Antibiotic question...levaquin vs vibratab?

Question

i have a prescription for levaquin 500mg and also some doxycycline (vibratab) 100mg. i have an earache and sore throat. which would be better to get rid of the infection?

Answer 1

misoma is right.  You most likely have a viral infection (bacterial infections tend to make you SICK - fever, chills, etc).  Antibiotics do nothing at all to viruses.

All medications have side effects and risks, so if you take either of those antibiotics, you're incurring all of the risk for no benefit.

Treat your cold symptoms, and if things get worse, see a physician.

Answer 2

C. None of the above.

Based on the information given, the chances of the antibiotic doing harm are greater than the chances of it doing good. And even if you had, say, a strep throat, there would be good reasons to avoid those antibiotics, the Vibratab especially.

Answer 3

An earache and a sore throat can be viral or bacterial.  You really should go see a physician and get properly diagnosed.  Plus if you don't have a complete prescription (like only a few tabs lying around) you can induce the bacteria to become resistant to the antibiotic.  And then you'll have a harder time finding an antibiotic to treat the infection.  

Having said that, doxycycline is generally used for vaginal infections, but can also be used to treat certain types of pneumonias, rickettsia and in combination with other drugs for H. Pylori.  Levaquin is a better broad spectrum antibiotic.  But you really don't know what you're treating.