Questions about treatment, alcohol and doctors in Phoenix

Posted by trissi @trissi, Dec 27, 2017

Hi, I am new to the group. I have been to the ID doctor and was prescribed Rifampin at 300mg, Aziithromycin at 500mg, and Ethambutol, at 400mg. I have not started any of them since I was told by the doctor not to drink alcohol at all while taking them and I wanted to enjoy the holidays! There is no warning on any of the vials to avoid alcohol. What are you guys being told? Also, is it true that, for the most part, the oral meds are the only way to go. I am concerned about the side effects. Did any of you get a second opinion on the treatment? If so, can you recommend anyone in the Phoenix area? I was diagnosed with MAC only. Thanks for any input!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

@1065408, Hello Barbara and welcome to our forum. There is a lot of information on older posts throughout our site if you want to take the time to look through them. when you click on the group, Bronchiectasis & MAC, you will see various topics listed. There is specific important info to be found there. Please check it out if you have not already. There is a website called http://www.ntminfo.org that has info on medications to treat MAC and new ones coming down the pike. They have a registry as well. I am signed in on it. It would be great if you would also, because the more people on it, the more it helps get funding from the gov't and others for research. Numbers of those of us affected is what makes agencies stand up notice that we need help. I am glad that you found us, please feel free to ask questions or share your experiences. By the way, how did you find us?

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@windwalker

@1065408, Hello Barbara and welcome to our forum. There is a lot of information on older posts throughout our site if you want to take the time to look through them. when you click on the group, Bronchiectasis & MAC, you will see various topics listed. There is specific important info to be found there. Please check it out if you have not already. There is a website called http://www.ntminfo.org that has info on medications to treat MAC and new ones coming down the pike. They have a registry as well. I am signed in on it. It would be great if you would also, because the more people on it, the more it helps get funding from the gov't and others for research. Numbers of those of us affected is what makes agencies stand up notice that we need help. I am glad that you found us, please feel free to ask questions or share your experiences. By the way, how did you find us?

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Hi windwalker. Thanks for the website information and the suggestion of old posts. Definitely will check out both. Coincidentally I have subscribed to Mayo Clinic news on FB, and recently came across a segment on infectious diseases. Was delighted to navigate the system and get signed on. It’s really helpful. Don’t feel like the only one who so far has chosen to monitor rather than treat the condition.

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@ling123

@1065408 Hi Barbara, I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis and MAC in October 2014 after coughing up a large amount of blood. I have opted not to take the "big three" antibiotics because my pulmonary doctor didn't think my condition was bad enough to warrant the risk of damages to my other organs with long-term drug treatment. Just like you, other than coughing and excessive mucus, I feel very normal. And my chest X-rays do not show any worsening of my lung conditions. And I have no breathing problems either. So my decision is to diligently keep an eye on the conditions of my lungs. As long as they are stable, no drugs. In fact, I've not gotten any medical treatment and the last chest X-ray actually showed some improvement in my lungs. In this group, there are people who have been treated with the "big three" and others have not or have stopped taking them after a period of time. So it is not mandatory that everybody with bronchiectasis and MAC absolutely has to be on the 3 major antibiotics. It all depends on whether one's conditions warrant them. Let's hope your conditions will be stable for the foreseeable future so you can get on with your life without much concern.

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@windwalker Thank you for the compliments, Terri. But you and many others have done a whole lot more for everybody. Even though I do try my best, I can't hold a candle to you guys.

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@windwalker

@trissi , Hello Trissi, welcome to our forum. I am glad that you found us. As Colleen has stated, alcohol and antibiotics do not go well together. I was always told that alcohol can kill the antibiotic's effectiveness. Another thing to consider is that the BIG 3 antibiotics can be hard on the liver, that is why they do routine liver function tests on you while taking them. You wouldn't want to tax the liver further with alcohol added to the mix. You are lucky in that you live not too far from the Mayo Clinic there. Have you considered being seen there?

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Yes, just wish I could find someone to recommend a particular doctor there. I haven't seen any listed for the Arizona facility.
Very glad to know you!

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@windwalker

@trissi Trissi, I hope you will take the time to read over older posts, especially those by @katemn, she had lots of good info. Also, I recommend that you Google all that you can on the subject of avium bacterium and pseudomonas. Knowledge is power. Do you know if you also have a condition/disease called bronchiectasis? It commonly goes hand in hand with MAC infections. Feel free to ask questions or share your experiences.

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The infectious disease doctor says I do not have it. Although, the ID doctor I was referred to from the pulmonary doctor did not perform any tests on me. She is going by what the pulmonary doctor's information was including the meds recommended. I looks to me, by the forum, that the oral meds are the only alternative.

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@ling123

@1065408 Hi Barbara, I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis and MAC in October 2014 after coughing up a large amount of blood. I have opted not to take the "big three" antibiotics because my pulmonary doctor didn't think my condition was bad enough to warrant the risk of damages to my other organs with long-term drug treatment. Just like you, other than coughing and excessive mucus, I feel very normal. And my chest X-rays do not show any worsening of my lung conditions. And I have no breathing problems either. So my decision is to diligently keep an eye on the conditions of my lungs. As long as they are stable, no drugs. In fact, I've not gotten any medical treatment and the last chest X-ray actually showed some improvement in my lungs. In this group, there are people who have been treated with the "big three" and others have not or have stopped taking them after a period of time. So it is not mandatory that everybody with bronchiectasis and MAC absolutely has to be on the 3 major antibiotics. It all depends on whether one's conditions warrant them. Let's hope your conditions will be stable for the foreseeable future so you can get on with your life without much concern.

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Hi, Ling. you sound a lot like me. No outward symptoms but a minor cough. I asked my Infectious Disease doctor about not treating but, without elaborating, she just shook her head as if it would be a dire outcome. I am so tempted not to start the meds but I am also afraid not to! My latest x-ray also showed some improvement of the lung nodules. I wonder how many people have had their doctor say it is okay to hold off on the meds?

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@ling123

@1065408 Hi Barbara, I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis and MAC in October 2014 after coughing up a large amount of blood. I have opted not to take the "big three" antibiotics because my pulmonary doctor didn't think my condition was bad enough to warrant the risk of damages to my other organs with long-term drug treatment. Just like you, other than coughing and excessive mucus, I feel very normal. And my chest X-rays do not show any worsening of my lung conditions. And I have no breathing problems either. So my decision is to diligently keep an eye on the conditions of my lungs. As long as they are stable, no drugs. In fact, I've not gotten any medical treatment and the last chest X-ray actually showed some improvement in my lungs. In this group, there are people who have been treated with the "big three" and others have not or have stopped taking them after a period of time. So it is not mandatory that everybody with bronchiectasis and MAC absolutely has to be on the 3 major antibiotics. It all depends on whether one's conditions warrant them. Let's hope your conditions will be stable for the foreseeable future so you can get on with your life without much concern.

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Hi trussi. I was diagnosed April this year. Although I have a nasty cough and some shortness of breath, I do not feel badly. Due to other complications I possess with antibiotic allergies and a-fib, my physicians are monitoring the disease. I have not started treatment.

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@ling123

@1065408 Hi Barbara, I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis and MAC in October 2014 after coughing up a large amount of blood. I have opted not to take the "big three" antibiotics because my pulmonary doctor didn't think my condition was bad enough to warrant the risk of damages to my other organs with long-term drug treatment. Just like you, other than coughing and excessive mucus, I feel very normal. And my chest X-rays do not show any worsening of my lung conditions. And I have no breathing problems either. So my decision is to diligently keep an eye on the conditions of my lungs. As long as they are stable, no drugs. In fact, I've not gotten any medical treatment and the last chest X-ray actually showed some improvement in my lungs. In this group, there are people who have been treated with the "big three" and others have not or have stopped taking them after a period of time. So it is not mandatory that everybody with bronchiectasis and MAC absolutely has to be on the 3 major antibiotics. It all depends on whether one's conditions warrant them. Let's hope your conditions will be stable for the foreseeable future so you can get on with your life without much concern.

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My husband was advised not to take the meds as the med's side effects can be so extreme.

REPLY
@ling123

@1065408 Hi Barbara, I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis and MAC in October 2014 after coughing up a large amount of blood. I have opted not to take the "big three" antibiotics because my pulmonary doctor didn't think my condition was bad enough to warrant the risk of damages to my other organs with long-term drug treatment. Just like you, other than coughing and excessive mucus, I feel very normal. And my chest X-rays do not show any worsening of my lung conditions. And I have no breathing problems either. So my decision is to diligently keep an eye on the conditions of my lungs. As long as they are stable, no drugs. In fact, I've not gotten any medical treatment and the last chest X-ray actually showed some improvement in my lungs. In this group, there are people who have been treated with the "big three" and others have not or have stopped taking them after a period of time. So it is not mandatory that everybody with bronchiectasis and MAC absolutely has to be on the 3 major antibiotics. It all depends on whether one's conditions warrant them. Let's hope your conditions will be stable for the foreseeable future so you can get on with your life without much concern.

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@trissi Right now there is such a diversity in the opinions as to how to treatment this disease. That tells me that the doctors really don't know what is the best treatment plan. I guess putting someone on 3 antibiotics is a safer bet to many doctors. But from what I've read so far, the longer one goes on antibiotics, the more resistant the bacteria will become. And there is no guarantee that long-term drug treatment will even cure MAC because people can get re-infected and the bacteria can grow resistant to the drugs. So far I'm still happy with the decision that me and my pulmonary doctor had made 3 years ago: wait and watch. I don't know whether my condition will ever worsen. But since I can do anything anyone without MAC can do, I'm not going to lose sleep over it. I will cross that bridge when I get there, if I ever get there. I can imagine your dilemma when your doctor wants you to take the drugs but you are very hesitant to take them. Is there a way to discuss with her whether the drugs can be taken in a way that will do the least damage and have the least negative effect on your daily living?

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@ling123

@1065408 Hi Barbara, I was diagnosed with bronchiectasis and MAC in October 2014 after coughing up a large amount of blood. I have opted not to take the "big three" antibiotics because my pulmonary doctor didn't think my condition was bad enough to warrant the risk of damages to my other organs with long-term drug treatment. Just like you, other than coughing and excessive mucus, I feel very normal. And my chest X-rays do not show any worsening of my lung conditions. And I have no breathing problems either. So my decision is to diligently keep an eye on the conditions of my lungs. As long as they are stable, no drugs. In fact, I've not gotten any medical treatment and the last chest X-ray actually showed some improvement in my lungs. In this group, there are people who have been treated with the "big three" and others have not or have stopped taking them after a period of time. So it is not mandatory that everybody with bronchiectasis and MAC absolutely has to be on the 3 major antibiotics. It all depends on whether one's conditions warrant them. Let's hope your conditions will be stable for the foreseeable future so you can get on with your life without much concern.

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Thanks for your input. It's interesting that your pulmonary doctor agrees that you can wait and see. I still feel I need to get a second opinion but it seems that it depends on the doctor and they all have their own opinions. I assume your doctor is not in Arizona?

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