Fatigue After Antibiotic – Over-prescribed Medication Dirty Secret

Fatigue after antibiotic use may not simply be the result of attempting to overcome an infection.  200 years ago, pharmaceutical antibiotics did not exist.  100 years ago they were hailed as one of the greatest life saving discoveries of the time.  Today, they may well be the most overlooked contributor to your low energy, along with a long list of other side effects that are even worse.  Has the time come where we are better off without antibiotics?

“Not So Dandy” Candy

I have often heard some say that antibiotics are handed out like candy.  In a time where we warn kids not to take candy from strangers, patients daily take antibiotics prescriptions from doctors, many of which they are meeting for the first time.  Effectively, they are a stranger, and yet the risk associated with an antibiotic, especially some classes, far outweighs that of the occasional candy, though I am not advocating that either.

Catch a cold, have a sinus infection, dealing with a urinary tract infection ladies?  Each of these are common reasons for which antibiotics are provided.  We have reached a point where the “gold standard” of treatment for any infection is an antibiotic.  It must be appreciated though that the risks of antibiotics are often greater than the benefits, expect in the most dire of situations, for example anthrax, plague and bacterial pneumonia.  Only the later of which do we see any appreciable cases of.  So I ask again, has the time come where we are better off with antibiotics?

Could This Be the Root Cause of Your Fatigue?

Hopefully at this point, I at least have you thinking.  Since I do, tell me if you can swallow this food for thought.  Has the use of antibiotics created a lasting fatigue that you are struggling to overcome?  If you have ever taken an antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone family, this could be the case.  You are going to better recognize names like Levaquin and Cipro.  These are a toxic class of medications, the risks of which are only recently appreciated, especially as it relates to fatigue.

One Mineral Changes Everything

Medications by nature alter the function of the body.  This means that there is more times than not an unintended consequence.  We call these side effects.  Antibiotics of the fluoroquinolone family like Levaquin and Cipro are no exception.  This class of medication exhibits both antibiotic and non-antibiotic effects and it is the non-antibiotic effects that are draining your energy.  So just for clarity, I am saying that these antibiotic have actions besides acting like an antibiotic.  This non-antibiotic effect directly targets one of the most energy support nutrients in the body.

If you have ever had  anemia, there is a chance your were told to take iron.  Iron is an energy nutrient.  I have more than once recommended iron for low energy related to anemia when appropriate.  The point being, iron is necessary for dealing with fatigue, especially fatigue after antibiotic use.  So what is the connection to antibiotics?  The fluoroquinolone antibiotics bind iron.  That’s bad!  Iron is needed in several areas in the body, especially those related to energy production.

It Gets Worse . . . A Lot Worse

So I don’t want to scare you, but fatigue after antibiotic use could be just the start.  Turns out, using the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics can also have some additional damaging effects, even to your genes.  That is severe.  Because of this level of dysfunction, even damage to the tendons that connect the bones and muscles as well as the kidneys has been observed.  This is serious folks.  I don’t think you were expecting to have to deal with ongoing fatigue after using antibiotics.

Like I said, it gets worse.  Here is the really bad part.  The damage may be potentially irreversible.  Although I would add that there are some things that you can do to help that are often overlooked.  More on that in a minute.  Just know for now that if you have stopped an antibiotic recently and aren’t noticing any problems, you are still at risk.  Hours and weeks after using these antibiotics, damage to the kidneys, muscles, tendons, joints, nerves and even the central nervous system are still a threat to you.

Is There Hope for Fatigue After Antibiotic Use?

If I ended this on a low note only having dumped a bunch of negative information on you, it just wouldn’t be right.  So let’s look at your options with a focus on seeing your fatigue improve.  First off, you need a blood test to check for fatigue.  More specifically, you need to have a blood count and really determine if and how much iron you could benefit from.  This is your first step before all others.  Start here.  There are other reasons antibiotics are contributing to your fatigue, but those are secondary until you rule out whether or not low iron is causing your fatigue issues.

From there, you can begin to navigate a recovery process.  Fatigue after antibiotic use does not have to be a way of life.