monotherapy vs. synergy

Skye · Jan 19, 2008

Hi all,

I am starting IV antibiotics next week. We have decided on zosyn and oral bactrim. He does not want to do any mycin drugs d/t ototoxicity. I would like any opinions on Zosyn as I have never been on it before. What to watch out for as far as side effects? Also, has anyone else done this as a monotherapy and oral antibiotic. I am concerned it will not be effective all by its lonesome. I don't really understand the concepts of synergy. Zosyn is some kind of mix too, isn't it?? Thanks for help and comments!!

Skye · Jan 19, 2008

Hi all,

I am starting IV antibiotics next week. We have decided on zosyn and oral bactrim. He does not want to do any mycin drugs d/t ototoxicity. I would like any opinions on Zosyn as I have never been on it before. What to watch out for as far as side effects? Also, has anyone else done this as a monotherapy and oral antibiotic. I am concerned it will not be effective all by its lonesome. I don't really understand the concepts of synergy. Zosyn is some kind of mix too, isn't it?? Thanks for help and comments!!

Skye · Jan 19, 2008

Hi all,

I am starting IV antibiotics next week. We have decided on zosyn and oral bactrim. He does not want to do any mycin drugs d/t ototoxicity. I would like any opinions on Zosyn as I have never been on it before. What to watch out for as far as side effects? Also, has anyone else done this as a monotherapy and oral antibiotic. I am concerned it will not be effective all by its lonesome. I don't really understand the concepts of synergy. Zosyn is some kind of mix too, isn't it?? Thanks for help and comments!!

Skye · Jan 19, 2008

Hi all,

I am starting IV antibiotics next week. We have decided on zosyn and oral bactrim. He does not want to do any mycin drugs d/t ototoxicity. I would like any opinions on Zosyn as I have never been on it before. What to watch out for as far as side effects? Also, has anyone else done this as a monotherapy and oral antibiotic. I am concerned it will not be effective all by its lonesome. I don't really understand the concepts of synergy. Zosyn is some kind of mix too, isn't it?? Thanks for help and comments!!

Skye · Jan 19, 2008

Hi all,

I am starting IV antibiotics next week. We have decided on zosyn and oral bactrim. He does not want to do any mycin drugs d/t ototoxicity. I would like any opinions on Zosyn as I have never been on it before. What to watch out for as far as side effects? Also, has anyone else done this as a monotherapy and oral antibiotic. I am concerned it will not be effective all by its lonesome. I don't really understand the concepts of synergy. Zosyn is some kind of mix too, isn't it?? Thanks for help and comments!!

Sevenstars · Jan 19, 2008

Basically synergy therapy is used because the sum of 2 drugs working together is sometimes better than each individual drug alone. Essentially 'the sum is greater than the parts' if you will. Usually it is used for more resistant bugs, or when traditional therapies fail. However that's not to say that it's always necessary, so just using the minimal required antibiotic to kill your bugs is preferred. (I hope that makes sense)

Personally I've been on Zosyn a million times, with good results. I think I had it first when I was 16 or so, with no side effects. I've taken it for years and years with no bad side effects whatsoever and it always cleared up my infections quite well. The last time I took it, however, I got some nausea which they treated with Reglan. There are tons of things they can give you for nausea and I've had Compazine (I had bad side effects, but supposedly its a very good drug), Zofran and Phenergan. If you happen to get nausea I'd ask for any one of those but hopefully you won't. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Hope you feel better soon! Tell us how the Zosyn goes for you.

Sevenstars · Jan 19, 2008

Basically synergy therapy is used because the sum of 2 drugs working together is sometimes better than each individual drug alone. Essentially 'the sum is greater than the parts' if you will. Usually it is used for more resistant bugs, or when traditional therapies fail. However that's not to say that it's always necessary, so just using the minimal required antibiotic to kill your bugs is preferred. (I hope that makes sense)

Personally I've been on Zosyn a million times, with good results. I think I had it first when I was 16 or so, with no side effects. I've taken it for years and years with no bad side effects whatsoever and it always cleared up my infections quite well. The last time I took it, however, I got some nausea which they treated with Reglan. There are tons of things they can give you for nausea and I've had Compazine (I had bad side effects, but supposedly its a very good drug), Zofran and Phenergan. If you happen to get nausea I'd ask for any one of those but hopefully you won't. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Hope you feel better soon! Tell us how the Zosyn goes for you.

Sevenstars · Jan 19, 2008

Basically synergy therapy is used because the sum of 2 drugs working together is sometimes better than each individual drug alone. Essentially 'the sum is greater than the parts' if you will. Usually it is used for more resistant bugs, or when traditional therapies fail. However that's not to say that it's always necessary, so just using the minimal required antibiotic to kill your bugs is preferred. (I hope that makes sense)

Personally I've been on Zosyn a million times, with good results. I think I had it first when I was 16 or so, with no side effects. I've taken it for years and years with no bad side effects whatsoever and it always cleared up my infections quite well. The last time I took it, however, I got some nausea which they treated with Reglan. There are tons of things they can give you for nausea and I've had Compazine (I had bad side effects, but supposedly its a very good drug), Zofran and Phenergan. If you happen to get nausea I'd ask for any one of those but hopefully you won't. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Hope you feel better soon! Tell us how the Zosyn goes for you.

Sevenstars · Jan 19, 2008

Basically synergy therapy is used because the sum of 2 drugs working together is sometimes better than each individual drug alone. Essentially 'the sum is greater than the parts' if you will. Usually it is used for more resistant bugs, or when traditional therapies fail. However that's not to say that it's always necessary, so just using the minimal required antibiotic to kill your bugs is preferred. (I hope that makes sense)

Personally I've been on Zosyn a million times, with good results. I think I had it first when I was 16 or so, with no side effects. I've taken it for years and years with no bad side effects whatsoever and it always cleared up my infections quite well. The last time I took it, however, I got some nausea which they treated with Reglan. There are tons of things they can give you for nausea and I've had Compazine (I had bad side effects, but supposedly its a very good drug), Zofran and Phenergan. If you happen to get nausea I'd ask for any one of those but hopefully you won't. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Hope you feel better soon! Tell us how the Zosyn goes for you.

Sevenstars · Jan 19, 2008

Basically synergy therapy is used because the sum of 2 drugs working together is sometimes better than each individual drug alone. Essentially 'the sum is greater than the parts' if you will. Usually it is used for more resistant bugs, or when traditional therapies fail. However that's not to say that it's always necessary, so just using the minimal required antibiotic to kill your bugs is preferred. (I hope that makes sense)

Personally I've been on Zosyn a million times, with good results. I think I had it first when I was 16 or so, with no side effects. I've taken it for years and years with no bad side effects whatsoever and it always cleared up my infections quite well. The last time I took it, however, I got some nausea which they treated with Reglan. There are tons of things they can give you for nausea and I've had Compazine (I had bad side effects, but supposedly its a very good drug), Zofran and Phenergan. If you happen to get nausea I'd ask for any one of those but hopefully you won't. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

Hope you feel better soon! Tell us how the Zosyn goes for you.

mom2lillian · Jan 20, 2008

I am not familiar with using only one IV antibiotic and I have not taken zosyn. I did want to say that you are still getting synergistic effects because you are still using two antibiotics (they dont have to be the same administered route).

The best way I can explain synergy is this: in college we did experiments in our micro classes where a petri dish would be covered in a uniform film of bacteria then we would get these little dots of 'paper' impregnated with one or another antibiotic and you would lay the disk in the dish, all different dishes with all different anti-disk's then you would figure out which ones were the most effective by their 'kill zone' meaning how much of the plate was cleared out after another day of incubation or so, then you would take your top ones and combine two disks on a plate say zosyn and bactrim disk then measure the kill zone and often times it would show a kill zone that was 3x larger than either on their own so this would mean that they killed more bacteria together than either one on their own or than the sum of what each one killed on its own.

I hope this makes sense.

mom2lillian · Jan 20, 2008

I am not familiar with using only one IV antibiotic and I have not taken zosyn. I did want to say that you are still getting synergistic effects because you are still using two antibiotics (they dont have to be the same administered route).

The best way I can explain synergy is this: in college we did experiments in our micro classes where a petri dish would be covered in a uniform film of bacteria then we would get these little dots of 'paper' impregnated with one or another antibiotic and you would lay the disk in the dish, all different dishes with all different anti-disk's then you would figure out which ones were the most effective by their 'kill zone' meaning how much of the plate was cleared out after another day of incubation or so, then you would take your top ones and combine two disks on a plate say zosyn and bactrim disk then measure the kill zone and often times it would show a kill zone that was 3x larger than either on their own so this would mean that they killed more bacteria together than either one on their own or than the sum of what each one killed on its own.

I hope this makes sense.

mom2lillian · Jan 20, 2008

I am not familiar with using only one IV antibiotic and I have not taken zosyn. I did want to say that you are still getting synergistic effects because you are still using two antibiotics (they dont have to be the same administered route).

The best way I can explain synergy is this: in college we did experiments in our micro classes where a petri dish would be covered in a uniform film of bacteria then we would get these little dots of 'paper' impregnated with one or another antibiotic and you would lay the disk in the dish, all different dishes with all different anti-disk's then you would figure out which ones were the most effective by their 'kill zone' meaning how much of the plate was cleared out after another day of incubation or so, then you would take your top ones and combine two disks on a plate say zosyn and bactrim disk then measure the kill zone and often times it would show a kill zone that was 3x larger than either on their own so this would mean that they killed more bacteria together than either one on their own or than the sum of what each one killed on its own.

I hope this makes sense.

mom2lillian · Jan 20, 2008

I am not familiar with using only one IV antibiotic and I have not taken zosyn. I did want to say that you are still getting synergistic effects because you are still using two antibiotics (they dont have to be the same administered route).

The best way I can explain synergy is this: in college we did experiments in our micro classes where a petri dish would be covered in a uniform film of bacteria then we would get these little dots of 'paper' impregnated with one or another antibiotic and you would lay the disk in the dish, all different dishes with all different anti-disk's then you would figure out which ones were the most effective by their 'kill zone' meaning how much of the plate was cleared out after another day of incubation or so, then you would take your top ones and combine two disks on a plate say zosyn and bactrim disk then measure the kill zone and often times it would show a kill zone that was 3x larger than either on their own so this would mean that they killed more bacteria together than either one on their own or than the sum of what each one killed on its own.

I hope this makes sense.

mom2lillian · Jan 20, 2008

I am not familiar with using only one IV antibiotic and I have not taken zosyn. I did want to say that you are still getting synergistic effects because you are still using two antibiotics (they dont have to be the same administered route).

The best way I can explain synergy is this: in college we did experiments in our micro classes where a petri dish would be covered in a uniform film of bacteria then we would get these little dots of 'paper' impregnated with one or another antibiotic and you would lay the disk in the dish, all different dishes with all different anti-disk's then you would figure out which ones were the most effective by their 'kill zone' meaning how much of the plate was cleared out after another day of incubation or so, then you would take your top ones and combine two disks on a plate say zosyn and bactrim disk then measure the kill zone and often times it would show a kill zone that was 3x larger than either on their own so this would mean that they killed more bacteria together than either one on their own or than the sum of what each one killed on its own.

I hope this makes sense.

rarab43 · Jan 21, 2008