I’ve been on amoxicillin for a week to try to clear up an infected area under a dental crown I recently had replaced.
Not only is the amoxicillin not helping the infection, it’s giving me the shits something fierce.
Just thought I’d share 
My freshman year of college, I returned to my dorm after spring break to find a note and an envelope pinned to my door. The note informed me that my next-door neighbor in the dorm had come down with meningitis during the break, and that inside the envelope where prophylatic pills I should take in case I was exposed (no recollection of the name of the pills). I took them, then went out drinking and dancing.
Later that night, absolutely blotto, I went to the john at the bar. Out came my urine - a freaking brilliant, nearly flourescent ORANGE. Scared the shit out of me - “Oh my god, I’ve got meningitis!!”
'Course, it was just a side effect of the pills.
Sua
They distributed medication by pinning them up on the door??
God, I would have been so sure it was a prank by someone on the floor that I would never have taken the pills. If your urine had turned green, I would have suspected the old methylene blue prank (or worse, the methylene red prank).
Yep. Rifampin, which, like you say is used for prophylaxis against meningitis, does just that.
Munch humbly requests more info.
Keep that up I’ll share the story about the “condiment effect” and my abcess…
Anyhow - if it ain’t helping the infection and it’s giving you the shits, it’s time to switch to something else. Go to your dentist and tell him the above. If he doesn’t give you something that works, find a new dentist.
Something I simply must share:
Munch - Methylene blue is a ph indicator and tissue stain used in preparing slides. It is filtered out by the kidneys, and indicating your urine’s acidity, turns blue, producing green urine. Dosing somebody with the stuff to alarm them is, as indicated, an old, old gag.
It is sometimes prescribed as a urinary antiseptic, as well as for methimoglobinemia (see the Cecil’s article on the “Blue Fugates”). However, it is not without side effects, and people clowning around with it really isn’t a good idea:
MAS*H?? Something about a boxing match?
City Gent,
What you describe is a common side affect of antibiotics.
If you want a REAL problem with it, try Levaquin!! Not only does it reek havoc on your intestines, it will knock you out!
Eating bananas during the time you are on the antibiotics will help avoid this (they’re binding without upsetting your stomach) and replace the potassium lost.
My doctor always reminds of this and it really works for me.
I’ve heard yogurt helps replace the intestinal flora that antibiotics kill off, thus ameliorating the squirts. Just make sure to get yogurt with “live and active cultures.”
If it doesn’t work, hell, enjoy the yogurt anyway.
Mmmm . . . yogurt. I think I’ll have yogurt for lunch . . .
If that doesn’t win the Freudian Spelling Slip of the Year Award, I don’t know what will.
Thanks for the advice; I finished off the antibiotics last night. Things should be getting back to their normal consistency soon.
Take the yogurt anyways, even though you are done with the Amoxy.
Antibiotics do kill all of the bacteria in your system, even the ‘friendly’ bacteria in your intestines that help you to break down food and absorb nutrition from it. You want to get that back as soon as possible, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to eat some yogurt with live acidophilous (sp?) cultures in it.
Y’know, City Gent, after your comments in this thread, I was all ready to go. But now…
Aw, at least you’re man enough to share. Thousands wouldn’t. Really.
I recently got bit by what my Doc thinks was a Brown Recluse Spider.
He put me on antibiotics and antibiotic cream and some other stuff.
This may be TMI, especially for the guys…but EVERY SINGLE TIME I take antibiotics I get a yeast infection.
Yuck. And yes, I tried the yogurt thing, and I tried the acidopholus pills, and YES I tried the borax inserts. It doesn’t help, I guess I am just susceptible. I hate it.
I get those with Keflex. Now, whenever I get a prescription for Keflex, I get a box of Monistat to go with it.
Robin
Me too, Scotti. I’d say 3 out of 4 times, I get a yeast infection.
If yogurt doesn’t help, I’ve heard that Shaklee makes a supplement that is crammed with acidopholous. Supposedly the best thing out there. I don’t buy their stuff but I would if I had to take another course of antibiotics. I have a hard time kicking yeast infections once they take hold.
Last Halloween I was the victim of something. Possibly the old methylene blue prank, possibly just a lot of green food coloring. I was in attendance at a friend’s Halloween party, and after an enjoyable few hours (a very enjoyable few hours, I should say) I happily accepted a beverage handed to me by one of my friends.
Fast forward to the next morning.
I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, stared into the mirror, and said “Happy All Saint’s Day!” I picked up the newspaper, sat on the john, and went about a normal everyday occurence, until I realized that my feces were green. A nice, unhealthy, scary dull green.
My first thought was that I was infected with something that was slowly devouring my insides, and I had chunks of decomposing kidney floating around in the bowl. My second thought was that I didn’t want to die like Elvis with my pants around my ankles. My third thought was that the bastard of a friend was probably laughing himself silly at that moment.
So, I’ve made a note of it, and am eagerly looking forward to Halloween this year.
I am taking Minocycline, which is a strong one I am using for acne. It’s only side effect is that I am very susceptible to the sun now, and I can burn really easy. More proof I should stay in the AC of my house : )
They now have a nifty new drug that works better, and only takes three days instead of seven. Can’t remember the name, but I am sure your Doc knows about it. Next time, honey, you will only have three days of…well, you know what I mean.
I have always had that problem in the past too, sweetie…This stuff kicked it in one Rx. And I just remembered…I think it was called Terazol or something like that.