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[pct-l] Giardia Test at the Kick-Off Party - (Was Giaradia



> Maybe it is a bad idea for YOU....

Yes, and for everyone else that will have to deal with the resistant
bacteria produced.
After some quick searching, I found that Tinidazole isn't a antibiotic at
all, but an antiparasitic that is not approved for use in the US. I don't
know a whole lot about antiparasitic, so I don't know if they suffer from
the same possible resistance problems. While from what I can find,
Tinidazole is an effective treatment for a giardia infection, it can have
some side effects[1].

> You didn't read what I wrote did you? the treatment for Giardia is ONE
dose
> (24 hours), so this argument doesn't hold water.
>
> did you even bother to read the article in the link?

Yes, I did. A link to a *hiking* website, not a medical one.
I am woried that posts like your will encourage people to self-prescribe
medication, which is not a good idea, that some people will simple see
"antibiotic" and "cure giardia in 24 hours", and anytime the feel a little
gassy on the trail, pop some more (useless) antibiotics, contributing to the
resitance problem.

A link that talks about this problem, from a medical standpoint and not a
hiker's:
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/795_antibio.html

And if you *do* decide to get some antibiotics and self-medicate, please at
least remember to [2]:

a.. Take drugs as directed by your doctor or pharmacist. Don't stop taking a
drug part way through the course of treatment, unless you are having a
serious adverse reaction, without first discussing it with your doctor. Even
if you feel better, use the entire prescription as directed to make sure
that all the germs are destroyed.

a.. Don't share your prescriptions with anyone else. Taking an inappropriate
drug only makes the resistance problem worse

A doctor is competent to diagnose Giardia, and suggrest the most helpful
treatment. He has a lot more information on these drugs, their interactions
with other drugs (see [1] below for some side effects and interactions with
Tinidazole), etc.
A random guy on a mailing-list is not, no matter how well-intentioned.

Gray

[1] http://www.aidsinfonyc.org/pwahg/info/tini.html
[2] (quoted from
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/iyh/medical/antibiotic.html).