Scared to start antibiotics for tonsillitis (clarithromycin)

[GingerFish]

I was on amoxicillin for a chest infection and tonsillitis last week and it cleared up my chest but not my throat and because I am on Methotrexate, I have to be careful about which antibiotics I can take so I was given clarithromycin by the out of hours doc last night. I'd never heard of or been on these ones before.

I've got the packet in front of me but can't bring myself to take them. The side effects and what I've read online sound hellish. I have a severe fear of vomiting and that is the number one thing scaring me, I know it sounds silly to those who don't have the phobia. Also worried about the insomnia and worsening of MH symptoms I've read about. I am struggling badly with dissociation at the mo so I am worried about the meds making it worse and I need all the sleep I can get which is hard enough to get these days.

I thought my fear of meds would be lessened now after being on methotrexate and being fine on it despite all the horror stories you hear about it but the old health anxiety fears are back full force

[AnnieMags]

Dear Ginger, I have looked up the 'numbers' and as you say, nausea and vomiting is first on the list of 'more common side effect', occurring according to them in 'more than 1 person in 100'. That means not as many as 2, therefore we are looking at a side effect percentage of 1.9%, at most. We can handle those odds, right? The risk of serious side effects is 'less than 1 in a 1,000', which is less than 0.1%. (I was given those odds when my son had spinal surgery, and can still remember the relief of the 0,1%, which somehow seemed so much less than 1 in a 1,000! :) The point is that these are all very very small numbers, but we allow our brains to think of them as certainties and that the adverse outcomes will happen to us. The possibilities of that are so tiny. Have you been able to discuss your concerns with a medical professional? Would it be possible to speak to the out-of-hours service again, just to get their take on it?