Every time I stop antibiotics, sore throat comes back

[Stephanie2]

I'm talking about me here. Back in Sept when ds2 tested pos for strep, I also had a sore throat and took abx which cleared the sore throat. I never got tested...just assumed strep. Well, ever since sept whenever I stop antibiotics (tried azith, augmentin, grapefruit seed extract and olive leaf) I get the sore thoat back within 2 days. I guess the obvious answer is - strep. But is there anything else this could be?

 

Next question. My last dose of azith was Friday morning (this is monday morning), it's obviously still in my system but my throat is getting sore. Is now a good time to get a culture? Should I wait a few days for more azith to clear out?

 

By the way, as of this morning the boys were a pandas nightmare. But they are on augmentin. Could they still be reacting to me?

Edited January 24, 2011 by Stephanie2

[peglem]

Should I wait a few days for more azith to clear out?

I would. When we went through those days of turning positive whenever course of abx was done- Al would test + @ 3 days after most abx, but w/ zith it took at least 5 days.

 

Could they still be reacting to me?

YES!

 

But is there anything else this could be?

I don't know what, but there are a lot of bugaboos out there. It could be something else.

[Mary M]

I think it would be helpful for you to be cultured for strep and have titers drawn. My dh had no symptoms of strep but elevated titers and it took months of abx to return his titers to a normal level. My PANDAS dd spent 2 hours at a new friend's house this week end and the friend's brother was sick in his bedroom (yeah--we didn't know about that until afterward). PANDAS dd never saw the boy but she was a PANDAS train wreck the rest of the week end even though she's current;y on a treatment dose of augmentin 2 x per day...yes, unfortunately, your kids could be reacting to you.

I'm so sorry, this is so hard.

[VickyLH]

I'm going through the same thing. Started a Z-Pack a few weeks ago and have never really felt right since. Over the last several days my sore throat has come back. I was just telling my husband I think I'll go in for another Strep test. A friend of mine also had Strep in November that didn't go away after abx. She got treated again in December and I think she's better now. Perhaps there's a stubborn strain out there or something. I'm just ready for it to be gone from our house!

 

-Vicky in NC

[Stephanie2]

Should I wait a few days for more azith to clear out?

I would. When we went through those days of turning positive whenever course of abx was done- Al would test + @ 3 days after most abx, but w/ zith it took at least 5 days.

 

Could they still be reacting to me?

YES!

 

But is there anything else this could be?

I don't know what, but there are a lot of bugaboos out there. It could be something else.

 

This is where I am between a rock and a hard place. If I wait a few more days to get cultured, that's 3 more days they will be a train wreck and might CATCH strep from me (ds6 is due to stop his augmentin today - NOT). But if I just start some antibiotics right now, then I can't get cultured and I will never really know if I am carrying strep! My usual knee-jerk reaction is to start myslef on antibiotics so the boys will calm down, but then I never get the answers I am looking for, ie have we been passing strep back and forth since sept?

 

WWYD??? I can't even think today!!They put dh and i over the edge this morning...seriously...

[Stephanie2]

I'm going through the same thing. Started a Z-Pack a few weeks ago and have never really felt right since. Over the last several days my sore throat has come back. I was just telling my husband I think I'll go in for another Strep test. A friend of mine also had Strep in November that didn't go away after abx. She got treated again in December and I think she's better now. Perhaps there's a stubborn strain out there or something. I'm just ready for it to be gone from our house!

 

-Vicky in NC

 

Vicky, did you start the z-pak b/c you had strep?

[Stephanie2]

Just for the record, this is maddening and I am about to start crying...that time of month on top of it all...

 

TMI...sorry

Edited January 24, 2011 by Stephanie2

[Megs_Mom]

We have a good friend whose teenage daughter got strep - 6 times over about 3 months. Clearly she was never clearing, and it would "come back" after a week or so off abx. The finally used colloidal silver, and that really helped. We were avoiding them at the time, so I remember how stressed she was about why the strep was not clearing. No one else in her house ever tested positive, so they were not passing it back & forth. They went to specialists, infectious disease, etc.

 

I'd ask for an abx for a longer time frame, or do some research on adding or changing to silver. They also went to a new (cheap) toothbrush daily, and changing all linens daily, just to try to eliminate anything adding to it.

 

I think quite clearly, your boys may be reacting to you , so sorry. It is a disease of exposure (rise in antibodies) not necessarily of illness, once it is triggered. That can be very confusing & make you feel crazy. But maybe you have found something really important, so try to keep that in mind. Also, I tend to "keep" or "get" more stuff around that time of a month, so it may just be that your immune system is so depressed that the combo hit you. Maybe the next round will take.

[VickyLH]

I'm going through the same thing. Started a Z-Pack a few weeks ago and have never really felt right since. Over the last several days my sore throat has come back. I was just telling my husband I think I'll go in for another Strep test. A friend of mine also had Strep in November that didn't go away after abx. She got treated again in December and I think she's better now. Perhaps there's a stubborn strain out there or something. I'm just ready for it to be gone from our house!

 

-Vicky in NC

 

Vicky, did you start the z-pak b/c you had strep?

 

Yes, although I didn't test positive for Strep at the time (rapid only) but I had a sore throat and everyone else in the house had Strep at the time so I was treated.

[KeithandElizabeth]

Stephanie:

 

It seems as though your family has been fighting multiple infections (strep, kleibiesa, etc...) for a while. Have you considered doing the IGENEX or Neuroscience lyme testing to see if there is a chronic infection that may be weakening your immune systems, thus making it harder to fight bacteria such as strep?

[Stephanie2]

We have a good friend whose teenage daughter got strep - 6 times over about 3 months. Clearly she was never clearing, and it would "come back" after a week or so off abx. The finally used colloidal silver, and that really helped. We were avoiding them at the time, so I remember how stressed she was about why the strep was not clearing. No one else in her house ever tested positive, so they were not passing it back & forth. They went to specialists, infectious disease, etc.

 

I'd ask for an abx for a longer time frame, or do some research on adding or changing to silver. They also went to a new (cheap) toothbrush daily, and changing all linens daily, just to try to eliminate anything adding to it.

 

I think quite clearly, your boys may be reacting to you , so sorry. It is a disease of exposure (rise in antibodies) not necessarily of illness, once it is triggered. That can be very confusing & make you feel crazy. But maybe you have found something really important, so try to keep that in mind. Also, I tend to "keep" or "get" more stuff around that time of a month, so it may just be that your immune system is so depressed that the combo hit you. Maybe the next round will take.

 

I have colloidal silver here. Did they add it to the antibiotics or just do silver alone? You have a point about my immune system. Not to mention I am late this month so maybe the darn infection is making me late, or I'm having a wacky cycle that is making my immune system depressed? How bout the stress of the steroid psychosis we just got done with! Gee, I doubt that would affect my immune system - LOL!

 

 

Stephanie:

 

It seems as though your family has been fighting multiple infections (strep, kleibiesa, etc...) for a while. Have you considered doing the IGENEX or Neuroscience lyme testing to see if there is a chronic infection that may be weakening your immune systems, thus making it harder to fight bacteria such as strep?

 

I think we are just going to skip right to the LLMD and have them order the proper test based on symptoms. Just have to find the time and a moment of peace to get established with someone. Thanks!

[Stephanie2]

I'm going through the same thing. Started a Z-Pack a few weeks ago and have never really felt right since. Over the last several days my sore throat has come back. I was just telling my husband I think I'll go in for another Strep test. A friend of mine also had Strep in November that didn't go away after abx. She got treated again in December and I think she's better now. Perhaps there's a stubborn strain out there or something. I'm just ready for it to be gone from our house!

 

-Vicky in NC

 

Vicky, did you start the z-pak b/c you had strep?

 

Yes, although I didn't test positive for Strep at the time (rapid only) but I had a sore throat and everyone else in the house had Strep at the time so I was treated.

 

Do you remember what dose? I did 1000mg first day, 500mg next 4 days. Maybe that's not enough. Also, maybe we have azith-resistant strains.

[thereishope]

Just brainstorming here but do you have any symptoms of sinus infection? Maybe the sore throat is from drainage from it coming back after stopping the abs. Sinus infections can be really hard to clear.

[Stephanie2]

Vicki, no other symptoms besides sore throat, mild feverish feeling and body aches. I don't have the body aches back...yet. Always the same and it started back in sept with ds2 tested positive. But that is a very good thought. The only other thing I can think of is I have cheated on my non-dairy diet in the past few days, but I am not congested or anything. Sometimes I get a sore throat after eating dairy. Just seems so coincidental 2 days after abx, though.

[MichaelTampa]

I think there are so many different infections out there, your family has been dealing with at least some. Trying to look one month forward here, I'm having trouble imagining the future where it is going to be important to anyone trying to treat you that you did or did not test positive for strep in a day or so. I really recommend that if you think taking some abx now is going to help out short-term, you/kids/everybody, then go on and do it.

 

Wishing you the best in this difficult time!