# Question about antibiotics



## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

Is there anyone here that knows something about antibiotics?
I would like to know what the top four would be. And what are they are for.

I already have a good stash of Azithromycin I'm told that is good for respiratory infections. (Z packs) 
is this correct?

I'm told the right antibiotics can save a life and will hard to come by after TSHTF.
This be a good overlooked prep to get now while there easy to find and somewhat affordable.


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## Jakthesoldier (Feb 1, 2015)

Z pack is good for almost everything. It is the go to for STDs, and a whole mess of stuff.

Here is the thing with antibiotics that no one ever seems to mention. There are two major types of bacteria, each with two sub types. These are Gram Positive and Gram negative. The sub groups for each are cocci and bacilli (round balls and cylindrical rods).

The thing is, unless you know what bacteria you have, and what group that bacteria falls into, you may end up with the wrong antibiotic. MOST antibiotics are geared toward one main group or the other. Those antibiotics effective against Gram positive bacteria are not necessarily effective against Gram negative bacteria. If you take a antibiotic geared for one type, and your infection is caused by the other type, you will kill lots of bacteria, just not what you want to kill. This can make you very sick.

GENERALLY, infections of certain parts of the body are caused by certain types of bacteria. Thus, usually, if you have a respiratory infection it is ALMOST always caused by the same type of bacteria and can be killed with the same type of antibiotic.

Here is where it gets tricky.

Some bacteria have developed resistant strains, Meaning some bacteria are immune or not easily killed with the normal antibiotic of their class. The prime example of this is MRSA. This stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus (staff aureus as us lab guys call it) is a big Gram positive Cocci, pictured here.








For your reference, Staff aureus is what the white heads of zits are comprised of, its everywhere, and you are covered in it.

So, if you get a staff infection, you get Methicillin, because it kills it (leaving out new developments in medicine to keep this simple)

This is fine, unless you have MRSA which is resistant to methicillin. Then you need something stronger.

MRSA was created by people taking the wrong antibiotics, and by people not completing the prescribed antibiotics to completion. (you DO NOT have "left overs" from antibiotics)

And there is a lot more information, but my shift is over and I want to go home.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

They are somewhat restricted here in the states. Where do you get yours?
I know some common ones, but without referencing my PDR, I would not give any recommendations. I have some Amoxicillin and Cephalexin, but since my wife and son have adverse reactions to penicillin varieties, I need to find another to add.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

azithromax for respiratory 
cephalexin for skin, urinary and sometimes respiratory
Cipro urinary, respiratory
Bactim skin, urinary, respiratory, sinus or ears (sulfa drug)
amoxicillin sinus, ear, respiratory, urine, skin (penicillin based)
Clindamycin- deep wounds, mastitis (can lead to C diff infections)
Levaquin skin, sinuses, respiratory, urinary, and is used to treat plauge and anthrax exposure
vancomycin c diff and other disease of the intestinal tract

you need to be sure you are not allergic before taking so it is best to stock only what you know you can use. you can pick up a drug reference book that will tell you the normal dosing instructions



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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

Kauboy said:


> They are somewhat restricted here in the states. Where do you get yours?
> I know some common ones, but without referencing my PDR, I would not give any recommendations. I have some Amoxicillin and Cephalexin, but since my wife and and some have adverse reactions to penicilin varieties, I need to find another to add.


I don't know but if your fish is sick you might want to check here.

Azithromycin 250mg Fish Antibiotics 6 Capsules SEALED Blister Pack USA Seller | eBay

http://www.fishmoxfishflex.com/index.php/fish-antibiotics/about-fish-antibiotics.html


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

Here is an article from the LDS Preparedness Manual Handbook

Seven Antibiotics to Stockpile and Why,
by Cynthia J. Koelker, MD

Assuming your personal physician will help you stockpile antibiotics for TEOTWAWKI, which should you request? Is there a logical reason to have amoxicillin on hand rather than doxycycline? 

Here’s what I would suggest and why. No antibiotic is effective against every type of microbe. Certain ones will kill aerobic bacteria, others are used 
for anaerobic bacteria, still others are effective against resistant strains, and certain people are allergic to or intolerant of various antibiotics. The following are all generics, running about $10 for about a month’s treatment. 


Amoxicillin is the old standby for most respiratory infections (probably most of which are viral and don’t even require antibiotics). It is excellent for strep throat and some strains of pneumococcal bacteria. It is also safe for children and pregnant women. It is well-tolerated, causing little stomach distress or diarrhea. The drawbacks are that some people are truly allergic, and many bacteria have developed resistance to amoxicillin (especially staph) through overuse among both humans and animals. Anyone truly allergic to amoxicillin should substitute erythromycin or another antibiotic. 

Cephalexin works on most of the same bacteria as amoxicillin, plus is stronger against Staph aureus, which mostly causes skin infections. It rarely works 
against MRSA (resistant staph), however. It is also well-tolerated in children and is safe in pregnant women, causing few side-effects. Like any antibiotic, it carries the risk of allergy. People who develop anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergy) with amoxicillin probably should not take cephalexin, as there is a good 10% cross-reactivity between the two. If I had to choose between stockpiling amoxicillin or cephalexin, I would choose cephalexin. The combination drug, amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin), is as strong against staph, but more expensive and harder on the stomach. 

Ciprofloxacin is useful for anthrax (which I’ve never seen), urinary tract and prostate infections (which are very common), and many forms of pneumonia and bronchitis. One of the more important and selective uses of ciprofloxacin is in combination with metronidazole for diverticulitis. This potentially life-threatening infection usually (or at least often) requires two antibiotics to resolve. (Levaquin and Avelox are a bit stronger than ciprofloxacin and could be substituted for this, but are much more expensive.) Ciprofloxacin is not used in women or children unless the benefit clearly outweighs the risk, although the risk of joint damage (seen in animals) appears minimal. Taking ciprofloxacin by mouth is nearly as effective as taking by IV. 

Doxycycline is useful in penicillin/amoxicillin-allergic adults for respiratory infections and some urinary/ prostate infections. It is avoided in children and pregnant women unless the benefit clearly outweighs the risk (of permanent tooth discoloration in children under the age of 8). Doxycycline is sometimes effective against penicillin-resistant bacteria. If I were limited to either doxycycline or erythromycin, I would choose 
erythromycin for stockpile. 

Erythromycin is useful for most of the same infections amoxicillin is used for, and thus can be substituted in penicillin-allergic patients. However, erythromycin tends to cause the intestine to contract, often causing cramps or diarrhea. (This property is sometimes used to help patients with conditions that impair intestinal motility.) It can be safely used in children and pregnant women. 

Metronidazole is an unusual antibiotic used for very specific infections. It is aimed primarily at anaerobic bacteria, primarily those found in the intestine. It is also used for certain STDs, including trichomonas. As mentioned above, it is very useful in combination with ciprofloxacin (or SMZ-TMP, below) for diverticulitis. It is the only inexpensive antibiotic effective for Clostridium difficile (c. diff, or antibiotic-related) colitis. It is also effective against certain amoeba. This drug is not used in children unless the benefit clearly outweighs the risk. 

SMZ-TMP is a combination drug of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. The latter antibiotic is used mainly for urinary infections. The sulfa component is 
effective against many respiratory bacteria and most urinary pathogens, although ciprofloxacin is somewhat stronger. The main reason to stockpile SMZ


TMP is due to its effectiveness against resistant staph (MRSA). 

Of course, only the most understanding fellow-prepper physician is likely to prescribe all these in quantity. The list can be narrowed a bit, by dropping doxycycline (since erythromycin covers most microbes that doxycycline would kill, and can be used in young children) and amoxicillin (because cephalexin covers most amoxicillin-sensitive bacteria and has the benefit of effectiveness against staph aureus). 

My top five antibiotics would therefore be:

Cephalexin

Ciprofloxacin

Erythromycin

Metronidazole

SMZ-TMP 

Of these, SMZ-TMP and ciprofloxacin have the most duplicate coverage, as do cephalexin and erythromycin. Since the intolerance of erythromycin is much 
higher than is allergy to cephalexin, I would favor cephalexin. Ciprofloxacin is stronger for intra-abdominal infections than SMZ-TMP, and is less likely to develop resistance. Although its use in children is a bit of a concern due to the question of joint pain (although this is rare), I would favor ciprofloxacin over than SMZTMP, even though SMZ-TMP is effective against MRSA. However, when the use of antibiotics is severely curtailed, 
antibiotic resistance will also decrease, and therefore MRSA will become less of a concern. 

Therefore, my top three antibiotics to stockpile would be:

Cephalexin

Ciprofloxacin

Metronidazole 

Using these three alone or in combination would cover around 90% of the infections physicians commonly encounter, as well as several less-likely threats (including anthrax and C. diff). 

Copyright © 2010 Cynthia J. Koelker, MD 
For more articles by Dr. Koelker visit 

ArmageddonMedicine.net. 

I highly recommend that you get a copy of the LDS Preparedness Manual Handbook . There is a lot of useful stuff in it, especially for a new prepper. Google it or just pm me. I have it on PDF.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

The fish antibiotics are chemically the same as we humans take. Clindamycin is generally the choice if someone has a reaction to Penicillin.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Camel923 said:


> The fish antibiotics are chemically the same as we humans take. Clindamycin is generally the choice if someone has a reaction to Penicillin.


The company that manufacturers those antibiotics doesn't know what "fish antibiotics" are. They aren't just chemically the same, they are the same.



budgetprepp-n said:


> I don't know but if your fish is sick you might want to check here.
> 
> Azithromycin 250mg Fish Antibiotics 6 Capsules SEALED Blister Pack USA Seller | eBay
> 
> http://www.fishmoxfishflex.com/index.php/fish-antibiotics/about-fish-antibiotics.html


My local survival store carries these. It's where I got mine.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Kauboy said:


> They company that manufacturers those antibiotics doesn't know what "fish antibiotics" are. They aren't just chemically the same, they are the same.
> 
> My local survival store carries these. It's where I got mine.


Kauboy.....survival store in Dallas metro? Please share.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

Just think what someone would trade for a few of these if they or a loved one really needed them


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## Operator6 (Oct 29, 2015)

budgetprepp-n said:


> Just think what someone would trade for a few of these if they or a loved one really needed them


They would trade hot lead for it. I'm sure of it.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

A Watchman said:


> Kauboy.....survival store in Dallas metro? Please share.


It's not likely to be an easy drive for most DFW'ers, but for me it's close enough.
Survival Depot is a shop down in Burleson, about 15 minutes south of Ft. Worth on 35W.
Google them for a map to the exact address. It's on Wilshire Blvd.
They used to have a website, but it's no longer online from just checking it.

They just started carrying the antibiotics about 2 months ago.
They have all kinds of other stuff. Some of the cheapy "camping" gear you can get anywhere, and some decent items I've not found elsewhere.
They even sell spring traps for game trapping. Their medical offerings are moderate. Not just bandaids, but nothing serious like IV bags or anything.
They have the expected assortments of food and water options as well.

Every Thursday night they try to have a get together with a guest speaker that talks about some topic related to survival.
One that I recall seeing on their schedule was about the nearby nuclear plants, and what to expect if one goes into meltdown.
I've not attended one yet, but not for lack of interest. I kinda wish I'd made the nuclear plant one.

It's worth a look, but again, might be too far for most.


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## Medic33 (Mar 29, 2015)

Jakthesoldier said:


> Z pack is good for almost everything. It is the go to for STDs, and a whole mess of stuff.
> 
> Here is the thing with antibiotics that no one ever seems to mention. There are two major types of bacteria, each with two sub types. These are Gram Positive and Gram negative. The sub groups for each are cocci and bacilli (round balls and cylindrical rods).
> 
> ...


most important,thanks .


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