Gentamicin Toxicity Warning

[Henry P Snicklesnorter]

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[kristina]

I entirely agree with you, Henry.

Here is my example to back this up.
A specialist put me on Retuximab-Infusions because they thought
it might stop the Lupus/SLE/MCTD-flare-up
which they thought might be contributing to my kidney failure.

The specialist never mentioned any side-effects of Retuximab-Infusions.

Naturally, I went ahead, not least because I was desperate to save my kidneys.

What I found out later was that Retuximab-Infusions
can cause very serious brain-damage and/or death,
so, the specialist never gave me the choice.

If he had mentioned the side-effects of Retuximab-Infusions,
I would have had a chance to consider other options.
But he denied me that chance.

I was very lucky that it did not cause me brain-damage and/or death.
But I did suffer very bad side-effects from these Retuximab-Infusions,
in the form of a very bad and unusual type of Lupus/SLE/MCTD-flare-ups.
The flare-up repeatedly hit me in short bursts in a variety of forms
which is not the usual type of Lupus/SLE/MCTD-flare-up for me,
and this went on for almost two years before my body calmed down.

When one is prescribed medicines which are issued by the chemist
there is always a pamphlet in the medicine which explains the side-effects,
and so one has the chance to be informed about the side-effects.

I agree with you that more should be done to inform patients
about the side-effects of proposed treatments.

I wish you very good luck, Kristina. 

[Henry P Snicklesnorter]

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[billybags]

Henry, keep at it.

[RightSide]

Thank you Rightside for this interesting post.

I had not thought that there may be antibiotics so similar to Penicillin,
that there may be a chance that my system may “notice” its similarity
and perhaps react as if it is Penicillin.

I don’t know if such an antibiotic would react in me the same as Penicillin,
but it is well worth knowing this could be a possibility.

In particular, you should be careful when taking the earlier antibiotics in the cephalosporin class, such as Ceftin.  Part of their chemical structure is similar to penicillin, and there's a chance that if you react to penicillin, then your immune system will react to the Ceftin too.

The newer cephalosporins are so different from penicillin that the chance of this is minimal.

[lmunchkin]

The last and final bout with peritonitis that ended J's PD was exactly pseudomonas infection. He was treated with Gentamicin cause no other antibiotic would knock it out!  He had no side effects but was monitored by an infectious specialist continously.

Dont know how I missed this thread, but hope you get through this Henry!  This was not right in what "they" failed to do!  Good Luck!

lmunchkin   

[Henry P Snicklesnorter]

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[kristina]

Thank you Rightside for this interesting post.

I had not thought that there may be antibiotics so similar to Penicillin,
that there may be a chance that my system may “notice” its similarity
and perhaps react as if it is Penicillin.

I don’t know if such an antibiotic would react in me the same as Penicillin,
but it is well worth knowing this could be a possibility.

In particular, you should be careful when taking the earlier antibiotics in the cephalosporin class, such as Ceftin.  Part of their chemical structure is similar to penicillin, and there's a chance that if you react to penicillin, then your immune system will react to the Ceftin too.

The newer cephalosporins are so different from penicillin that the chance of this is minimal.

Thanks for the tip, Rightside, that was very kind of you.
I shall make a note of this !

Thanks a lot again from Kristina.

[RightSide]

Doctors are known to be reluctant to discuss side effects of meds with patients in advance.  They're afraid of a placebo-type effect where if they tell the patient it can cause a certain symptom, the patient will believe he's experiencing that symptom.

And clinical trials of these meds have proven that.  When they've give the med to some patients and they give the placebo to other patients, it's amazing how many side effects the patients got from the placebo!

For example, in clinical trials of Gabapentin/Neurontin vs. placebo, the following side effects were reported from the placebo:  7.5% of patients reported dizziness from the placebo, and 5.3% of patients reported drowsiness from the placebo.  Now that's a highly potent placebo.   

A smartphone is a good investment.   You can call up information on a med's side effects anywhere you happen to be.  Even in the hospital, if they let you use your smartphone.

[lmunchkin]

Thanks for your concern Henry, but this was in 2009, when he was doing PD.  He is now doing Home hemo (NxStage) and all is well in the NxStage land.  Glad that you are slowly recuperating!  We were told of the side affects, but took the chance, cause the alternative could have been worse, Possible Death.

Actually, J. has had some of those symptoms long before the P.Peritonitis.  But God is good, and all went well with J afterwards.  Just hope & pray that you get better!

God Bless,

lmunchkin