# Questions about antibiotics



## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

HI,
I figured out where to get antibiotics. I know different antibiotics are for different things.
I don't know which ones do what. So is there like a top 4 that will cover %90 of problems
where an antibiotics would be needed? 
And how long will they last in storage?


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Medical/Nursing school 

Don't take chances with medication or self-diagnosis.
Seek training or find 100% reputable sources.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

A Physicians Desk Reference would have good information.

A good search will reveal common uses of various antibiotics. You might also want to look at treatments for bacterial/protozoic pathogens. 

Realize that with many people there is a danger of allergic reactions


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## jimb1972 (Nov 12, 2012)

The longest shelf life I have been able to find is Ciprofloxin. The DOD tested it after I think 12 years for it's extended shelf life program and it was still effective, it is effective against a broad spectrum of bacteria including anthrax.


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## budgetprepp-n (Apr 7, 2013)

Kauboy said:


> Medical/Nursing school
> 
> Don't take chances with medication or self-diagnosis.
> Seek training or find 100% reputable sources.


 That's why I'm doing some research now. After the SHTF and you have a loved one
that's really sick and dieing from an simple infection would you try and do diagnosis? 
Before antibiotics people would die from a small cut or as bad tooth. Check this out.


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## ApexPredator (Aug 17, 2013)

Find yourself a sanfords guide it outlines drugs dosage and time based on illness next find a Special Forces medical handbook and it explains (in somewhat laymens terms what your looking for).


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## Spice (Dec 21, 2014)

The book Where There Is No Doctor has some of what you're looking for. Help with diagnosing and dosing as well as antibiotic selection. As someone who teaches medical students though, you won't find me self-prescribing unless I just can't find someone better trained. Book descriptions make things sound more straight-forward than they are. Consider for example how many pathogens are now antibiotic-resistant, especially to the easily available veterinary drugs. Hygiene and health maintenance are your friends.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Your local pharmacist could be a wealth spring of knowledge. Especially shelf lives. You will want drugs for the following situations...anaerobic bacteria, aerobic bacteria, fungal infections.

Antibiotics of choice

I would think that Clindamycin, Penicillin, Ciprofloxin, Azthromax, and Doxycycline would handle the majority of things.

Antibiotics and Expiration Dates - Wall Street Journal

Survival Antibiotics | Medical Preparedness | Doom and Bloom (TM) | Doom and Bloom (TM)


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## wes (Jan 17, 2015)

Here is a website that sells "not for human consumption" antibiotics, they come highly recommended in the book "where there is no doctor". Really good prices and free shipping most of the time.


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## Prepadoodle (May 28, 2013)

Here's a link to the SOF Medical Handbook in pdf format...

Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook

And one for ST31-91B US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook...

US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook


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## turbo6 (Jun 27, 2014)

Camel923 said:


> Your local pharmacist could be a wealth spring of knowledge. Especially shelf lives. You will want drugs for the following situations...anaerobic bacteria, aerobic bacteria, fungal infections.
> 
> Antibiotics of choice
> 
> ...


Penicillin allergies are pretty common, so folks need to keep that in mind if they've never taken it.

Otherwise all good choices and if possible I'd probably add Levaquin to the mix too.


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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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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

turbo6 said:


> Penicillin allergies are pretty common, so folks need to keep that in mind if they've never taken it.
> 
> Otherwise all good choices and if possible I'd probably add Levaquin to the mix too.


Actually, only about 10-15% of people are truly allergic to penicillin. Most who think they are allergic just suffer side effects, like vomiting or diarrhea. These aren't true allergic reactions.

My wife *is* allergic to penicillin. She can't have it or any of the derivatives, or she risks simple rash all the way up to a closed throat and swelled tongue.
When our son needed antibiotics, he was placed on Amox, a penicillin derivative.
He showed no symptoms of allergy, so we thought he was good with it.
The second time around, ear infection #2, he was put on it again but this time developed hives and a rash.
We took him in to find out why, and they told us it was a reaction to the Amox.
We didn't understand why the first dose showed no effect, but the second did.
We assumed it was genetic, since my wife was allergic as well. Turns out, that isn't the case.
The doc told us that the first exposure usually produces no symptoms of allergy to penicillin, but the body reacts only when given a second round.
The body had determined, after the first round, that the drug was a foreign entity and reacted as such. So, he can't have it for a while now.

Apparently, after about 10 years of not having any cillins, the body will most likely no longer react to it if used again.
It is always a good one to have on hand.

My source: Allergy to penicillin and related antibiotics


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