Advice about antibiotics please

Been mild asthmatic since puberty and for the last year since menopause (thinking hormonal triggers) things have got much worse and am reacting to all sorts of new triggers: exercise, new allergies etc. Am now feeling rough, hitting a cold or something (thick green snot, coughing a lot, to the point of retching, blocked nose). Have previously been given both emergency supply of pred and antibiotics by GP to self-administer when infections hit. Am wondering whether or when to crack open the packet. But realise am not sure when or if to take them. How does one know if an infection is viral or bacterial? Does one just take antibiotics anyway in case? Seems to me to risk future resistance issues to take the antibiotics willy nilly, but, whilst still not fully-controlled, my asthma has got better since last summer's flare up, so am anxious to prevent a chest infection developing. Any advice on precautionary antibiotics? I could go back to the doctor for more specific advice, but feel a bit of a hypochondriac doing so for what might be just a cold, that may not go to the chest (though is my tendency to get very chesty hence the antibiotic and pred prescription in the first place). Am on montekulast, anti-histamine and 2x250 seretide 2x daily, so no precautionary increases possible there.

Still feel very new to this so thanks in advance for any advice.

[Hidden]

Hi!

If it was me starting to get an infection I would have long started on antibiotics. Its better to avoid the infection then worrying about antibiotic reistance as when I get an infection will end up in hospital when it breaks out.

Hope u get better??

[Hidden]

Thanks Yas, it has, as feared, moved into the throat, so started taking the antibiotics this morning. Thanks again.

[Hidden]

Hi Winnie,

I keep emergency abx (doxy) at home and take them early in any flare that lasts more than 12 hours - the thinking is that even if you have an inflammatory flare up, that then creates conditions where the normally manageable levels of bacteria in your lungs can breed like crazy. So the doxy gives you a good clear out of the usual culprits. So you don't have to wait until you're actually coughing up life forms with a higher IQ than my dog - despite what the media keep reporting about needing to use less abx. That's not for people who have serious asthma.

Another option, if you have a lot of recurrent infections, is a prophylactic regular abx - usually azithromycin, 3 x weekly. That seems to have an anti-inflammatory benefit as well as reducing infection frequency.

Cx

[Hidden]

Thats's really helpful, Curiouser, thank you, that makes sense, and it clarifies why it is irrelevant whether a bug or a virus. I realised I only have 15 pills, so now have to go to the doctor and get some more in order to finish the course, so I will also discuss with them. Hopefully, I can get to see the doctor that gave them to me in the first place. Thanks again.