Taking Erythromycin antibiotics when on Apixiban

[Nan1]

Good morning. I haven’t posted for some time but follow your stories daily. I have a lung infection and yesterday prescribed Erthromycin Antibiotics. I am far too nervous to take them as they are known to interact with Apixiban. Has anyone had experience of taking these tablets snd were there any problems.

[Buffafly]

I’ve taken them with no noticeable problems. Doctors and nurses usually check for serious interactions before prescribing anything. Where did you get this information from? Please bear in mind that if you have a chest infection bad enough to warrant antibiotics you could be in danger if you don’t take them. Best wishes x

[Nan1 in reply to Buffafly]

Thanks for replying. The problem I have is that I cannot tolerate antibiotics and this is the only one that I can. Doctor doesn’t have anything else he can prescribe.

[Buffafly in reply to Nan1]

I can’t take penicillin which has often been a problem. Maybe under the circumstances keep the antibiotics on hand and only take them if you get worse?

[Nan1 in reply to Buffafly]

That’s my thinking at the moment. Thanks Buffafly

[BenHall1]

Just curious, did your medical team not consider the compatibility of these two drugs before prescribing the Erthromycin Antibiotics .... all seems very odd. Maybe you would be better off consulting the NHS website on the compatibility of these drugs.

[Nan1 in reply to BenHall1]

Hi, yes we did discuss. Unfortunately it’s about the only one I can tolerate

[jeanjeannie50]

I'd give your pharmacist a call and ask his opinion on the compatibility of your drugs. They are the experts.

[Nan1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hello Jeanjeannie, trust all well with you. Yes had long chat with Pharmacist. He says I have to weigh up benefit against risk. Doctor has said infection will probably clear on its own anyway so I have dilemma as to whether I take them

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Nan1]

Hi Nan1, like you I've had a chest infection and am just getting over it. Went to the supermarket yesterday afternoon, which was my first day out after 9 days stuck at home. Every day I wondered whether to get a prescription for antibiotics, fearing it could turn into pneumonia which I was hospitalised with a few years ago. My other thought was to let my body fight it so that maybe if I had an infection again, my body would be more able to see it off.

On reflection now (still have a productive cough, but not quite so bad and always worse in the mornings) I was asked pre my pneumonia whether I knew that my lungs were scarred - well no I didn't. Today I'm thinking, should I be getting antibiotics earlier to stop any more scarring occurring? It's so difficult to decide what to do isn't it? Seems we can't win either way, scarring or taking antibiotics.

At least you have your medication ready in case you get worse over the weekend.

Jean

[Nan1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you Jean. You sound in a similar position. My X-ray is showing something on lung and I’m awaiting a CT scan. Fingers cross it won’t be anything sinister. I guess I will have to brave it and take them. Take care and get well soon

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Nan1]

Let me know how you get on with your CT scan. My sister had a small spot of cancer in one of her lungs, she had it removed, think they took away a third of one of her lungs. She's fine now and does a lot of walking and is just back today from a trip to Borneo.

[Nan1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Good news re your sister. Hope, like me, your cough is getting better.

[DawnTX]

I would think your doctor would not have given them to you if there was a problem. I have been on it. I have been on steroids curing. The infection is very important. A simple cold with turned into something awful. Some of us are very sensitive. We are all different though. You don’t say who gave you the prescription up your or PE if they didn’t I never do well with antibiotics. I expect to feel lousy while I’m on them, but that being said it’s better than having the infection. Hit your heart area bad enough. It’s with your lungs already

you’re not gonna get better if you don’t take your meds these are questions. You should be asking your doctor.

[Nan1 in reply to DawnTX]

Thanks Dawn. The cough is getting better each day so will see how it is by Monday and decide.

[DawnTX in reply to Nan1]

just because you doesn’t mean you don’t have infection. Please don’t play with that. I have just started getting better from something I got in November tested negative for Covid, etc.. They don’t even know exactly what it was. I had a dry cough over a month 24 seven I guess even in my sleep I was could hear me. I’m the last one to say antibiotic because I don’t like but I had that a steroid along with an allergy pill and I forget what the fourth was they were trying to treat the symptoms because they couldn’t figure things out honestly, I don’t remember when I’ve been so sick even with Covid. I don’t remember if you said you have pericarditis I get that quite easily evidently that’s my weak spot. I am still having trouble breathing and have the ache in my chest. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place right now waiting for my appointment with my new PE. My other one state. Please be don’t always like what we have to do when we are sick good grief I’m sure you’ve been through worse. With a fib, etc. we can’t afford to take chances. Please let us know how you’re feeling. But if you felt bad enough to go to the doctor for a prescription, please take it.

[Nan1 in reply to DawnTX]

Thank you for reply and advice.

[DawnTX in reply to Nan1]

I know you don’t want to hear it. No one wants to take something that makes you feel lousy when you already do feel lousy. The thing is I’m very stubborn so I’ve been there done that and definitely had regrets. Right now I’m dealing with a few things. I can’t do anything about the I wish I could and I’ve been very bad going back to the doctor something else. Have you ever not been able to get yourself out of the house? I think I’m doctored out as most of you probably are. Did you know that canceling and failing to keep doctor appointments can actually be a symptom of heart problems? My has a list. I will if I can get another but quite things that things that I do. It just shows what a toll this takes on all parts of us.

I know with pericarditis and a few it doesn’t feel that bad not like having a heart attack, clutching your chest and having a sharp pain it’s just kind of there so easy to ignore it. Unfortunately, meanwhile it is doing the damage inside making you sicker, you can actually get septic if you’ve never had septic be very thankful I actually had it before a fib struck me and I often wonder if there was any connection. Thank heavens, a friend was checking on me and I burst into tears on the phone. He came right over and even more helpful to we were enforcement partners so he knew how to handle.

Thinking of back then especially to you, ladies I’m not sure about but one thing I in the hospital then was that a simple UTI, not so simple can actually cause mental issues that we could be blaming on change of life.

As my PE said, we blame everything on our poor little heart and that’s not always the case. I guess we forget how many other parts we are made up of inside there that can act up.

I don’t know everything no one does even the doctors however I can share the mistakes that I have made and if it only helps one person from becoming sicker, I’ll be happy