Safe Antibiotics?

[Hopeful]

Hi,

I need to have an abnormal mole excised. The surgeon wants me to take Keflex prophylactically. Keflex has AA, thrombocytopenia, and kidney toxicity listed as potential side effects. Are there any "safer" antibiotics that others have taken? My WBCs are usually around 3 and my ANC is low normal. Are prophylactic antibiotics really necessary?

Thanks for any advice or shared experience!

[Marlene]

John was on that when he broke his wrist and his counts were much lower than yours at the time. He had no problem with it. But the ortho doc consulted with our hematologist regarding John's SAA. I assume the course of antibiotic will be just prior and after for 24 hours.

Come to think of it, they also gave him that for his knee surgery just prior and after surgery.

You may want to check with your hematologist and pose that question to him/her.

If you're not on cyclo anymore and your ANC is that high, then risk is probably lower for a secondary infection. I would also ask if they put everyone on this who has this procedure or is it because of your SAA.

[squirrellypoo]

Just to add another onto the list, I've been on phophylactic Azythromycin since I was discharged from my transplant (and will continue to do so for the rest of my life, I'm told).

[Laura]

That is interesting that they told you would be on it for the rest of your life. I am told I will be on Penicillin for at least a year.

Laura

[Lisa V]

When Ken had surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma from his eyelid, it became infected and the doctor prescribed Bactrim (Septra). Imagine my surprise when I looked up the possible side effects and found aplastic anemia listed as one of them! I called the hem/onc dept. pharmacist and asked him if there was a safe substitute. He told me that practically all antibiotics carry that risk, just because of the way they work. He said some are worse than others, though, and recommended switching to Cephalexin.

The Bactrim thing really surprised me, given that many AA patients are routinely prescribed it for PCP prophylaxis! Doesn't this seem like a bad idea? Ken's doctor doesn't believe in routine prophylaxis, so he's never taken any.

[Mimi C]

My mom is on high doses of Vancomycin for pneumonia. Levaquin wasn't getting the job done alone. Now I read that Vancomycin is an antibiotic that can cause bleeding (listed on www.pdsa.org). My mom's platelet count is at 7 today. Are there other options we should be looking at?