how long do you give oral antibiotics before you give up?

[littlemisscoughsalot]

Hi everyone.. I need some advice. My daughters pfts were down to about 75 from her normal 100 last week in clinic. She's had a productive cough for about 2 weeks now. They started her on cipro on Tuesday which normally kicks her cough within a few days, but here we are on Saturday and i don't see much of an improvement. Doc wants her back for pfts on the 24th.

Should i give the cipro a few more days or throw in the towel? I was really hoping to get her through the school year first, but i don't want that to cloud my better judgment... I know if i call, she will go in for a clean out. I'm not trying to avoid the inevitable, just delay it for about a month.

Bad timing... Cf sucks... Someone help me decide what to do!

 

[Gorf]

Everyone here I would say thinks CF sucks, but waiting when you think you should go can do more damage. Ask to do the pfts again, if they haven't went down further then decide. As an adult, I have tried waiting couple times for life events. I paid the price once and permanently lost some lung function. Sorry if I have scared you with my bluntness.

 

[littlemisscoughsalot]

I appreciate the bluntness.

Would you expect to see improvement after a week of oral antibiotics?

 

[bcl0328]

A week sounds normal. Sometimes two.

 

[Red9928]

Did they do a sputum culture in the clinic? Does your daughter have any seasonal allergies? I've been coughing like crazy lately with all the pollen. If orals are going to help me it's also typically within 10/14 days. Good luck!

 

[Gorf]

I completely forgot about allergies, that can be a factor to, if I get sinus infection, the lungs aren't far behind. I irrigate my nose at least twice a day.

 

[littlemisscoughsalot]

Cultures not back yet, but typically she grows multiple strains of pa, achromobacter, and sometimes staph. I forgot to mention the cough is piggy backing off a virus, so I'm pretty sure it's her bacteria running wild. This pattern is normal for her, but the cipro usually works within a few days.

Thanks for helping me think straight.. I'll be taking her for pfts on Monday. Hopefully she'll blow some good numbers.

 

[scarecrow]

Unless you get other directions from the Dr. you should NEVER stop taking a course of antibiotics before it is done. If you don't think they are working or having a bad reaction then you need to get hold of the Dr. again but please don't stop taking the antibiotics once you start them. That is how the bugs become resistant.

 

[emmalou1610]

I usually take cipro for 2 weeks, & sometimes even the 2 weeks doesn't cut it. Then I know it's IV time. Everyone responds to antibiotics differently but I usually wouldn't see an improvement after only a week on orals so I would continue to take them. But your daughter knows how she feels herself and if she feels she's getting worse while on oral cipro, then maybe ring the hospital. Hope this helps & I wish her a speedy recovery

 

[SoyaSauce]

I agree with what scarecrow says; don't stop until you speak with your dr.

Don't panic if any antibiotic doesn't 'work' after only 2-3 days, that's barely enough time for it to kick in. If she has heavy mucus flow then there's ALOT of bacteria to be killed off, and these buggers will fight til the death, hence you body reaction is to drown you with mucus to flush it out. I would give two weeks of it, and if there is a virus in the mix, it usually tones down after 10-12 days in my experience. And of course, I am sure you have increase CPT, vesting, and nebs, REST !

BTW, a CF and viruses I have read, doesn't damage the lungs, a virus enjoys it nicely in CF lungs, but it doesn't release the same chemicals as bacteria does, so even though it seems horrible, its really the bacteria and immune system overdrive the sends someone with CF and a bad cold to the hospital, not the actual virus. Surprise ! !!

Once when I was IV's I thought the meds were not working, I was only in my first week in, and was still spewing like a monster totally sick. Then suddenly on my last few days of the 14 days, it was BAMMM GONE- TOTALLY wiped out, it was like magic. And gladly I have been keeping well since.

So all in all, even if sensitives show great killing, it can take time to work to bring the bacteria numbers down.

 

[littlemisscoughsalot]

So my question was not should i stop giving her the cipro... I know better than that. i was just trying to decide if i should wait until the 24th for pfts or call sooner. they usually want to do 3 weeks of ivs with her. It would be nice if those 3 weeks didn't fall in during her last weeks of school, her birthday, or when we have family in town. Unfortunately, cf waits for no one and i know that treatment is more important than all that other stuff.

Usually i notice the cipro starts to work within the first 5 days. i think this time its different and she's gonna end up in the hole for a wile. But we will see... hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[bigstar]

I think you should wait for the course to be completed. Sometimes it takes longer to fight an infection with or without the drugs. Show some patience. My doctor says that sometimes it takes months for pfts to bounce back.