When you catch a cold should you try and fight... - CLL Support
When you catch a cold should you try and fight it without any treatment or start taking antibiotics straight away.
Antibiotics don't work on viruses, only on bacteria, so you wouldn't take them unless you developed a bacterial complication, like a chest infection.
Antibiotics do not combat the cold. The common cold is a virus.
Ah, poing has written the same. Well, we agree 
Hi, Usually for me when I catch a cold I will wait to see whether it goes in a week any longer or any other symptoms I would have no hesitation in going to see my GP and yes have been prescribed anti biotics which did help shift it. I have a young daughter so the incidences of me catching nursery school viruses are high. I cannot remember what or where I read recently that researchers have been looking into whether prescribing anti biotics on a long term basis for people in early stages of CLL has any beneficial effects. Might be useful to look at this I think it was through CLLSA. Hope this helps.
Hi Mairin, I also read something along those lines about the early and long term use of antibiotics but I wonder if you are referring to the ongoing CLEAR trial which involves short term, intensive use of antibiotics and is very different. This link explains better than I possibly could;
cancerresearchuk.org/cancer...
Newdawn x
Hi just to say I was in the CLEAR trial last year in the summer, and agree it was intensive anti-biotics. The trial was for people in early stages of CLL, and for my part my white count actually went up. In hospital with double pneumonia in January this year which required nasty anti-biotics in the end, I had a high white count in May and then a surprising drop in October. I can't speak for all, but personally can't see a connection between to two at this point.
Hi, my hospital Dr told me if I caught an infection (cold etc) it is wisest to go see my GP for antibiotics to prevent secondary infection. This was after I had had a cold and was left with chronic sinusitis for several months. It cleared up after a 10 day course of Doxycycline prescribed by my consultant. I believe he does not really agree with CLL patients not taking antibiotics in such circumstances as we do not have the wherewithall to necessarily clear these secondary infections and therefore it is better to prevent them. (your GP may need some persuading as current guidelines advocate not prescribing as many antibiotics as they have previously).
I work as a nurse in a GP practice so see both sides of the argument, however I feel as immuno compromisd individuals we need the extra help we ca get form antibiotics. Our responsibility as patients is to make sure we take them as prescribed and finish all courses!
Hi Pennycam,
What you say makes perfect sense, for my part I always worry that the risk of preventing a secondary infection has to be weighed against picking up an infection in a crowded and airless doctors waiting room. A frightening place for an immune supressed individual, particularly after hospitalisation with double pneumonia.
If you have what you think is a cold or cough...go to a GP and demand a full work up, including nasal swabs.
Far more CLL patients have problems with fungi, and viruses than bacteria and throwing antibiotics at a patient is common...and useless.
Our immunoblobulin A levels can drop and this leaves us wide open to all kinds of infections, normal protected by the mucosal layer of the airways, lungs and gut...
Demand tests...get to the bottom of infections...I loose too many friends to pneumonia already...
~chris
Chris, that's good advice and I wish I had confidence of getting that level of attention from the good old NHS. I'm just not convinced many of the GP's in the UK do the 'full work up' for cold and coughs. The consultation is about 10 mins, the waiting for appointments can be days and I'm not convinced that all generalist GP's are as switched on about CLL.
I've never yet had tests done to establish the nature of an infection and never had swabs taken. I can see I'm going to have to work on my GP! I feel have a good GP but his time is too pushed to give me the time needed for a full diagnosis I feel. Not sure if this is the experience of others in the UK?
As a matter of interest, if the infection is viral and not bacterial, what treatment/s can be offered? I've always been given the impression by medics that viral infections will just have to run their course. As you say, hazardous for CLL sufferers. Welcome advice on this as I have made it clear to my doctor that I fear being taken seriously enough with infections.
Newdawn
I have to agree with all the replies to Boardman as the present state of knowledge with the usual GPs is negliable and you as the patient end up knowing a lot more about the disease than they do. (the educated/informed patient)
The booklet the CLLSA brought out some years ago was very useful to hand to your GP, but I suspect it needs to be updated now in the light of further progress in the treatment of CLL.
I usualy wait to see if a common cold virus has gone down further into my lungs and I have a weeks supply of Doxyycycline to hand so that I can start treatment if I think it's all going pear-shaped. Keeping an eye on your temperature is a good way of knowing if all is not well with you when you have a cold.
