin is a great drug but in the wrong dose ca fry your kidneys and make you deaf. A little knowledge really can be dangerous. While I understand a lot of doctors invite derision by being asshats and incompetent, the education and training we go through is extensive for good reason. It is not at all uncommon for nurses to bring in a family member they have been incorrectly treating because they do not have the education to see an important difference in symptoms even though they think they are simply doing what they have seen doctors do many times before. Having said all that, there is no reason not to educate yourself as much as possible. Read the pharmacology textbooks and you will have a strong grasp of what is needed in an emergency when there are no doctors. Once you have made a serious effort at learning some basics, and get a grasp on how much you don't know, send off for some antibiotics---there are dozens of foreign pharmacies on the internet. Just be aware that when you practice medicine you are holding your patient's life in your hands. There are plenty of empirical treatments that have a low chance of hurting someone and if there are no doctors or hospitals you need to do something, but much can go wrong as well.
The problem with selling antibiotics without a doctor's prescription is that it's creating superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics.
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