[throwawaylaptop]

Maybe it's a herd immunity thing or something and others are keeping me safe, but I'm 41 and Ive never taken an antibiotic and neither has anyone else in my family to my knowledge. I still can't figure out if it's the chicken or the egg.. have I never been sick because I don't take part in the medical system, or do I not take part because I've never been sick.. Then again last time my cuticle got infected I sterilized a knife and drained it myself. My friend said he had something similar and they gave him an antibiotic yet DIDNT drain it until it got worse and then they just did what I did. But at least they got to sell some antibiotics.

[manmal]

Antibiotics should IMO be reserved for life threatening situations, or likely upcoming life threatening situations. In the 80s as a toddler I was given antibiotics for measles (they can’t possibly work on viruses), and had half a year of diarrhea afterwards.

[mcny]

It is funny you say that. Where do you draw the line?

I had what was most likely poison ivy. Covered both arms. And was spreading. What do you propose my nurse practitioner to do? Not prescribe any antibiotics? To what end? I should continue to suffer because of what reason?

[SturgeonsLaw]

Antibiotics do one thing, and one thing only - kill bacteria. They don't do anything for viruses, fungal infection, inflammation, chemical irritants or pain relief.

In the case of poison ivy, all antibiotics would do is lower the already slim odds of a secondary infection. They wouldn't prevent the contact dermatitis/inflammation from urishiol.

[mcny]

No. I had broken skin barrier. Pus coming out and dripping. The use of antibiotics was definitely warranted. Again, who do you want to decide whether the use of antibiotics is ok and under what conditions?

Should I be dying before you grant me antibiotics? What kind of nonsense is this?

[throwawaylaptop]

I personally think you were given antibiotics needlessly just for the sake of it..

But yes, I think you should have developed some kind of infection, and being showing trouble of fighting it off, before you're given antibiotics.

[manmal]

For topical use, maybe an iodine spray would have been better suited. Iodine kills way more pathogens than antibiotics, and it's very good at that, and has no reported cases of resistance development.

[monadgonad]

Antibiotics don’t stop you suffering from poison ivy. At all. In other posts you say you had a broken skin barrier that’s vulnerable to infection, so you presumably know that this is not the same as actually having a bacterial infection, and that antibiotics are only a prophylactic, not a treatment. So stop making out that people are dying to deny you treatment.

[tsimionescu]

Poison ivy is a plant that causes a topical rash, antibiotics can't help in any way with this. Maybe you've mistyped something?

[mcny]

When poison ivy spreads on skin, you have broken skin barrier with yellow liquid coming out. Then the places this yellow liquid touched also gets itchy and you now have multiple broken skin barrier everywhere.

When skin barrier gets broken like this, you are now vulnerable to bacterial infection.

[throwawaylaptop]

I know people that have more skin lost than you'd care to look at from semi serious motorcycle crashes, and no they don't just take antibiotics for fun.

I can't believe someone gave you anti biotics for poison ivy.

At this point I genuinely consider the medical system about as bad as the service department at a car dealership. They'll sell you anything technically legal just to keep their stats high.

[mcny]

> At this point I genuinely consider the medical system about as bad as the service department at a car dealership. They'll sell you anything technically legal just to keep their stats high.

No, the service department has a bad reputation for a reason. They tried to tell me a wiper blade would cost me USD 80 with a straight face. Not even the whole set, a single wiper blade. It costs under USD 15 anywhere else other than the dealership.

My guess is they are counting on people not looking at the itemized bill.

[TheOtherHobbes]

You have absolutely been sick, but your immune system fought it off. You have a permanent low level of opportunistic infections because everyone does.

You may not have had symptoms, but that's a very different thing.

And I assume you've been vaccinated against all the usuals.

[throwawaylaptop]

Sorry, yes, I've had colds and a cough or two for sure. I don't think I've thrown up in 35 years though since I was a child.

When I meant sick, I meant like a longer sustained thing that needs treatment of some kind. I didn't mean I never stayed in bed watching the price is right for two days.