Alternative to antibiotics?

If your doctor says you have chest infection then you're not really going to get better without antibiotics - and you could end up in hospital as a result of trying! You could also end up needing much stronger antibiotics as a result of not nipping it in the bud. Why not plan to take some probiotics as soon as you can after the antibiotics - if you need the antibiotics, which you won't know without getting someone to listen to your chest of course.

Tea tree and oil of oregano are natural alternatives to antibiotics, but are harsh on a sensitive stomach. You could try steam inhalation with menthol crystals or tea tree. However, I wouldn't delay seeking doctor's advice on whether or not you currently have a chest infection.

MMM

Hi Badgut,

If you have a PCP you can talk to, share your problems taking antibiotics (I have that problem as well, and get gastritis whenever I take it).  The ones I can tolerate are Amoxicillin and Z-pac, although the last time I took a Z-pac my stomach reacted more than I expected.

There is one other back-up antibiotic choice, and that's Rocephen.  Rocephen is injectable, so you'll bypass your stomach.  I've only had it once--when I had a lung infection before, during, and after my Nissen surgery.  My PCP understood my stomach problems, and went the Rocephen route to avoid irritating my healing stomach.

Good luck finding something that works for you.

Denise