Antibiotic question...?

Question

My doctor perscribed Cipro (generic name ciprofloxacin) for an infection on my toe. I didn't end up taking it because the infection cleared up on its own. I'm on an insulin pump and i have a skin infection where my infusion site is. Shouldn't this antibiotic take care of this infection also?

Answer 1

Yes, Cipro should clear the skin infection, it's prescribed to tackle many different bacterial infections.
Because you are a diabetic, I would suggest you let your doctor know about the infection, he may want to do a test to determine what bacteria is causing it.

If you decide to take it,you should notice a difference in about 48 hours, if not, then you may need to go back to the doctor and get a different antiobiotic or antiviral.

Be sure to take it with lots of water!

Hope you feel better soon.

Answer 2

Some infections are Cipro resistant. All antibiotics have certain types of infection that they target. You should talk to your doctor about the infection and see if you can use your prescription. My doctor has email - I just email him my question and he sends me a pretty speedy reply. Make sure you remind him when you filled that prescription so he knows if the Cipro is current.

I had a urinary tract infection and had to go to a different doctor because mine was on vacation. I was just about to go on a vacation to Thailand. The doctor gave me 10 days of Cipro to clear it up. In addition, I was on Doxycycline as an antimalarial (this was a few years ago before they were giving people Malarone). Anyway, the combination suppressed the infection but did not clear it up. When I finished up the doxcycline, my infection flared up worse than before because the infection was resistant to both. VERY important that you speak to your doctor so you don't make yourself even sicker! I was in a lot of pain that could have been prevented if that darned doctor had run a culture.

Answer 3

Different antibiotics work for different bacteria. It may very well be the case that Cipro is your best bet, but you should at least talk to your doctor by phone to make sure.

You may also need to change the infusion site to give it a chance to heal.

As a diabetic you need to be extra careful about monitoring your sugars in the presence of infection (but I'm sure you know that if you are on a pump)

Answer 4

Not necessarily. There's a thing when you look at bacteria called the growth curve which shows exactly when certain bacteria are most sensitive to antibiotics and when the antibiotics will work to clear up the infection. Some antibiotics attack different stages in the growth curve than others. And if you use the wrong antibiotic on a bacteria, you'll end up doing nothing if the bacteria is not sensitive at that time. So you might be taking the antibiotics and they will have no affect on your infection. Talk to your doctor about it.

Answer 5

If you didn't take it, don't take it now. Don't take it for something else that your doctor did not prescribe for. Cipro is effective against "gram negative" infections. As with all antibiotic, do not take partial doses, or end administration early (even when infections has cleared). You don't want to create "super bugs" by killing off only the weak germs and allow the a few more resistant strains to grow.

Answer 6

Ciprofloxacin should provide an adequate coverage...
Skin and Skin Structure Infections caused by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Providencia stuartii, Morganella morganii, Citrobacter freundii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-susceptible), Staphylococcus epidermidis, or Streptococcus pyogenes.

The thing is, with diabetes, as you probably know, you are more prone to infections. Your doctor needs to know that you have this infection. Diabetics can have very poor tissue perfusion at the extremities, and antibiotics can't get to a site that has no blood supply. You can run the risk or developing osteomyelitis, sepsis, amputation or even septic shock and death.
PLease call your doctor.

Answer 7

If it's cellulitis it should, but the diagnosis should be made by a physician. Since you have an insulin pump, I assume that you have Diabetes Mellitus. People with diabetes can get some pretty funky infections and these organisms may or may not respond to typical antibiotics, so it would be better to make sure by checking with your physician. Also, diabetics tend to have an increased demand for insulin during an infection.

Answer 8

maybe yes, maybe no.
there are many kinds of bacteria (gram negative vs. gram positive, aerobic vs. anaerobic, etc.). and each antibiotic will work against a subset of those. some antibiotics are very specific against a certain specific organism and some are good against all bacteria.
Cipro is a fluoroquinolone. fluoroquinolones, as a class of antibiotics, tend to be very good against gram negative bacteria, moderately effective against most gram positive bacteria, and completely ineffective against anaerobic bacteria.
and all of this doesn't even account for the growing number of bacteria that have antibiotic resistance!
given that it is a skin infection near a wound, it is most likely a gram positive infection caused by normal bacterial flora of the body, but without being a human doctor, and without seeing the wound, i have no way to know what it really is, of course.
the only wise thing to do is to go to your doctor and have him take a look at it. he/she will be able to determine whether the infection needs to be cultured to determine the type of bacteria causing the lesion.
if you wish to pursue an un-wise course of action, take the antibiotics and cross your fingers that it works, and if it doesn't, then cross your fingers that you didn't just create a new antibiotic resistant bacteria by taking the drug inappropriately.

cheers, and good luck

Answer 9

Not necessarily. You should ask your doctor. Different antibiotics work against different kinds of bacteria. Cipro is a broad spectrum antibiotic, but I would be concerned about a possible Staphylococcal infection, especially MRSA. This would be a major concern around an infusion site. Please see your doctor.

Answer 10

Probably a "Staph ssp." too, So Cipro Might Cover Both. Cipro is a Member of the Quinolones, a Flouro-Quinolone, As Such, it Inhibits Gyrase, Not that this is Pertinent to your Question.