I had the same problem a couple months ago. I had what I thought was a lingering cough from a cold, but the doc ordered some bloodwork just to be safe. He called back a few days later and it turns out I had mono. Nothing you can do for that except treat the symptoms.
LPM, I wouldn't take the antibiotics unless you KNOW that it's a bacterial infection, and that you would definitely benefit from taking them. The side effects can be worse than the symptoms that you already have, plus there is a growing concern regarding drug-resistant bacteria. Check out this article from webmd:
Quote:
Fewer Unnecessary Antibiotics Prescribed,But Overuse of Potent Antibiotics Now a Growing Problem
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD on Monday, March 31, 2003
March 31, 2003 - Many doctors are heeding the call to cut back on the unnecessary use of antibiotics to treat viral illnesses, such as the common cold. But a new study shows that another disturbing trend in antibiotic prescribing habits has now emerged -- overuse of potent broad-spectrum antibiotics.
Antibiotics are among the most frequently prescribed medications and are designed to treat infections caused by bacteria. But some types of bacteria can develop a resistance to antibiotics, which render the drugs ineffective in treating that type of bacteria.
Recently, the number of these antibiotic-resistant bacteria has grown dramatically, and doctors have been advised to use more appropriate strategies when using the drugs.
Although several studies have looked at antibiotic use in hospitals in promoting antibiotic resistance, less is known about antibiotic use in the doctor's office. In this study, researchers looked at trends in doctors' habits in prescribing antibiotics to treat infections seen during an office visit from the early to late 1990's.
Researchers say the good news is that the use of antibiotics to treat illnesses commonly caused by viruses, such as colds and sore throats, that do not respond to antibiotics has decreased. But the use of powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics doubled from 1991-1992 to 1998-1999.
"The troubling news is that when doctors do turn to an antibiotic they are increasingly turning to broad-spectrum agents. These often provide little or no advantage over narrow-spectrum antibiotics when treating things like respiratory infections or sinusitis," says researcher Michael Steinman, MD, of the San Francisco VA Medical Center, in a news release.
The findings appear in the April 1 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers say these new, broad-spectrum antibiotics are also much more expensive than their older counterparts and usually cost about 10 times more than narrow-spectrum varieties for a typical seven-day course of treatment.
In an editorial that accompanies the study, Richard E. Besser, MD, of the CDC says that apart from the economic implications of the overuse of potent antibiotics, there are also serious public health consequences.
"Using these agents when they are not indicated reduces their effectiveness when they are needed to treat other infections," writes Besser. "We must consider these drugs as precious, limited resources because for many [antibiotics], once resistance becomes prevalent in the community, there may be no going back."
Researchers say the study suggests that efforts to encourage more appropriate use of antibiotics to prevent the growth of antibiotic resistance should focus not only on when the drugs should be prescribed but also on which antibiotic should be used.
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Linky
Hope you feel better soon!
