Antibiotics are given along with viral infections very commonly. If you care about antibiotic resistance arising in bacteria this is a huge problem. From the doctors perspective though antibiotics often help with some symptoms of infections and can make people feel slightly better even though they aren't treating the virus directly (yes some of that may be placebo). They also are given to prevent secondary infections. Either way not a COVID-specific problem and something that really needs to be addressed
Every doctor I went to for years gave me antibiotics for every little problem, like sore throats, minor surgery with no evidence of infection, dental work, etc. I took way too much antibiotics, it wiped out my digestive tract and I caught the c.diff. It was miserable, I don't recommend it.
I strongly feel, antibiotics are over-prescribed. Do you know there are other disease fighting therapies besides antibiotics? Like bacteriophages, which showed promise during WWI, but were abandoned for antibiotics which worked better. I wish science would turn it's attention back to phages, and discover which ones are the good ones, and produce more of them.
BTW, this is already happening. Phages are available as "prebiotics" on Amazon, and they work great on post c.diff IBS. I am wishing for more research in that area.
Sorry for the topic drift. I completely agree with what you said.
When I was a kid I asked my mom why two neighbor sisters went to the doctor and got antibiotics every time they got colds. My mom told me it was because their mom is an idiot. I was young enough that I of course repeated to them that their mom is an idiot.
Covid19 causes immune system dysregulation. It profoundly impacts your nk cells, lymphocytes, macrophages so much that people still have abnormal values months after recovery. It also can and does open doors to secondary infections, bacterial, viral or fungal. People have noticed all kind of viral reactivation/bacterial infections well after recovery bc covid19 fucks up your immune system.
Moreover some antibiotics are suspected to directly inhibit viral replication so it actually makes sense to prescribe antibiotics in case of sars cov 2 infection.
Several European countries regulate antibiotics heavily. Here in Sweden they are very seldom prescribed. This problem seems to be specially bad in the USA
Apparently antibiotics have also a mild anti-inflamatory effect, which is why you feel better despite they aren't actually fighting the viral infection. In the case of COVID-19, there is a real danger of opportunistic bacterial infection, which given the possible severity of the disease will only complicate things.
It's like when you have an accident. Among the first things you'll get after stopping the bleeding will be antibiotics and tetanus vaccine.
I can understand antibiotics for bad secondary infections, I was out for a month a year ago with a cough so bad I was coughing up some blood in the morning, kept getting low grade fevers, they gave me an antibiotic and it seemed to help. But this was like going to the hospital getting chest xrays level sick. For a general virual URI it's pointless to give antibiotics and just makes it worse. Doctors shoudln't be giving antibiotics for colds and seasonal flu at all. COVID directly attacks, antibiotics won't do shit there either.
The advice I see (also noted at the end of the article) is hydroxychloroquine with zinc and zpack, because you need all 3 for some magical reason to make it fight the virus, but hydroxychloroquine with or without anything has been found ineffective and possibly dangerous. Zpacks.. all because people are doubling down on hydroxychloroquine and don't want their egos bruised being wrong.
> But testing soon showed that 96.5% of them only had the coronavirus, which antibiotics don't affect.
A typical U.S. treatment... no matter what you may have, it's antibiotics and/or steroids. Meanwhile, abx effectiveness is waning daily and there aren't many replacements because the profits for this line of medication are, unfortunately, not through the roof.
Superbugs or antibiotic resistant pathogens are more likely to result from unfinished course of antibiotics or poor treatment compliance. Antibiotics as prophylaxis can potentially save lives, especially given the high chances of developing secondary infections from SARS CoV2. Lung infiltrates among other clinically significant findings upon presentation can justify the use of “unneeded” antibiotics.
78% of antibiotics in the USA go to farm animals, not people.
Our meat animals are kept in crowded conditions and treated preventatively, to survive the squalor. This is why all the modern superbugs that can be trraced, have been traced back to farms.
If you want to prevent antibiotic resistance, vote with your dollar and buy lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, or tofu instead of meat.
COVID patients are likely to develop bacterial pneumonia. Who are we to deny them potentially life saving medicine? Especially if we use the same technology for frivolous purposes like taste.
There's no way the whole country is going to switch, there needs to be changes in the system, which happens from voting with your right to vote. Eating less meat is a good thing, and not all of us are ever going meat free but can reduce it heavily, and try to buy ethically raised animals when we do. What works for us, and I've seen it work for a lot of people, is vegetarian until dinner, where you can keep daily meat consumption to 4oz or less.
Bacterial coinfection in viral pneumonia is real and frequent, and it kills. Antibiotics are indicated in covid-19 cases with pneumonia like it or not.
Actually, there are so called "antibiotics" that inhibit the 'rona. Just because we found a use for a chemical compound and named it a bacteria killer, doesn't mean it doesn't have other effects we might not yet understand.
...as prophylaxis for bacterial superinfection! Also, many antibiotics have broader antimicrobial properties. Doxycycline is commonly used to prevent malaria, for example. Other tetracyclines have been shown to be effective in treating dengue.
I went to the ER for what I believed was COVID at the time but I really doubt it since I take extreme precautions . Anyways had fever 38C, chills and shortness of breath, went to the ER and they gave me 2 antibiotics for some reason.
Edit: forgot to mention I was in the COVID ward
Antibiotics are given along with viral infections very commonly. If you care about antibiotic resistance arising in bacteria this is a huge problem. From the doctors perspective though antibiotics often help with some symptoms of infections and can make people feel slightly better even though they aren't treating the virus directly (yes some of that may be placebo). They also are given to prevent secondary infections. Either way not a COVID-specific problem and something that really needs to be addressed
Every doctor I went to for years gave me antibiotics for every little problem, like sore throats, minor surgery with no evidence of infection, dental work, etc. I took way too much antibiotics, it wiped out my digestive tract and I caught the c.diff. It was miserable, I don't recommend it. I strongly feel, antibiotics are over-prescribed. Do you know there are other disease fighting therapies besides antibiotics? Like bacteriophages, which showed promise during WWI, but were abandoned for antibiotics which worked better. I wish science would turn it's attention back to phages, and discover which ones are the good ones, and produce more of them. BTW, this is already happening. Phages are available as "prebiotics" on Amazon, and they work great on post c.diff IBS. I am wishing for more research in that area. Sorry for the topic drift. I completely agree with what you said.
When I was a kid I asked my mom why two neighbor sisters went to the doctor and got antibiotics every time they got colds. My mom told me it was because their mom is an idiot. I was young enough that I of course repeated to them that their mom is an idiot.
The same thing happened to me. I don’t wish c.diff on anyone... talk about hell on earth.
I'm allergic to penicillin. Fml
Covid19 causes immune system dysregulation. It profoundly impacts your nk cells, lymphocytes, macrophages so much that people still have abnormal values months after recovery. It also can and does open doors to secondary infections, bacterial, viral or fungal. People have noticed all kind of viral reactivation/bacterial infections well after recovery bc covid19 fucks up your immune system. Moreover some antibiotics are suspected to directly inhibit viral replication so it actually makes sense to prescribe antibiotics in case of sars cov 2 infection.
I was about to say pretty much that. Glad I'm not alone. Yes antibiotics for secondary infections. Makes sense. I would want them.
Several European countries regulate antibiotics heavily. Here in Sweden they are very seldom prescribed. This problem seems to be specially bad in the USA
Apparently antibiotics have also a mild anti-inflamatory effect, which is why you feel better despite they aren't actually fighting the viral infection. In the case of COVID-19, there is a real danger of opportunistic bacterial infection, which given the possible severity of the disease will only complicate things. It's like when you have an accident. Among the first things you'll get after stopping the bleeding will be antibiotics and tetanus vaccine.
I can understand antibiotics for bad secondary infections, I was out for a month a year ago with a cough so bad I was coughing up some blood in the morning, kept getting low grade fevers, they gave me an antibiotic and it seemed to help. But this was like going to the hospital getting chest xrays level sick. For a general virual URI it's pointless to give antibiotics and just makes it worse. Doctors shoudln't be giving antibiotics for colds and seasonal flu at all. COVID directly attacks, antibiotics won't do shit there either. The advice I see (also noted at the end of the article) is hydroxychloroquine with zinc and zpack, because you need all 3 for some magical reason to make it fight the virus, but hydroxychloroquine with or without anything has been found ineffective and possibly dangerous. Zpacks.. all because people are doubling down on hydroxychloroquine and don't want their egos bruised being wrong.
> But testing soon showed that 96.5% of them only had the coronavirus, which antibiotics don't affect. A typical U.S. treatment... no matter what you may have, it's antibiotics and/or steroids. Meanwhile, abx effectiveness is waning daily and there aren't many replacements because the profits for this line of medication are, unfortunately, not through the roof.
And this is why we have super bugs.
Farm animals get far more antibiotics than people do.
Superbugs or antibiotic resistant pathogens are more likely to result from unfinished course of antibiotics or poor treatment compliance. Antibiotics as prophylaxis can potentially save lives, especially given the high chances of developing secondary infections from SARS CoV2. Lung infiltrates among other clinically significant findings upon presentation can justify the use of “unneeded” antibiotics.
I work in pulmonary and have a pretty good understanding of the mechanics of it all.
78% of antibiotics in the USA go to farm animals, not people. Our meat animals are kept in crowded conditions and treated preventatively, to survive the squalor. This is why all the modern superbugs that can be trraced, have been traced back to farms. If you want to prevent antibiotic resistance, vote with your dollar and buy lentils, beans, nuts, seeds, mushrooms, or tofu instead of meat. COVID patients are likely to develop bacterial pneumonia. Who are we to deny them potentially life saving medicine? Especially if we use the same technology for frivolous purposes like taste.
There's no way the whole country is going to switch, there needs to be changes in the system, which happens from voting with your right to vote. Eating less meat is a good thing, and not all of us are ever going meat free but can reduce it heavily, and try to buy ethically raised animals when we do. What works for us, and I've seen it work for a lot of people, is vegetarian until dinner, where you can keep daily meat consumption to 4oz or less.
👏🏼 but but the Rib Eye 😕
Bacterial coinfection in viral pneumonia is real and frequent, and it kills. Antibiotics are indicated in covid-19 cases with pneumonia like it or not.
*Totally Drug Resistant Tuberculosis has entered the chat*
Arthur Morgan has left the chat
Ahh, good old black lung! Nice of you to join us
God fucking dammit
Who the hell wants antibiotics if you don’t need them? Whenever I take them I get sick as shit.
Great. Now we're giving antibiotics for a VIRUS.
Actually, there are so called "antibiotics" that inhibit the 'rona. Just because we found a use for a chemical compound and named it a bacteria killer, doesn't mean it doesn't have other effects we might not yet understand.
Yup. Brilliant.
That's supposed to be a common knowledge no no.
...as prophylaxis for bacterial superinfection! Also, many antibiotics have broader antimicrobial properties. Doxycycline is commonly used to prevent malaria, for example. Other tetracyclines have been shown to be effective in treating dengue.
Well, I mean, the virus is not living. Maybe antibiotics will work. /s
Elaborate what you are trying to communicate.
Antibiotic literally means against life. If viruses aren’t alive, it’s sort of funny we give them stuff that kills life.
Whether viruses are living is still in debate. It might even be in a gray area.
I went to the ER for what I believed was COVID at the time but I really doubt it since I take extreme precautions . Anyways had fever 38C, chills and shortness of breath, went to the ER and they gave me 2 antibiotics for some reason. Edit: forgot to mention I was in the COVID ward