Please Help With Penicillin V Dosage

Bluemachine

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I started penicillin v this morning as prescribed: 500mg 4 times per day but after reading a quote from peat saying something along the lines of 'it's the large doses that can cause problems' when referring to antibiotics I'm now worried I could do more harm than good. What does peat mean by this? Hopefully just as a risk for allergy (as I haven't had an allergic reaction)
 
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Bluemachine

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Okay so.. 2nd day taking this; feeling depressed and irritable, after my 5th 500mg dose I started to feel dizzy and sort of blurred vision. I want to stop or cut down the dose but my parent is urging me to take them as prescribed and I am concerned as people seem pretty adamant on you finishing the course at the correct dose. Any help would be greatly appreciated! I know it's sort of recommended here to take smaller doses for a shorter time. I just want to be sure I'm not going to get some sort of nasty resistant strain or whatever the reasoning behind conventional dosing recommendations are.
 
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Bluemachine

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@haidut sorry to bother you, don't suppose you could offer any wisdom here? I am waiting for a call back from a doctor. Just getting a bit stressed not knowing what to do.
 
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I started penicillin v this morning as prescribed: 500mg 4 times per day but after reading a quote from peat saying something along the lines of 'it's the large doses that can cause problems' when referring to antibiotics I'm now worried I could do more harm than good. What does peat mean by this? Hopefully just as a risk for allergy (as I haven't had an allergic reaction)

No, Ray Peat just has many ideas on a lot of topics. The Antibiotics were titrated in their dose along true empirical evidence, live experiments; they have these ideas about dosage for good reasons. All penicillins have an excellent safety profile and track record.
 
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Bluemachine

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Perhaps it was the excipients that was giving me issues. Either way I had to stop, the depression got really bad & I was not desperate for another episode of the dizziness/vertigo. I think the root of my issues is some sort of fungal or parasitic problem not bacterial. Hopefully I haven't left some strong resistant strain of bacteria to thrive, I have started taking oregano oil and plan to start trying other effective herbs
 

yashi

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I don't have first hand experience on this, just from what I read from Peat and on here:
Your symptoms could be endotoxin release from bacteria die off -> leading to high serotonin and the symptoms you describe.
500mg 4 times a day seems huge.

Here are some quotes from Ray about antibiotics (source):

I usually break the tablets up, and use fourths or halves, at intervals according to need. It's important to get some vitamin K1 or K2 when you use an antibiotic (liver or kale, or supplements). Have you checked your thyroid? Low thyroid function is usually behind the dark circles.

For myself, I judge by symptoms; if I feel an effect from a first dose, I take a smaller dose, usually 100mg, the next time, and similar amounts as long as the symptom is decreasing, and when I don't notice any symptom, I take a few smaller doses.

Since most people get some vitamin K from intestinal bacteria, it's important to eat liver or to take a K supplement if you use antibiotics for a long time. After a first big dose or two, you should be able to sense when you have enough in your tissues; it has a noticeable smell or sensation while exhaling. I have found that 3 doses of 100mg per day for a few days is usually enough, after one or two bigger doses.

Since you have the antibiotics there, I'd continue taking them but in lower doses and see how you react. Just spread what you got out, maybe one tablet in 3 doses per day or even lower and just take them for a longer time. Like Ray said, get the ball rolling with one or two bigger doses (which you did) and then 3 smaller doses a day for a few days. Seems like a good approach and is probably better than just stopping them now.
 
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Bluemachine

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I don't have first hand experience on this, just from what I read from Peat and on here:
Your symptoms could be endotoxin release from bacteria die off -> leading to high serotonin and the symptoms you describe.
500mg 4 times a day seems huge.

Here are some quotes from Ray about antibiotics (source):



Since you have the antibiotics there, I'd continue taking them but in lower doses and see how you react. Just spread what you got out, maybe one tablet in 3 doses per day or even lower and just take them for a longer time. Like Ray said, get the ball rolling with one or two bigger doses (which you did) and then 3 smaller doses a day for a few days. Seems like a good approach and is probably better than just stopping them now.
Yes I thought it could be a herxheimer endotoxin reaction.
What is the reasoning behind taking the few smaller doses though? Why would that be more effective than even fewer, larger doses?
 

Kvothe

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I don't have first hand experience on this, just from what I read from Peat and on here:
Your symptoms could be endotoxin release from bacteria die off -> leading to high serotonin and the symptoms you describe.
500mg 4 times a day seems huge.

That seems unlikely, since penicillin is not effective against gram-negative bacteria.
 

Jayvee

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In the Dr. Peat quote-- is he saying to take 100 mg three times per day for a few days?

just clarifying it that is correct as one might also read it as taking 100mg total each day for three days.

Did you find this out? That to me seems like a good way of dosing.

Any ideas on how to know if antifungal or antiobiotic is better suited for you or is it just a case of experimenting?
 

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