Chest infection

[Lusciouslynda]

Hi,everyone. I'm now on 3rd day of antibiotics and feeling no improvement as yet. How long before I'll have some improvement. My Mum always used to say, you always feel worse before you feel better when on antibiotics. Does anyone agree?

[Hidden]

Hello, I’m sorry that you are feeling so rotten. Antibiotics usually take about 48 hrs to kick in but can take up to a week. Knowing most GPs, I suspect that you have only been given 7 days anyway. I would give it at least 5 days then go back to the GP and get them to look at which ab they gave you, the dose and the duration. I hope that you get it sorted out.

[Lusciouslynda in reply to Hidden]

Yes. Seven days of Erythromycin. They are my "go to" antibiotics because they usually work the best. I'm allergic to penicillin. Thanks,hopefully they will now be kicking in. I've took two ,up to now,of my third day.

[Hidden in reply to Lusciouslynda]

When I take a zpak I can feel a difference in 24 to 48 hrs. When I used to take amoxicillin it never worked. Erythromycin gave me severe stomach pain.

[corriena]

Unfortunately as we tend to get unwell quickly we are usually quite porly befor we take antibiotics. So even though the antibiotics may start to work resonably quickly it can take us longer to feel it. Look after yourself and if you dont start to feel better in a couple more days go back to your gp

[Picasso10]

Last time I took antibiotics (Amoxicillin)it was the 6th.day I felt better but then everyone's different.

[Shancock]

Clarithromycin is similar to erythromycin but yountake it twice daily and it generally works bit better, it's similar as you can take it if you are allergic to penicillin. Maybe by day 6 go back and see if they can try that one and also give you another 7 days. Chesty coughs often need 2 weeks of abs not just one.

[Hidden]

All depends of the strength of the infection and if it is a matching antibiotic. If you don’t feel better after 5 days you need to go back to the doctor and get a different one. I was told by the specialist this year that it is now a proven fact.

Take care.

[Spacecat1]

Hi. Depends on the person one lot ofbantibootics I was on took days to start working. It took me ages to persuade my doctor that they were not working usually after 2 boxes before anything moved. In the end he listened and put me on a new one and what a difference within a day it starts to work I start to feel like my old self again. If you are still on same antibiotics worth asking for a change. Amoxicillin did nothing for me. Have a chat with your GP. Or consultant

[santisuk]

I don't know, as you don't say, but if it's a bronchiectasis exacerbation informed guidance implies that it would be unsurprising if one indicator of wellness (inflammatory response) did not return to normal until sometime between 7 and 14 days.

On the recommended length of antibiotic treatment informed guidance says that 14 days of antibiotic treatment is the 'expert consensus', unless your condition is mild.

To wit:

"Use of antibiotics

.......

The duration of antibiotic therapy required needs further study.

In one study the inflammatory response returned to normal

within 7 days of antimicrobial therapy (reference is footnoted in the original) but symptomatic

improvement has generally been seen in studies employing

10 to14 days of treatment. Expert consensus is that 14 days

should be recommended for all exacerbations. Further studies are

needed to assess whether shorter regimens would suffice in

exacerbations, particularly in patients with mild bronchiectasis."

Source: British Thoracic Society: Bronchiectasis non-CF Guideline Group: 'Guideline for Non-CF Bronchietasis' Published 2010 (currently under review/update, I understand)

The guideline may be equally appropriate for COPD, I don't know. I've never seen the COPD crew on this website refer to a single authoritative guideline for that condition that has the wide coverage that the bronchX one referred to above has (this bronchX one is a 63 page guideline - more like a manual - directed at medical practitioners). I don't doubt there is authoritative guidance out there in the world of COPD, but maybe not one source that acts like a phsyicians' manual and which is available on the public internet.

In my own exacerbations I generally feel a kicker of improvement within one or two days, then a deterioration to previous levels, then an increasing improvement in days say 4 to 10 with full wellness restored within 10 days to 3 weeks with maybe one symptom maybe continuing for some time longer (eg tiredness; in pnuemonia it is well documented that tiredness/exhaustion can persist for a long time past the clearing up of most other symptoms). So, difficult to generalise!

[lKeith]

Lusciouslynda

Hi, have often been on antibiotics for chest infections, provided that is all it is by the time you finish the course usually 7 days you should show and feel signs of getting better. If on the other hand the antibiotic is not strong enough/compatible with infection or it is more than a chest infection, then it will take longer and require another visit to the GP.

IKeith