Nebulizing antibiotics to bypass the GI tract

[CrimpJiggler]

I don't have an appendix so my body will have a much harder time recovering from antibiotics if they wipe out my intestinal bacteria. An obvious solution to that would be to ingest the antibiotic parentereally. I'd prefer not to go the intravenous route or any other routes involving needles so I'm thinking a nebulizer would be the way to go. Anyone here have any experience with this kinda thing?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I've never heard of any noticeable complication of not having an appendix like this. Have you consulted your doctor to see if this is an actual possibility? There are often good reasons as to why antibiotics are administered as they are and techniques like nebulizing may not be available.

 

[bobze]

Most antibiotics are weak acids or bases, so their route of administration is used to get the best bioavailability in the targeted tissue compartment possible. Some antibiotics (because of their properties--ie; size, lipophobicity, type of metabolism, etc) simply cannot be administered by other methods to reach sufficient concentrations in the target body compartment.

If its something concerning you for a certain antibiotic you should speak with your GP or family doc about it before starting a course.

 

[CrimpJiggler]

I've never heard of any noticeable complication of not having an appendix like this. Have you consulted your doctor to see if this is an actual possibility? There are often good reasons as to why antibiotics are administered as they are and techniques like nebulizing may not be available.

In the past it was commonly believed by medical professionals that the appendix served no useful function for modern man. Today, we know that this isn't the case. The appendix plays a large role in housing and producing bacteria which inhabit the intestines. I've had IBS symptoms ever since I had my appendix removed 10 years ago and I don't think its a coincidence.

As for good reasons for route of administration, I know. I'm an applied chemistry student, I know a thing or two about medicinal chemistry (that happens to be my favorite subject in chemistry).

Most antibiotics are weak acids or bases, so their route of administration is used to get the best bioavailability in the targeted tissue compartment possible.

I have the pharmacokinetics worked out. I was just asking for people to share their experiences with this.

 

[bobze]

In the past it was commonly believed by medical professionals that the appendix served no useful function for modern man. Today, we know that this isn't the case. The appendix plays a large role in housing and producing bacteria which inhabit the intestines. I've had IBS symptoms ever since I had my appendix removed 10 years ago and I don't think its a coincidence.

Well, this is a hypothesis for the purpose of the appendix in man. There is some evidence to support it and some going against it. Particularly the inhabitants of the bowel change over the course of the bowels. Which means that the appendix, being situated off the ileocecal junction isn't in a well suited spot to fulfill this function.

 

[CrimpJiggler]

Ah right, thanks for informing me about that, I haven't actually researched the matter myself, I just heard this in a documentary. My personal experience seems to coincide with this hypothesis. Ever since I had my appendix removed I've had digestive problems. I'm far more prone to diarrhea than the average person and the diarrhea I get comes with this severe (I've never experienced pain this intense from anything else), stabbing pain in my lower abdomen. I have a plethora of miscellaneous gut problems on top of that but nothing very problematic.

You say that the inhabitants of the bowel change from place to place. Pathogenic bacteria can be easily observed (because they usually produce symptoms wherever they are) to migrate and can colonise multiple areas of the GI tract, I don't think that's a very good argument against this hypothesis. Thats just my uninformed opinion though, I don't really have enough knowledge on this to have a valid opinion.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Personal anecdotes and uninformed opinions are against PF rules. Stick to references to published science or the thread will be locked.