UKC

I'm on my last day of a course of antibiotics. I've found it rather disruptive even after the the first 48hours of gut riot. The main reason has been the prescription of 4 x a day, always on an empty stomach. The directions clarified that empty meant "2 hours after _food_ and 1hour before".

I've found this hard as often I'll have been in a work situation and so not been able to eat when I can and the only way to get the 4 doses in has been to skip quite a few meals. Consequently, I haven't climbed/trained/run for a week. I'm also not a happy bunny when hungry.

This weekend I felt up to maybe going backpacking/fastpacking for a couple of days but didn't fancy it as I wouldn't be able to eat and I get v. grumpy putting miles in without snacking.

I was chatting with someone about this and they asked "can you drink stuff at the times you shouldn't eat?" and to be honest it hadn't even occurred to me. So is it "nutritional stuff going on in mah tummy" or "mass being in tummy other than water" that is to be avoided?

It's possible, but hopefully avoidable, that I'll have a second course of antibiotics. A 2nd idle week is looking intolerable. If it happens it will also be time I have booked off work.

In reply to ultrabumbly:

You could always ask your doctor to get your next course French style (from my slightly traumatic childhood memories, they tended to administer them via the other end of the alimentary canal).

In reply to Ciro:

Haha: the moment at a belay when someone thinks "let's stop for 5 mins!" and the rummage in a pack is for a presumed sarnie or flapjack, which will surely be shared, quickly turns into something far more awkward.

On the face of it, and with my totally non-existent understanding of how antibiotics get around the body, this method would make sense seeing as it is for an abscess a little way under my arse cheek. It probably isn't that simple.

In reply to ultrabumbly:

See, these are the shared experiences that make climbing friendships so special

I am not a doctor, but I believe it is always a more efficient method of administering the drug, as it gets into the bloodstream faster through the colon than through the stomach lining, even when fasted. Oral medication does, however, tend to be preferred by the patient!

In reply to ultrabumbly:

Which antibiotic is it?
Have you tried asking the chemist about the food/drink issue??

In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

Flucloxacillin 500mg.

It didn't occur to me to ask about the solid food/drink issue at the time as I assumed the infection healing was going to put me out of action for quite a while anyway. It was deep in the tissue but breaking out and draining through the skin and right where a leg loop sits (I think it is the after effects of a guano and sheep shit impregnated leg loop friction burning me while wearing shorts a few weeks ago). I'd already postponed the trip I had planned to France for next week but couldn't claw back all the holidays from work. Surprisingly over the past 2 days the skin has repaired itself much more than I thought it possibly would but there does seem to still be a hard lump deeper inside.

GP said he would like to assess it again at the end of the antibiotics if it didn't feel totally flat towards the end. Unfortunately the first appointment I could secure with him isn't until Fri though I can likely get in to see him or another of the GPs by ringing up tomorrow (they only do a small proportion of consultations as pre books). I wasn't sure that if I required a second course if that would usually be a different antibiotic or the same again and preferably with no break. I was hoping it would be totally healed (other than there being a void still to recover)by tomorrow and so not an issue. Doesn't feel like that will be the case. Seeing as I could now be active without scraping an open wound/scab I'll ask if he feels I need a second course and if there is anyway around the food timing thing if so. On the rare occasions I need to see my DR I like to be able to go in with a layman's idea of any options rather than him having to take up his time fully explaining them.

In reply to ultrabumbly:
Are you on flucloxacillin? In the event it hasn't worked fully, potentially your dr will change to a different treatment although 2 weeks for an abcess is not unreasonable and if you are responding continuing with this same antibiotic would be appropriate.
My suggestion to patients taking this drug and having issues with timing of food is to set alarm and wake an hour early, take drugs, back to sleep then can have breakfast normal time. Take next an hour before lunch, which presumably will be more than two hours after brekky. Third an hour before evening meal (ditto re 2 hours post lunch) the the last literally as you go to bed. That way not as disruptive. Clearly this may not fit ideally with work eating etc and is not ideal but maybe more manageable? It is important to take without food as high acidity in stomach decreases effectiveness of this particular drug. There isn't a rectal version of this drug so not an option!! Hope this helps. I'm a pharmacist btw!

In reply to ultrabumbly:

Hope it heals soon. Suppose it shows the reason not to ignore minor cuts etc.

In reply to gingerbex:



Sounds like a defeatist attitude to me. You could surely give it a go?

In reply to Yanis Nayu:


Hmmm. And risk getting sub therapeutic drug levels risking the bacteria developing resistance, potentially including MRSA?? No, not being defeatist! Oral capsules don't 'melt' very quickly up the bum!!!

In reply to gingerbex:

I'd also hate for my legacy to be patient zero for a super resistant bum eating bacteria that led to a "The Limping Dead" apocalypse.

In reply to gingerbex:


The maxim "one up the bum, no harm done" isn't quite true then.