Amoxicillin tiredness. Help me calm down.

[WorryRaptor]

Been prescribed Amoxicillin 500mg 3 x a day for an infected gum and I'm freaking out about side effects.

Is it normal to feel really tired when taking them? Not just mildly sleepy. Properly tired like I haven't slept all night. I wasn't feeling tired at all before taking them. I've only taken two doses so far, and am dreading the next five days.

Of course when I read the leaflet, it says fatigue is a potentially serious side effect and to consult a doctor. I'm not sure if I'm focusing too much on the tiredness I'm feeling and making it seem more than it is.

Anybody else take this antibiotic and feel super tired? I just want to curl up and sleep, and my eyes feel so, so tired and want to close. I feel like my legs are heavy too.

I'm really anxious about taking meds of any kind.

[WorryRaptor]

Also just read it can cause liver failure that shows up 4 weeks AFTER I finish the dose. I have a fatty liver that my GP hasn't bothered to monitor. Now I'm freaking out about taking my next dose. I have a pounding headache and too scared to take pain relief in case it further damages my liver.

[Catkins]

I'm not an expect but you could be tired because you have an infection. So I would recommend continuing the course of antibiotics.

Also throw away the leaflet.

[Careful1]

I definitely wouldn’t stop taking them. I agree with the comment above in that perhaps your tired because of the infection?

I have never taken amoxicillin as I’m allergic to penicillin and so I’m not familiar with the side effects but when I’m dealing with an infection I tend to feel crappy over all.

Fatty liver is extremely common and reversible. When you were diagnosed did the doctor explain the ways to reverse the fatty liver? They don’t normally monitor fatty liver unless your enzymes are consistently elevated but there are things you can do to reverse your fatty liver.

Prescription medications have side effects unfortunately and they pretty much all have some kind of potential risk and no matter how rare those risks are the manufacturer has to list it. The doctors weigh the risk/benefit when ordering tests and prescribing medication and they don’t go forward unless in their opinion the benefits out weigh the risks. In your case you have an infection. Are there some potential side effects and risks with taking ANY antibiotic? Yes there is but not taking an antibiotic to treat an infection poses a much bigger risk. The risk of getting liver failure from taking a course of amoxicillin is incredibly rare and so honestly I wouldn’t really worry about it.

[bin tenn]

I've taken Amoxicillin many times over the years for dental infections and I've never had an issue, if that helps you feel better. I had to take two courses of it a while back, two weeks in a row.

[WorryRaptor]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. The tiredness wore off. My gum is still swollen but I still have two and a half days till I finish the antibiotics course.

The liver concern is due to me having ongoing pain in that area but my GP thinking it's just anxiety. They just told me to stop drinking (even though I'm a teetotaler) and just told me that lots of people walk around in life with a fatty liver. I have a gene for hemochromatosis but again GP doesn't think it needs looking into. I was only slightly overweight when diagnosed with the fatty liver so they thought I was drinking to cause it. Weight has fluctuated over the years since then, both ways. They haven't tested my liver function for 2 years. I can only hope it's in ok shape. Unfortunately I'm given a lot of pain relief for chronic joint pain and migraines, so my liver has probably been doing a lot of work. I'm trying my best to stay calm and just keep going with the antibiotics.

One thing I'm confused about though, is that apparently these antibiotics won't actually heal an abscess. The dentist didn't want to drain it, just told me to take the amoxicillin and make another appointment soon. I don't get to see my dentist till next week, and by then my antibiotics course will be finished for 4 days. Does that mean the infection will just linger while I'm waiting to be seen again? Won't that make existing bacteria multiply/become resistant? The dentist who saw me wasn't very clear. At first he told me my whole tooth was dead and abscessed, then said it was actually just my gum that had something trapped and the tooth was fine, but that I should just pull the tooth so it doesn't keep happening to that gum. He didn't try to clean around it, just told me to take the antibiotics and get my usual dentist to pull it. Very confusing.

[nomorepanic]

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

Please also read this post:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239

[Catkins]

I've had quite a few abscesses over the years. Had a couple drained, which wasn't pleasant and didn't work, also had numerous antibiotics.

The antibiotics will help settle the infection down and help stop the pain and discomfort. They aren't a permanent solution which is why they booked you back to have it out.

One time, I had an abscess, took antibiotics to settle it, then went back to the dentist and had it taken out. When he'd done it he showed me the tooth on the root was a little round red blob, apparently it was the remains of the abscess. I found it so interesting I took my tooth home to show my husband - he wasn't as excited as I was.

Also for many years, I would sporadically get an inflammed area on my gum underneath a crown, it was occasionally uncomfortable and occasionally needed antibiotics, maybe 2 - 3 times over many years (probably 20 - I'm old) Eventually the dentist took an xray further down than they normally do and they found I had a long standing infection. They tried drilling through the crown and packing my root and it was fine for another couple of years. Then it flared up again, by this time I was with another dentist so I asked him to take it out. I've had no problems since.

Sorry for the long post, but basically it was just to say, abscesses/infection can flare up and can settle again, with or without antibiotics (both have happened to me), but the best long term solution is to to have your tooth out. A four day wait is fine, the antibiotics will make it comfortable enough to keep you going until you have it out. If you are still in pain at the end of the course of antibiotics, contact the dentist and ask for some more.

[WorryRaptor]

I've had quite a few abscesses over the years. Had a couple drained, which wasn't pleasant and didn't work, also had numerous antibiotics.

The antibiotics will help settle the infection down and help stop the pain and discomfort. They aren't a permanent solution which is why they booked you back to have it out.

One time, I had an abscess, took antibiotics to settle it, then went back to the dentist and had it taken out. When he'd done it he showed me the tooth on the root was a little round red blob, apparently it was the remains of the abscess. I found it so interesting I took my tooth home to show my husband - he wasn't as excited as I was.

Also for many years, I would sporadically get an inflammed area on my gum underneath a crown, it was occasionally uncomfortable and occasionally needed antibiotics, maybe 2 - 3 times over many years (probably 20 - I'm old) Eventually the dentist took an xray further down than they normally do and they found I had a long standing infection. They tried drilling through the crown and packing my root and it was fine for another couple of years. Then it flared up again, by this time I was with another dentist so I asked him to take it out. I've had no problems since.

Sorry for the long post, but basically it was just to say, abscesses/infection can flare up and can settle again, with or without antibiotics (both have happened to me), but the best long term solution is to to have your tooth out. A four day wait is fine, the antibiotics will make it comfortable enough to keep you going until you have it out. If you are still in pain at the end of the course of antibiotics, contact the dentist and ask for some more.

Thanks for your reply, it was really helpful :) I'm no stranger to abscesses either sadly. I had one in my back in my twenties and it turned to sepsis after doctors kept telling me it was nothing. I was in hospital for a long time. I freak out about any kinds of infection in my body. With a dental one, it's so close to the brain it has me in a state.

I'm not sure it's my tooth itself causing the issue. It really just seems to be an infected gum pocket. It hurt a tiny bit the day I went to the dentist and was quite swollen with what looked like pus, but so far there has been zero pain since. It calms down during the day and swells again at night after I've brushed. A tiny bit of pus came out of it this morning while brushing. I'm hoping the antibiotics are doing their job to calm whatever infection is there, but there's no tangible way I can tell. I have no pain, no swelling in my face, or heat, just the gum that puffs up at night and first thing in the morning. I feel "off" and fluey but I think that's the antibiotics.

The dentist who told me to have it pulled x-rayed my tooth, convinced the nerve was dead and thought there was a tooth abscess, but after the xray he just said its something in my gum. He put something cold on the tooth he thought was dead and I could feel it really clearly, so he said the tooth was still alive. He didn't really elaborate or say when to book my next appointment. I took the initiative and booked one myself. All he told me was to get my regular dentist to do more checks on the tooth, but to push her to arrange for removal, otherwise the gum pocket would keep getting irritated if I can't clean it properly.

I'll wait and see what my regular dentist says, as she is very reluctant to pull the tooth as it's lying on a nerve in my jaw (sideways wisdom tooth). I just hope I don't need it taken out as I'll be put under. The last time I was under when I had sepsis, they struggled to wake me up.

It's reassuring that the 4 day wait shouldn't be too much of an issue. I suppose it the gum starts actually hurting it's a sign to call for a more urgent appointment.

[Catkins]

That's a good plan.

You could also gargle with salt water or Corsadyl mouthwash (not sure I spelled that right). I've done both in the past when I've had problems and I believe it helped.

I'll tell you a silly story - once when I had toothache my husband told me that if I put a piece chilli on the area it would stimulate my brain to produce endorphins and the pain would lessen (I'm not sure where he got it from). I was desperate, so I gave it a go. It was awful! It tasted terrible, I produced so much saliva I nearly choked. I was in a terrible state. He thought it was hilarious, he laughed so much he cried, so he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the tears. Only problem was, he had been the one who cut the chilli, so when he rubbed his eyes he got chilli in them, so he ended up running round the kitchen, which made me laugh (once I had spat out the chilli). Karma is a bugger 😁

[WorryRaptor]

Absolutely no appetite along with joint pain and flu like feeling for three days now. Just saw this indicates drug induced liver injury. I'm terrified these antibiotics have done my liver in. So scared to take my next dose.

[JulieJay92]

no issues here when ive taken them, most recently 3 months ago and i also have a fatty liver

[WorryRaptor]

Ended up contacting my GP as joint pain was getting worse, appetite was 0. The receptionist said they don't deal with dental issues even though I tried to explain I was concerned I was having a bad reaction and the NHS website says to call a doctor ASAP if you have joint pain. Receptionist just told me to call 111 or dentist and that was that.

Called the dentist. Listed my symptoms - Joint and muscle aches all over, no appetite whatsoever, weakness and a mildly tight chest. They said to stop taking them immediately. Seems I could possibly be having a delayed but mild allergic reaction to it. Each dose I took made me slightly worse. They think the antibiotics have likely done their job by now, so it's safe to stop taking them. I'm still terrified its my liver but I'll wait and see if I improve.

[WorryRaptor]

That's a good plan.

You could also gargle with salt water or Corsadyl mouthwash (not sure I spelled that right). I've done both in the past when I've had problems and I believe it helped.

I'll tell you a silly story - once when I had toothache my husband told me that if I put a piece chilli on the area it would stimulate my brain to produce endorphins and the pain would lessen (I'm not sure where he got it from). I was desperate, so I gave it a go. It was awful! It tasted terrible, I produced so much saliva I nearly choked. I was in a terrible state. He thought it was hilarious, he laughed so much he cried, so he rubbed his eyes to get rid of the tears. Only problem was, he had been the one who cut the chilli, so when he rubbed his eyes he got chilli in them, so he ended up running round the kitchen, which made me laugh (once I had spat out the chilli). Karma is a bugger 

Love it! :roflmao:

Thank you for the tip about Corsodyl! I bought a bottle of it today and will swish with that until I see the dentist.