So....why am I feeling so bad?

[malicious-pengy.livejournal.com]

This is going to be a long one, but I'm trying to include all the details that people may need to know. It's basically about trouble with UTI and yeast meds, with other possible factors included.

9:00 - had an appointment to see why my vagina was discharge-y, my vulva was sore, and my throat hurt. Results: a yeast infection, a UTI, and probably just the common cold. And my depression is back again.
9:30 - had four little vials of blood drawn, one ironically to test for anemia
10:00 - picked up my medicine from the pharmacy. Was instructed to take the first dose of everything when I got home. Decided to try one of the numbing cough drops.
11:00 - got home, took the anti-yeast, the antibiotics, and the higher dose antidepressant, along with more ibuprofen. No food, just a full glass of water. Left again for class.
11:15 - my coffee stand was closed, so I bought a hot chocolate out of the hot drink dispenser in the basement. Normally I wouldn't be so desperate, but my throat really hurt.
11:45 - start feeling nauseous.
12:00 - leave class, sit in bathroom for a while.
12:10 - slowly have to walk back to my apartment. Stop several times to sit. Felt stomach contents coming up more than once.
12:40 - finally get back to my apartment. Sit on the edge of the tub and spit into the toilet, gave up and came back to my computer desk.
1:20 - eating saltines and still feeling waves of nausea.


Food:
Cereal and saltines
A couple large glasses of water
That hot chocolate. (I'm suspicious of it because it came from a dispensing machine in the basement, and honestly tasted a little odd.)

Medicine:
- An antibiotic for the UTI. (I seem to remember someone telling me antibiotics can make them sick to their stomach, but I'm not sure.)

- Fluconazole for the yeast infection. (I think that I have an antifungal sensitivity. She mostly prescribed it because I told her I'm allergic to yogurt. At first I thought that maybe this stuff is derived from the cultures in yogurt, but after some google, I don't think that's the case. Nausea was a possible side effect, but it looks like it might be a very low rate thing?)

- A dose of ibuprofen (No previous trouble.)

- A dose of my shiny new dosage of my old antidepressant (No previous trouble)

- That cough drop. (Previous trouble. Cough drops have made me throw up before, but only in large doses, like two or three back to back.)

Comments

[saraiel.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you normally take meds on an empty stomach, but taking that many pills without any food is asking for trouble! Well at least for me.

Maybe try eating some crackers before hand?

Also I just took Fluconazole about an hour ago and I don't feel any nausea at all. And I haven't any other time I took it, so I'd say that's a pretty low rate thing like you said.

[malicious-pengy.livejournal.com]

I've gotten surprisingly used to taking medicine without food. The only one I really need to sustain life can only be taken on an empty stomach, so I just started taking all of my normal meds with it.

All three were "with or without food". I probably would have eaten anyway, except that I arrived at my apartment at 11:00 and had to leave at 11:05. :/ Oh well.

[eggsnail.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. Okay, two things. Firstly, what kind of antibiotics did they put you on? You did well drinking lots of water, as every antibiotic I've ever been put on says take with LOTS of water. They generally advise to take with food, as well. Did they give you any of the azo-standard type pills? (The ones that make your pee turn orange.) You're supposed to take those with food, and I made the mistake of taking them (I am currently on a round of Cipro for a UTI, myself) without eating anything a few days ago and then minutes later, promptly threw up. You didn't list those, but I just wanted to be thorough.

Also, have you ever been on any of the sulfa drugs? They actually put me on some form of sulfa drug antibiotic for the UTI I'm currently treating, and I had a terrible reaction to them. Evidently, a lot of people do. I had nausea and one of the worst and most persistent headaches I've ever had in my entire life. It was awful. I had to stop taking them and they put me on the Cipro I'm taking now, which I've taken before and never had a problem with. Honestly, it sounds to me like you're taking too much medicine on an empty stomach for your stomach to handle. I'd recommend continuing to eat some crackers and maybe sipping some water or something fizzy to calm your stomach.

Hope you feel better!

ETA: For general knowledge purposes, the reaction to the sulfa drug also gave me some pretty intense and uncomfortable joint pain.

[malicious-pengy.livejournal.com]

It was abbreviated on the label, but I guess it's trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Is that what you mean by a sulfa drug? I'm going to assume so. Frick, my joints are not good during the best of times.

It didn't say take with food, and (as I said in the other comment) it's usually not a problem for me, but I guess I will definitely eat now.

[malicious-pengy.livejournal.com]

Ugh. And to make this little chapter of my life even more pleasant...

No matter how much I tell myself I need water, it just hurts so much to swallow.

Argh.

[paraxeni.livejournal.com]

Antibiotics can be hell if taken on an empty stomach. Some even warn in the info leaflet that you mustn't do that because it can cause severe gastric irritation and bleeding. Combine that with a known stomach irritant like ibuprofen (or any NSAID) and that'll make you feel awful. When I was on them again a few weeks ago I had no appetite at all and asked my nurse what the bare minimum intake would need to be to avoid feeling sick. She recommended something like a banana, or some bread, or a glass of milk. Anything reasonably solid or thick that will stop the meds being the only thing in your stomach.

[malicious-pengy.livejournal.com]

Rawrggh. I wish it had just come with a "Take with food" sticker on it. That would make so much sense.

Thank you.

[lilium-vitiate.livejournal.com]

It seems you've solved the stomach problem... YAY!

On an unrelated note, be wary of eating milky things when you have a cold. They will increase your mucus production, making your cough/cold worse and possibly causing stomach upset by way of all the mucus you're swallowing.

[helenkacan.livejournal.com]

In one of your comments, you said it hurts to swallow. Well, do you have any straws at home? If you sip through a straw, you generally won't have that gulping action that can hurt the throat muscles. You can also alternate by doing what's common in hospitals: suck on ice chips. The water will trickle down at a more gradual pace.

[selaphobia.livejournal.com]

i wanted to piggy back on this comment and the one before it. drinking hot liquids can help relax & soothe the throat muscles, but as someone above said, milk creates more mucus. try drinking tea, or failing that, mix some lemon juice into hot water & add honey.

this lemon/honey fake tea drink will also help if you get a cough, although if you're *really* coughing hard, add half a shot of whiskey (or whatever sounds good to you) to the hot lemon/honey "tea" drink. alcohol absorbs quickly into the tissues in your throat and relaxes the muscles enough to relieve a cough, then the honey coats the throat to keep the cough from coming back. (i only add this part on because i always get a cough at the end of a cold.)

[actorgrl04.livejournal.com]

I agree with everyone, taking that many meds on an empty stomach is not a good idea, no matter how used to it you are. i tried taking Ibuprofin on an empty stomach once and it was not a pleasant experience!!
i am taking a anitbiotic for an UTI and even though i had one little thing to eat with it, it made me feel sick.

[st-aurafina.livejournal.com]

Cotrimazole (sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim) should definitely be taken after food, it's a classic for causing reflux and oesophagitis - that and the ibuprofen on an empty stomach might have been a bit much, maybe? You could try an antacid to settle it down - I'd look for something that's an alginate-base - that would be Gaviscon down here in Australia, I don't know US brands, sorry.

The other thing I'd be looking at is the combination of fluconazole and your antidepressant - if you take an SSRI, it may not be compatible with fluconazole. That's a dose dependent interaction - the fluconazole stops your body from breaking down the anti-depressant. You mentioned you had a dosage increase in your antidepressant - if it's an SSRI, you might have accidentally increased your blood levels more than expected. If the fluconazole is a single dose situation, I wouldn't worry. If it's an ongoing treatment, I would suggest checking with your doctor or your pharmacist on that one.

[malicious-pengy.livejournal.com]

I'm just angry at the pharmacist at this point. Every medicine I've ever gotten from there that requires food had the "Take with food" sticker.

The fluconazole was a one-time dose. I don't think I'm on an SSRI, but the doctor prescribed them both at the same time.

[leeshers.livejournal.com]

I dont know about the sore throat, but I know when I first started the anti depressant I am on, or if I forget for a day or two and then start again I get really nasous.

Also, it could be unrelated to your medications. You could have a UTI, a yeast infection and the flu/cold

[malicious-pengy.livejournal.com]

No, I definitely know it was a cold. I included it because cough drops could be another reason to be nauseous, for me at least.