# INFECTION: how to manage it



## Cobra Strike (Jan 27, 2017)

As of recently I have discovered that most guys do not know how to deal with infection. Most of you know that when you run a cycle you need to have an ai on hand and other ancillaries to combat sides if they occur. One thing no one talks about though is what if an infection occurs. Don't think that your not going to get one. The longer your injecting yourself the chances are greater that you will. It may be the gear but it doesn't necessarily have to be the gear. Air is dirty. There are millions of things floating around in it. Many germs are passed through the air. But you swab everything with alcohol and you do everything perfectly so your good right? Wrong. Alcohol is not an end all be all sterilizer. It helps but it's like a condom...it's 99%. 

You should always have antibiotics on hand. They are easy to get. Lots of online pharmaceuticals carry them. In example all day chemist has them. Amoxicillan is the best one in my experience.

Alot of guys will get an infection and sit there and wait to see if it heals itself. Breaking news. It will not. The longer you let the infection go the worse it will get. It will create alot of puss and make an abscess. Then you will need to go to the doc and have them cut it open and drain it. Who wants to do that?? The way I spot infection is this (and yes I've had a few if them) if you ever give yourself a shot and it hurts afterword or the next day...ok you have what everyone calls PIP. Post injection pain. This is normal. Now that site might heat up, turn red, swell a little, and hurt like a bitch...this is what we call severe pip. Your still ok at this point.  The next phase is infection and where you need to get agressive. If you have a heated swelled injection site and start to maybe feel a little off. Like that feeling you get when you think to yourself...shit I might be getting sick but I hope not...this is the exact moment when you start pounding your anti biotics. Your shit will be cleared up in a matter of days. If you fail to recognize this moment you will get a fever and your infection will get worse and you will end up at a docs office getting it worked on and getting a script for antibiotics. Vitamin c or anything besides an anti biotic will not help you. You do not have a super immune system better than all other humans. Instead of going through all that and ending up with antibiotics anyway just get some and keep them in your cupboard. They are cheap and worth it.

Through experience that is how I handle infection.


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## ToolSteel (Jan 27, 2017)

How long would you recommend keeping ammoxil before replacing it


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## ron1204 (Jan 27, 2017)

Good post. Infections suck. Can fuk you up for a few days if you dont catch it on time. For me though, Azythromycin works best. 3 day treatment only. But that could be because i used Amoxicillin for a while.


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## ron1204 (Jan 27, 2017)

ToolSteel said:


> How long would you recommend keeping ammoxil before replacing it



do u mean shelf life?


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## bigdog (Jan 27, 2017)

my wife is a nurse so I have access to antibiotics at all times for this very reason....


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## ToolSteel (Jan 27, 2017)

ron1204 said:


> do u mean shelf life?



Yes. For caps/pills.


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## ron1204 (Jan 27, 2017)

bigdog said:


> my wife is a nurse so I have access to antibiotics at all times for this very reason....


yea bro my girls a nurse too plus my family owns a pharmacy so i get anything i need. Its a huge plus!



ToolSteel said:


> Yes. For caps/pills.


almost 2 years. Even after a few months after the expiration date, they would most likely be safe to take, just as time passes they slowly get less effective.


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## Flyingdragon (Jan 27, 2017)

bigdog said:


> my male wife is a nurse so I have access to antibiotics at all times for this very reason....



I learn something new about u every time I login


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## Cobra Strike (Jan 27, 2017)

Ya the pills are good for a year easy but I would keep them forever. 

If you miss the moment that you are questioning whether your sick or not you can probably wait till you know your feverish...which won't be long after that moment. Just dont wait a few days to see if it clears up because it wont.


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## Flyingdragon (Jan 27, 2017)

I take my Flintstone vitamins everyday to prevent infection


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## #TheMatrix (Jan 27, 2017)

Flyingdragon said:


> I take my Flintstone vitamins everyday to prevent infection









All day


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## IHI (Jan 27, 2017)

Fwiw, cellulitis of my own mistake back in july







Amoxicillin fixed it right up, that was about 5 days post injection


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## snake (Jan 27, 2017)

ron1204 said:


> yea bro my girls a nurse too plus my family owns a pharmacy so i get anything i need. Its a huge plus!



I hate you; you can leave now.


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## ron1204 (Jan 27, 2017)

10char


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## ECKSRATED (Jan 27, 2017)

I had a site to buy fish tank antibiotics from but can not remember the ****ing name. They were all the same ones that humans use but was legal to sell because they were for "fish tank bacteria treatment"


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## Milo (Jan 27, 2017)

Good shit Cobra.


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## bsw5 (Jan 28, 2017)

Good info Cobra! Thanks


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## DocDePanda187123 (Jan 28, 2017)

I would not recommend people take whatever antibiotic they have without at least consulting a doctor first to see if it's needed and which kind. Certain antibiotics only work on gram positive bacteria while others only on gram negative. Taking the wrong type of antibiotic, taking it for too long or too short of time, etc can all help lead to bacterial resistance antibiotics.


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## Cobra Strike (Jan 28, 2017)

DocDePanda187123 said:


> I would not recommend people take whatever antibiotic they have without at least consulting a doctor first to see if it's needed and which kind. Certain antibiotics only work on gram positive bacteria while others only on gram negative. Taking the wrong type of antibiotic, taking it for too long or too short of time, etc can all help lead to bacterial resistance antibiotics.



I agree with this doc.. bacterial resistance occurs with over use and frequent use of the same kind of antibiotic.


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## DocDePanda187123 (Jan 28, 2017)

Cobra Strike said:


> I agree with this doc.. bacterial resistance occurs with over use and frequent use of the same kind of antibiotic.



Exactly. Keep the antibiotic on hand if you want but at least consult a doc and see which antibiotics he/she recommends first. If they recommend the one you have or the one you have is a suitable replacement then you can avoid having to go to the pharmacy.


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## Yaya (Jan 28, 2017)

U get an infection 

Go to the doctor

Or

Mini clinic

OR 

Pray to the Catholic jesus


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## SuperBane (Jan 28, 2017)

ECKSRATED said:


> I had a site to buy fish tank antibiotics from but can not remember the ****ing name. They were all the same ones that humans use but was legal to sell because they were for "fish tank bacteria treatment"



Didn't DF post a link to that place years back???

Anyways it isn't bad to keep a Z-pack handy.
Zithromax > amoxicillin


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## ron1204 (Jan 28, 2017)

DocDePanda187123 said:


> Exactly. Keep the antibiotic on hand if you want but at least consult a doc and see which antibiotics he/she recommends first. If they recommend the one you have or the one you have is a suitable replacement then you can avoid having to go to the pharmacy.



had to learn that the hard way since i have it so handy. Took amoxycillin so much for almost anything. Got to a point where i did nothing so i had to switch. Unfortunately not everybody has insurance to go to a dr. and pay for new medicine every time they think they have something. But nonetheless, great points.


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## kittensandkilos (Jan 28, 2017)

What antibiotics would you recommend having on hand?


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## ron1204 (Jan 28, 2017)

kittensandkilos said:


> What antibiotics would you recommend having on hand?



Well like doc said, the most effective can Be determined by your dr but if u want to have some on hand just in case I think amoxicillin and azythromycin are both very good. My pick would be the 3 day azythromycin treatment. It's a pack that brings 4 pills. 500mg each. U take two the first day then one pill each day after. That ones called tri-pack. Z-pack is the same medicine but it's a 5 day treatment of 250 each day with 2 dosages the first day.


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## ECKSRATED (Jan 28, 2017)

SuperBane said:


> Didn't DF post a link to that place years back???
> 
> Anyways it isn't bad to keep a Z-pack handy.
> Zithromax > amoxicillin



I used it before I became a member here. When I first started running gear I used this place a few times to have some on hand.


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## BRICKS (Jan 28, 2017)

DocDePanda187123 said:


> I would not recommend people take whatever antibiotic they have without at least consulting a doctor first to see if it's needed and which kind. Certain antibiotics only work on gram positive bacteria while others only on gram negative. Taking the wrong type of antibiotic, taking it for too long or too short of time, etc can all help lead to bacterial resistance antibiotics.



To add to this I would also recommend seeing a doc sooner rather than later.  I have been involved with several infections that have gotten very nasty, very quickly, to point where we derided the entire limb.  Most of these do not end well.  Many of these were the result of reusing needles and syringes.  Stay safe.


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## thqmas (Jan 30, 2017)

Well I'm allergic to Penicillin. It As my wife said: "I finally found your kryptonite".


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## dk8594 (Oct 1, 2018)

I'm going to bump this cause it just happened to me over the weekend and it it wasn't for this post I might not have recognized it.

Pinned on Friday, which is also leg day.  I experimented with doing leg press single legged so when Saturday came along and my right thigh was extremely sore I chalked it up to trying something new and possibly pip.  Come Sunday, I could hardly walk and my thigh was starting to look like IHI's in post #12.  Got myself to urgent care and got put on some antibiotics.   My test is from a compounding pharmacy and I'd pinned from this vial previously so the only thing I can chalk it up to is that at the time I thought my alcohol swab felt dry.

Anyways, this is my long winded way to say how grateful I am to have UGBB as a resource. Without it the infection would have gone much longer.


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## Merlin (Oct 1, 2018)

DocDePanda187123 said:


> I would not recommend people take whatever antibiotic they have without at least consulting a doctor first to see if it's needed and which kind. Certain antibiotics only work on gram positive bacteria while others only on gram negative. Taking the wrong type of antibiotic, taking it for too long or too short of time, etc can all help lead to bacterial resistance antibiotics.



Never EVER just take a random antibiotic bc you have an infection. See a physician first. There are different types of antibiotics and different types of amoxicillin for that matter. Some being broad spectrum antibiotics and others being narrow. This determines how many different bacteria that the antibiotic will be effective on. If you take the wrong antibiotic it will not only cause your current infection to progress but the antibiotic you are using will destroy the normal flora within your GI tract and most likely will cause other health issues such as c. diff. You don't want the diff. At the very least ask a provider what they would take, how long for that specific antibiotic etc. You only get one body... why would you try to half ass try to fix it? Seek medical attention.


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## Jin (Oct 2, 2018)

Gear Grinder said:


> Never EVER just take a random antibiotic bc you have an infection. See a physician first. There are different types of antibiotics and different types of amoxicillin for that matter. Some being broad spectrum antibiotics and others being narrow. This determines how many different bacteria that the antibiotic will be effective on. If you take the wrong antibiotic it will not only cause your current infection to progress but the antibiotic you are using will destroy the normal flora within your GI tract and most likely will cause other health issues such as c. diff. You don't want the diff. At the very least ask a provider what they would take, how long for that specific antibiotic etc. You only get one body... why would you try to half ass try to fix it? Seek medical attention.



Devils advocate:

i dont believe I’ve ever had a bacteria sample taken and analyzed before I was prescribed a particular antibiotic. 

How do the doctors know which one to prescribe?


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## Merlin (Oct 2, 2018)

Jin said:


> Devils advocate:
> 
> i dont believe I’ve ever had a bacteria sample taken and analyzed before I was prescribed a particular antibiotic.
> 
> How do the doctors know which one to prescribe?



For more serious infections they will culture the wound, site or take blood cultures. In the clinic setting they will select a broad spectrum antibiotic that most aligns with your symptoms, how the actual infection looks if its a wound, how you got the infection. That's why they always say come back if it doesn't resolve so they can try  different type of antibiotic.


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## Beedeezy (Oct 2, 2018)

Jin said:


> Devils advocate:
> 
> i dont believe I’ve ever had a bacteria sample taken and analyzed before I was prescribed a particular antibiotic.
> 
> How do the doctors know which one to prescribe?


It comes down to presentation. Typically with cellulitis you split into two categories, purulent and non-purulent (google images).
Unless you had an abscess (purulent) or an infected wound that was weeping there really isn't a good way to culture the infection.
Therapy kinda goes the way of suspected culprit without culture to prove sensitivity. I should note, even with a would culture unless you are admitted to the hospital, you'll be discharged before anything is verified.
So, if you suspect the infection is Staphylococcus (MRSA/gram positive) i'd actually suggest taking Bactrim, ceftaroline, Doxycicline.
On the other hand, if Strep is your bacteria Amoxicillin or Cephalexin may suit you better.
PRO TIP: Clindamycin is an excellent choice for Staph and covers "most" Strep, if I was going to keep anything on hand as a just in case it would be Clindamycin.





Gear Grinder said:


> For more serious infections they will culture the wound, site or take blood cultures. That's why they always say come back if it doesn't resolve so they can try  different type of antibiotic.


Blood cultures are really only drawn if suspected sepsis, not really typical for the possible cellulitis treatment this post was made for. Furthermore, if you are having blood cultures drawn, you are also being admitted to the hospital and *NO ONE* knows what bacteria is causing your infection. You will also be receiving Vancomycin *AND *Zosyn through an I.V. and preferably done within the first hour or two of your arrival.

As for the "come back if it doesn't resolve", that is said regardless of getting a culture of the wound. Why? Because unless you are willing to wait the two days for the culture to grow, we don't know if it gram positive or negative and *DEFINITELY* don't know specifically what the bacteria is. So, you will likely get Bactrim or doxycicline if an abscess looks to be forming or you've had an I&D, and Cephalexin if non-purulent.


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## dk8594 (Oct 8, 2018)

Just wanted to close the loop on this....

Dr put me on 500mg of cephalexin 3x a day for 7 days. Pain went from a 9 to a 3 in 36 hours and redness disappeared after 4 days.


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## Beedeezy (Oct 9, 2018)

dk8594 said:


> Dr put me on 500mg of cephalexin 3x a day for 7 days. Pain went from a 9 to a 3 in 36 hours and redness disappeared after 4 days.


Cephalexin?
Surprised someone didn’t mention it’s use somewhere on this thread!


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