Is it possible for antibiotics to start working at a delayed rate if one is using antibiotics for a second round? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.
2006-07-20 11:21:21 · 4 answers · asked by Junior 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
Antibiotics SELDOM start working right away. If it is an oral antibiotic, you need to begin absorbing it from your GI tract, and ti typically takes 5 or more doses before the desired level is achieved in your bloodstream. Then the antibiotic needs to get to a critical level at the site of infection. Some areas may be harder to penetrate than others- so, for skin and throat infections the antibiotic may reach quickly, within a day or so, but for abscesses, bone infections, or other the eye, it may take a very long time for the antibiotics to penetrate. Finally, different infections take markedly different times to respond to antibiotics. For example, tuberculosis doesnt improve for months, though it may take only a month for the germs to be killed- in this case the antiobiotic is "working" even though you dont feel better.
For a "second round" of the same antibiotic, it may begin to work if you are now absorbing the antibiotic better, if your compliance is better, if the tissue levels are increasing, or if the germ population in the infection is changed. In most cases, though, it is a matter of your body healing up slowly with only a little risk of residual infection- that is, the antibiotics were "working" before, but even after infection is eradicated, the body takes a while to get better- abscesses often heal like this and doctors continue antibiotics because a small focus of infection may persist.
BUT- to you question-THE MAXIMUM TIME may be forever, the antibiotics may fail. Long treatment courses of the same antibiotic may show success even if improvement hasnt been seen for weeks, or in the case of abscesses and TB, months, or bone infection, years.
http://www.webmd.com/hw/infection/tp23588.asp
2006-07-20 18:16:36 · answer #1 · answered by hobo_chang_bao 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
They should usually start working in about 24-48 hours, but you have to take them all for them to work effectively. If you are on round 2.....then you probably (and i'm guessing) didn't finish round 1. Maybe you just need something stronger. I just went through three rounds...so i know why you are asking. I also...after taking so many antibiotoics....built up an immunity to them so I have to take PRO biotics after every round. THat may be the problem also. Maybe you should try some of those. Good Luck.
2006-07-20 11:31:07 · answer #2 · answered by classick_magick 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have to take all of your antibiotics even if you start to feel better. Because if you don't finish them the infection or what ever you are taking them for could come back. And it takes at least 24 hours for them to start working.
2006-07-21 01:30:56 · answer #3 · answered by ~*á?¦Kileaá?¦*~ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Antibiotics start "working" right away. But you should always take the full prescription. In other words take it till it's gone, according to your doctor's directions. Taking antibiotic when not prescribed (too often) can lead to your body building up a resistance to them.
2006-07-20 11:28:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if your on anti-biotics use them until they are gone just because you are feeling better does not mean the infection is gone. people make the mistake and stop taking them when they feel better and suffer a relapse but this time the antibiotic will probably not work because the infection was not completely gone and is now resistant to the antibiotic they were taking.
2006-07-20 11:28:14 · answer #5 · answered by rsist34 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Antiobiotics usually start immediately once injected or taken orally.
2006-07-24 11:00:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋