Cough, cough ...

Feeling sorry for myself, this poor post-graduate scientist has had a nasty cough for weeks and went
to see her GP today. Indeed I am sick of the cough and being of the bike due to an inability to
breathe properly.

After a bit of listening with the stethoscope, GP says - you have a chest infection - have some
antibiotics.

He's given me Klaricid (clarithromycin) 250mg. Blister pack of 12 tablets, one tablet to be taken
twice a day, so I have six days' supply.

Being a concientious sort, I always read the patient information leaflets in any medicines
I am given.

I get to the bit on the leaflet which is about taking your medicine. Here's what it says:-

" For chest infections, throat or sinus ... The usual dose of clarithromycin for adults and children
over 12 years is 250mg twice daily for seven days, ..."

Yet the blister pack contains only 12 tablets, the box the tablets came in clearly states 12
tablets in the pack, when the patient information leaflet clearly suggests there should be 14
tablets (2 tablets a day over seven days - even I can manage that level of mathematics). I've
checked the blister pack - no spaces for missing tablets, I've rattled the box but find no spare
tablets lurking ;-)

What I want to know, is it some fiendish plot to shortchange patients of the full course of
antibiotics, so there are some bugs still left which lead to resistance developing and the patient
needing yet more antibiotics developed by the company and increase sales! Then again, I could have
watched one too many episodes of the X-files

Anyhow - I just hope they work so I can be fit to get back on my bike.

Cheers, helen s

~~~~~~~~~~
Flush out that intestinal parasite and/or the waste product before sending a reply!

Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd
~~~~~~~~~~

 

"wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Feeling sorry for myself, this poor post-graduate scientist has had a
nasty
> cough for weeks and went to see her GP today. Indeed I am sick of the
cough and
> being of the bike due to an inability to breathe properly.
>
Snip

Two possibilities.

1. Drug U Like Megacorp wants to keep its profits high so says 7 days hoping to sell a 12 pack
(as they would in many parts of the world). Skin-flint NHS knows that 6 days is enough so
prescribes six days.

2. Drug U Like Megacorp knows from trials that 6 days is usually enough so says 7 for luck hoping
to sell a 12 pack to increase profits (as they would in many parts of the world).

Skin-flint NHS knows that 6 days is NORMALLY enough so prescribes just six days trusting those for
whom it is not will not be TOO resistant to other, more expensive antibiotics later.

Let's hope it 1.

T

 

>Skin-flint NHS knows that 6 days is NORMALLY enough so prescribes just six days trusting those for
>whom it is not will not be TOO resistant to other, more expensive antibiotics later.
>
>Let's hope it 1.
>
>T
>

So do I. Just rang the surgery to query it and I'm told not having another two at the end will make
no difference ...

Cheers, helen s

~~~~~~~~~~
Flush out that intestinal parasite and/or the waste product before sending a reply!

Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd
~~~~~~~~~~

 

On 20 Feb 2003 18:52:56 GMT, [email protected] (wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter) wrote:

>After a bit of listening with the stethoscope, GP says - you have a chest infection - have some
>antibiotics.

Um, I hate to say I told you so, but....

Get well soon.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

In message <[email protected]>, wafflycathcsdirtycatlitter
<[email protected]> writes
>Feeling sorry for myself, this poor post-graduate scientist has had a nasty cough for weeks and
>went to see her GP today. Indeed I am sick of the cough and being of the bike due to an inability
>to breathe properly.
>
>After a bit of listening with the stethoscope, GP says - you have a chest infection - have some
>antibiotics.
>
>He's given me Klaricid (clarithromycin) 250mg. Blister pack of 12 tablets, one tablet to be taken
>twice a day, so I have six days' supply.
>
>Being a concientious sort, I always read the patient information leaflets in any medicines I
>am given.

Oh dear. Have you checked the list of Horrible Side-Effects yet? Guaranteed to put you off.

>
>I get to the bit on the leaflet which is about taking your medicine. Here's what it says:-
>
>" For chest infections, throat or sinus ... The usual dose of clarithromycin for adults and
>children over 12 years is 250mg twice daily for seven days, ..."
>
>Yet the blister pack contains only 12 tablets, the box the tablets came in clearly states 12
>tablets in the pack, when the patient information leaflet clearly suggests there should be 14
>tablets (2 tablets a day over seven days - even I can manage that level of mathematics). I've
>checked the blister pack - no spaces for missing tablets, I've rattled the box but find no spare
>tablets lurking ;-)
>
>What I want to know, is it some fiendish plot to shortchange patients of the full course of
>antibiotics, so there are some bugs still left which lead to resistance developing and the patient
>needing yet more antibiotics developed by the company and increase sales! Then again, I could have
>watched one too many episodes of the X-files
>
>Anyhow - I just hope they work so I can be fit to get back on my bike.

Yes. I had reason to check with my local microbiologist a couple of years ago about evidence for the
exact length of antibiotic courses. Basically, there isn't a lot (OK some but really limited). It is
almost all based on vague guesswork, sorry, I mean expert professional opinion. Either 6 or 7 days
would be perfectly reasonable. There may of course be a real conspiracy, but in this particular case
I doubt it.

>
>Cheers, helen s

--
Richard Keatinge

http://www.keatinge.demon.co.uk/pedal.htm

As my professional organizations recommend, nothing in the above is to be taken as personal health
advice. You may insist on taking it that way anyway. If so, remember that it's free and is probably
worth exactly what you paid for it.