Is a Maintenance Dose of Antibiotics Good for a COPD Patient?
I have never been on a maintenance dose of antibiotics myself, but I know many who have. I have heard many praise that they have felt better on this maintenance dose and plan to take it for the rest of their lives.
Before beginning treatment with this or any other new medication, I would still want to learn additional information, just as you should. Always talk to your doctor before starting or stopping any medication.
Understanding maintenance antibiotics
Most people who are prescribed maintenance doses are done so that these doses will reduce the frequency of exacerbations and improve the quality of life. Improving quality of life says a lot to me, so it is something that I would look more into if needed.
Most oral antibiotics prescribed for regular exaggeration, according to the guidelines from the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) that are used are doxycycline, azithromycin, amoxicillin-clavulanate.
Severe exacerbations are typically treated with intravenous (IV) antibiotics, including ceftriaxone, levofloxacin, cefepime, piperacillin-tazobactam, and aztreonam.
Benefits and risks of long-term antibiotic use in COPD management
In addition to its antibacterial effects, azithromycin may have anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects that are likely to improve COPD management. This is something that I have begun to research since I find it to be very interesting.
The bad thing about taking a maintenance dose is that it could potentially come with some bad side effects. One of the side effects of long-term use could be hearing loss.
In addition, people with certain heart problems might be at increased risk of death due to heart rhythm problems associated with the use of azithromycin. There could also be a risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria with long-term use.
I don't say this to scare anyone, just to make you aware. We should all be aware of what we put into our bodies and the side effects that go with it.
Hopefully, this is something our doctors would discuss with us if they prescribed it for us, but some don't share details like this, so it's best to be our own advocates and do our research when we are prescribed anything new.
If you are going through many rounds of exacerbations and rounds of antibiotics, then maybe it sounds like this could be a great way to try and stay as stable as you can by getting on a maintenance dose as long as what you have been going through outweighs the bad side effects. In the course of our journey with COPD, I believe that we will need to measure the positives against the negatives on multiple occasions.
Prioritizing quality of life
I always try to decide what makes me feel that I get the best quality of life that I can. We may never know how much time we have left, but I know I want to enjoy the best time that I can.
Are you on a maintenance dose of antibiotics? Please share your thoughts on this subject with us in the comments below.
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