Antibiotics Question

[flashdance9]

Hey everyone. I have to take antibiotics:
Isoniazid (300mg) Levaquin (750mg) and Rifampin (600mg), Pyridoxing 50mg
For Kansasii which is a bacteria that is like a cousin of tuberculosis. I know non of you may be experts, but I'm not sure if I want to take these anti biotics. I don't have any symptoms of this disease at all, I don't find it necessary to be on all these antibiotics,

Because I feel fine, I think I'm going to stop taking the antibiotics because I think it may be effecting my weight loss goals, although I'm not sure. It could be all in my head. I'm eating around 1200 cals a day more or less. Its just a pain to be taking these pills all the time. Plus its really hard for me to swallow them anyway.
I have to take them for at LEAST a year.

What do you guys think, should I continue taking them? Or forget it. Its my body, and I feel fine w/o them....ah I just am scared of making the wrong decision and need some advice.

Do any of you know anything about these antibiotics?

 

[adder]

Actually, you're taking TWO antibiotics, one antituberculosis medication, and vitamin B6.

If M. kansasii bacteria has been found in your lungs and you've been run a CT test, then you shouldn't really downplay it. The problem and probably the reason you're prescribed these medications is the fact that Mycobacteria other than tuberculosis are resistant to antituberculosis medications and they do cause damage to the lungs.

Then again, I'm not a physician. Why don't you talk with your doctor about side effects you experience from the treatment?

 

[flashdance9]

ty

Thanks for the response.
Yeah, I have spoke to him about side effects and reason why i need the drugs and why im not having symptoms of Kansassi etc, but he never gives me a satisfying response full of detail. Just wondering if anyone on here knows.

 

[SPC123]

I am of the firm opinion that you should take the antibiotics your doctor prescribes, as directed, until they scrip in completed. It would suck to be patient zero (ie that asshole) that is responsible for shutting down a wing of a hospital for disease prevention because you didn't want to take your medicine.

Ask if you can get it in banana flavor.

 

[adder]

Anyway, I've got more time now so I can write something about drugs you take and why there's so many of them. I'm sure you've already googled everything but I'll try to put it out straight.

Isoniazid is a antituberculosis medication that is used during the treatment as a first-line drug. But it's never used alone because a person gets resistant fast. Pyridoxine (one of the forms of vitamin B6) is used along with isoniazid because it causes its depletion which in turn causes damage to nerves of PNS and CNS side effects, so it's used to counteract the toxicity.

Levofloxacin and rifampicin (or rifampin in the US) are antibiotics. And both are used in case of severe infections. Rifampicin is actually used during treatment of tuberculosis and MOTT by standard. Again a person treated gets resistant fast. I've never taken any of these drugs antibacterial drugs. I take pyridoxine as an aid to a lot of things, mainly nervousness and skin problems, also I know my immune system doesn't work like it should.

Nonetheless, the answer to the question why you have to take so many drugs is simple. Resistance is developed to all these drugs during tuberculosis so they are used in combinations. And pyridoxine is simply to counteract toxic effects of isoniazid but the dose you take doesn't exceed supplemental doses. Vitamin B6 is available OTC in my country either with magnesium or alone, when pills are B6-only, they contain exactly 50mg. You could be switched to other antibiotics but they wouldn't be used alone. That's the characteristics of tuberculosis and MOTT-induced lung damaging disease (Mycobacteria other than tuberculosis, M. kansasii in your case). And also there are differences between M. tuberculosis and e.g. M. kansasii. The latter is also resistant to some drugs used to treat tuberculosis. Anyway, isoniazid and rifampin are first-line treatment so it would really bad and quite hard to change these drugs to something else. You could have Levaquin put away but then again I'm sure some other drug would be used and it might be even worse (more/worse side effects, lower efficacy).

Like I said, I'm not a doctor but my hobby is neuropharmacology/pharmacology besides chemistry I studied so I'm aware of side effects you may experience from taking all these antibiotics. As a child I was sick very often because of problems with the third tonsil. Eventually I got it removed but for many years I caught cold just like that and it was always severe. So I know how antibiotics can make you weak and what nasty side effects they can cause. After the surgery I had to learn to breathe through my nose because earlier I had breathed through my mouth due to nose full of phlegm constantly.

Wish you all the best. I hope you get better soon.

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

^Sounds like this guy knows what he's talking about, I'm not the biggest expert in antibiotics but I would certainly follow your doctor's orders and always make sure to take the entire course of antibiotics, as directed.