i think the doctor made a mistake

So I have been sick now for about 3 weeks. Coughing, minimal sore throat, runny nose, fatigue. that type of thing. I finally decide to go to the doc to see if its something worse than just a cold and he tells me its not.

So let me emphasize that, he said it was just a cold. Not even a bad cold. Just a cold. He prescribes me the Z-pack. I dont know much about this but I trust doctors, right?

I started to break out in hives and now my entire body wont stop itching. I only took the meds for the very first day and forgot the second and then little red bumps started to form on my elbows. My mom told me I was probably have an allergic reaction so I decided to just quit completely. That got me interested in finding out more abou the meds.

Now I am trying to figure out why in the heck he even prescribed me that medicine in the first place. I am no genius...and you cant always trust the internet... but as far as I can see I dont think he had a reason to give me these.

What do you think??? and has this ever happened to any of you?? Im a little upset with the doctor and about to go back in now to have him check the hives and give me something for the itching.

oh man I'm notorious for having allergic reactions to different stuff lol over the years i found a good cold medcine thanks to my doc and whenever i have a problem i know i can use it

does your doc know you are allergic to stuff? or you didn't even know?

go and tell you got an allergic reaction and you need to get another medicine. and please keep a note that you react to SOMETHING in those drugs

go back to your doctor: it probably IS a reaction, but u still need neds!  u can also ask to be referred to an allergist, who can figure out what you'Re allergic to, for future times...

If your doctor thought you had a viral infection, then prescribing anti-biotics would not be very useful, if he were attempting to cover all of his bases and thought that potentially there might be a bacterial source then it would make sense.  A Z-pack in my experience is a good thing once you've gotten to the bronchitis/pneumonia stage, but before then isn't really all that useful.  Most of the doctors that I've dealt with have not wanted to go with a Z-Pack, they've tried the amoxycillin or sulpha drugs (I broke out in hives on the last day of the prescription on New Year's day after having switched medical plans).

For your cold, lots of fluids, hot tea with honey, lots of rest.  You can make some home made ginger tea that kicks the butt of most colds and gives you a bit more energy. I like to add a lot of honey and lemon. The honey will help you get enough calories in and is known to have anti biotic properties, the ginger is an anti inflammatory but I think it also gives you energy, the lemon has a lot of vitamin C. Eat soup or whatever your body and stomach can agree on.  Get a saline nasal spray to help clear out your nasal passages, it will also moisten those tissues a bit without any side effects since it's not medicated.  I do like to put Vick's Vapor rub at the base of my nose to clear out the nasal passages a bit more quickly.  If your skin is sensitive, put chapstick on the area first.

Do go see the doctor about the allergic reaction.  They'll probably recommend Claratin and give you a prescription for a cortizone cream, but there may be a specific remedy for this allergy. Also, given that you have had an allergic reaction you'll want to consult with a doctor or the pharmacist before adding other medications into your system.

Hot Ginger Tea

4 Cups of Water

2" piece of fresh ginger root

Peel the ginger root and slice it into thin slices.  Bring water to a boil and then add ginger.  Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Strain and add honey/lemon to taste.

Original Post by smwhipple:

If your doctor thought you had a viral infection, then prescribing anti-biotics would not be very useful, if he were attempting to cover all of his bases and thought that potentially there might be a bacterial source then it would make sense. A Z-pack in my experience is a good thing once you've gotten to the bronchitis/pneumonia stage, but before then isn't really all that useful. Most of the doctors that I've dealt with have not wanted to go with a Z-Pack, they've tried the amoxycillin or sulpha drugs (I broke out in hives on the last day of the prescription on New Year's day after having switched medical plans).

Z-Pack was a miracle worker for me. I took it when I had Pneumonia (had something bacterial going on also, no idea what but he was trying to cover his bases). That + Pseudovent + Codeine ladened cough syrup was the best. Pseudovent makes you hack up PHENOMENAL amounts of crap out of your lungs.

The Z-pack would do nothing for a cold. In fact, nothing can be done for a cold beyond fluids and a decent amount of rest.

So, either he was giving you a pill to make you feel like action was being taken [which would be even worse because that's the reason humans are building up immunity to antibiotics].. or he thought he was treating more than just a cold. which he would have told you.

Either way, I tend to agree with you. Something's not right here.

Colds usually last 10-14 days.  If it hasn't resolved in that time some physicians will give an antibiotic, to cover any bacterial issues.  If you broke out in hives after missing 2 days of the Z-pack make sure you tell your Dr everything you were taking, including any aspirin, tylenol, cold pills or cough syrups.  It may be a reaction to the Z-pack, but it may also be a reaction to something else.  Do contact him today about the hives, that is very important.  For the cold symptoms:  fluids, fluids, fluids and smwhipple's tea sounds like a very good idea.

I read your earlier post and thought about chiming in then.

Not that I want to jump on the "scare you to death" bandwagon BUT....I had these same symptoms (sore throat, horrible fatigue, ate a little bit then felt stuffed) and it ended up that I had strep that caused kidney failure.  Have you had any recent bloodowrk done that might show something off?

Mind you, what you have is probably nothing too serious but so much the better  to rule out if it is SOMETHING.

Please don't think badly of your doctor. He probably shouldn't have given you any antibiotic if he thought it was a cold, however zithromycin is a typicaly safe drug and many doctors prescribe it with these symptoms just incase it is a sinus infection, which does show the same symptoms. Unfortunatley you had a reaction. Take some benadryl and treat your symptoms.

Original Post by pezzle:

Z-Pack was a miracle worker for me. I took it when I had Pneumonia (had something bacterial going on also, no idea what but he was trying to cover his bases)

You probably had a bacterial pneumonia in the first place. The number one cause of pneumonia is streptococcus pneumoniae, which is treated with azythromycin (z-pak).

Ah ok. I couldn't remember, most of those 2 weeks was a haze

I just got finished with a Z-pack.  Sinus infection.  Your doc may think that is what it is since it's run longer than your average cold.  Mine started as a cold and rolled right into golden rod season.  The result was a sinus infection. 

No adverse reactions to the z-pack other than stomach issues.  But, I have had VERY serious reactions to sulfa-based antibiotics - way beyond just a rash.  Bad reactions to Levaquin, too.