Travel Diarrhea
Do I Need Antibiotics?
It is a controversial topic. Many international travelers pack Cipro or another antibiotic in case Montezuma's revenge hits them angrily. Are antibiotics the right choice for traveler's diarrhea? Is there a risk? What else can travelers do?
Travel diarrhea can occur suddenly and restrict your toilet visits to your hotel room. This unfortunate event occurs when a traveler ingests bacteria or less likely a virus from contaminated food or drink or by hand contact. About half of all travelers in developing countries will develop this condition. Although this is an unfortunate event, it has health benefits as these people receive aerobic exercise if they run into the relaxation rooms several times a day.
When the diarrhea of the traveler occurs, travelers can experience relief with Imodium, Pepto Bismol and Prayer. Some doctors recommend taking antibiotics instead, as a single dose can shorten the disease. This strategy is particularly interesting for travelers on short trips. However, if the stool is bloody or the traveler has a fever, you should see a doctor immediately as it may not be a simple case of traveler's diarrhea.
Why shouldn't every traveler who starts to squirt and squirt look for Cipro? Overuse of antibiotics has many serious side effects. In addition to consumption, excessive use of antibiotics leads to resistant germs that can become immune to currently available antibiotics. If Cipro or other antibiotics are automatically taken for traveler's diarrhea, the potentially emerging and improved germs can cause diarrhea and other diseases that are not easy to treat. In addition, antibiotics can cause a serious colon infection, known as C. difficile colitis (known as C. diff), which can be a serious, life-threatening illness. I am a gastroenterologist and have seen patients who developed this disease after just one or two antibiotic pills.
International travelers have many strategies to prevent traveler's diarrhea. Check with your travel doctor about these precautions before you go. Be careful and be ready. Bring Imodium and antibiotics with you just in case. You can also take your running shoes with you. I hope you only need it for an afternoon jog in the park.
The tendon rupture of a certain class of antibiotic is a very real danger
Every antibiotic available on the market kills bacterial pathogens with a different mechanism of action. Some act on the specific properties of bacterial cell walls or block certain enzymes that prevent their reproduction. Certain antibiotics, such as the quinolone family of antibiotics, kill bacteria by damaging the DNA and energy centers of pathogens so that they cannot multiply effectively. While this mechanism works incredibly well in killing pathogens, it is not specific to bacteria. One of the victims of this war of infection is that these quinolone antibiotics tend to damage slow growing tendon cells, which has resulted in lifelong damage and even a complete breakdown of these essential structures on which we depend. Mobility.
The antibiotics quinolone and fluoroquinolone have been around for decades. They are considered safe and effective treatment for some of the most difficult "Superbugs" to kill and are even used intravenously on some of the sick hospitalized patients. Although these antibiotics can save lives and kill bacteria extremely effectively in certain situations, they damage the energy production centers and DNA of bacterial cells. Unfortunately, they also damage the DNA and energy centers in the cells of the person who takes them. This damage occurs to some degree in every person who uses it, but the vast majority of people simply do not notice the small amount of damage that occurs and are able to easily repair and replace these damaged cells.
For various reasons, some people notice this damage, sometimes just a few hours after taking the first pill, with effects that can be devastating and permanent. Strangely, the cells of the tendons and other connective tissues appear to be particularly at risk because they multiply slowly and have poor blood supply. The damage that occurs can be as simple as a small amount of tendon pain that disappears quickly until the tendon is completely torn - the Achilles tendon is most commonly affected. Researchers don't know exactly what makes some people more vulnerable than others, but the fact is they know it happens. In fact, it is so well known that the FDA has put a black box warning, the most powerful warning it uses, directly on the packaging to alert physicians and consumers of this very real possibility. ,
The authorities responsible for protecting us are aware of this problem, but consider the risk to be too low to justify the withdrawal of these drugs from the market. However, what represents a low risk for the FDA should not be of concern to the public who are unaware that antibiotic treatment for a sinus or skin infection could become a disability. Life from a severely damaged or torn Achilles tendon. , Even if this risk is classified as "minimal", the millions of prescriptions that have been prescribed for this medication each year have already been passed on to tens of thousands of people who are suffering from pain for a lifetime or are no longer able to do so Perform healing. Antibiotics that doctors, researchers and the FDA consider safe.