General questions

Would antibiotics for something else have cured it by accident?

I had a course of antibiotics for a chest infection two months ago, somewhere between the exposure and the test. Could that have cleared something and made my test negative?

back_porch 4 months ago

NoteMember experience, not medical advice. Symptoms overlap between infections and only a test can tell them apart.

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green_door 4 months ago

It can happen, though not reliably. Some antibiotics used for other infections do have activity against some of these organisms, at doses and durations that may or may not be enough.

The awkward middle outcome is partial treatment: enough to suppress symptoms and possibly the test, not enough to cure.

apple_crate 4 months ago

Tell the clinic what you took and when. It changes how they read a negative result and it may change whether they want to retest you later.

kettle_on 4 months ago

What it definitely does not do is cover the viral ones. Antibiotics have no effect at all on HIV, herpes or HPV, and people sometimes take odd reassurance from a course of tablets for something unrelated.

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