Last week I had an abscess in one of my molars. Dentist prescribed Nu-Cephalex for the infection. I had the tooth out on Friday but dentist said to take the anti-biotic until done, which is at the end of tomorrow. However, it has been giving me terrible stomach cramps. Saturday night I got up and took a Gravol so I could get to sleep. Last night I took Maalox before I went to bed and then had to have a hotwater bottle on my stomach all night.

SO - this morning I phoned the pharmacist and he said that maybe I should get a different anti-biotic, but to call the dentist. So I phone the dentist's office. The girl who answered the phone asked me what I wanted, so I said "I need to ask Dr Buchan if she thinks these side effects mean I should get a different prescription." She says "I think you should keep on taking it." To which I said "Well, I'd rather ask Dr Buchan". The answer to this was that the dentists are busy and that is what "we" at the front desk are for! (Presumably to give out medical advice.)

I called the pharmacist back and told him that the girl who answered the phone told me to keep on with the medication! He just laughed and sighed. I said perhaps she was a dental technician, or maybe she was the receptionist, but I would have thought you were considerably more qualified; you thought I should ask the dentist, but this girl had decided she would advise me!

Don't you find that rather scary? Even if she was a dental technician, I still wouldn't have thought she was qualified to decide whether the side effects warranted stopping the medication! Now I have the dilemma -- do I take the rest of the prescription and put up with constant cramps - or do I quit and risk not getting rid of the infection completely??

Contact a doctor. Tell them you tried to speak to the prescribing dentish but weren't allowed to.

This lists mild cramps as a side effect. If I had bad cramping I would go to Emerge and ask their advice. Hope you feel better soon. Tooth crud is bad enough without having added pain.

http://chealth.canoe.ca/drug_info_de...=466&page_no=2

As its only one more day I would just continue taking the pills

I think I probably will. I had bad cramps this morning, so I "forgot" the lunch time one, but I'll take it in a minute. I just think it could be dangerous - not in my case I don't think - to have non-professionals giving medical advice.

It may be a harmless but painful side effect, on the other hand it may be a co-incidence and you have a sore tum that needs a doctor.

Get yourself off to a medic, and let us know how you get on won't you?

Surely, asking the advice of posters on this site is as silly as "accepting" what the lady on the phone said

I'd just finish it off, your almost done, and some of these new anti-biotics can be not so kind on the body with the side effects.

I disagree. Asking other people what they would do helps you make up your mind. Purley wasn't asking for a medical opinion here.

Yes, I didn't ask for advice. All I said was "don't you find it scary?" that a non-professional would give advice on medication.

I imagine the dentist doesn't know the girl is giving out this kind of advice.

What I decided to do is stop taking the medication. I haven't had a decent night's sleep for ages because of the tooth pain and the stomach cramps. I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow morning and I'm going to get a different antibiotic. I counted them up and I actually don't finish until Wednesday and I can't stand those cramps that long.

I haven't taken one of the meds since 7 am this morning and the cramps have gone.