Cozumel questions - staying on the cheap

[ggunn]

... ended up getting sick as a dog while there. After taking the Cipro, I was better within four hours with little to no side effects.

I am not a doctor, either, but if your condition changed in just four hours there's a good chance the Cipro didn't bring it about. The last time I got sick in Mexico (last May), I was fine in only about four hours after an Extreme Bathroom Experience, and I didn't take anything at all. I was sick as a dog at 3AM and on the dive boat at 8AM feeling fine.

 

[diverken374]

The point that I was trying to make was that treating the symptom of diarrhea with imodium alone has potential risks as you are trying to treat the symptom not the cause. Most traveller's diarrhea simply resolves on it's own without any active treatment. I fully agree that antibiotics are quite overused however taking cipro for a day or two on the vacation that you have planned for a year or more may not be all that bad. Again not what this post was originally started.

 

[Merchant]

stayed at hotel coz, august 18 thou the 25th paid 1503.17 w tax , flight from tx to coz airport 5 2 tank dives and 4 after noon dives included all inclusive single occupancy. '

oh add 140.00 to that for 100cf tanks .... i huf air still not used to the whole drift dive thing......

only thing extra i paid for was dinner out 2 times food at the hotel was fresh eggs every morning lunch at the grill next to the dive shop was ok. dinners always had something fresh made from roast pork to fish and or chicken or beef. + other selections. think the two best meals were breakfast and dinner. well worth the price. next time i think im going to stay at casa mexicana in town and eat out every day.

el moro was incredible and cheep 22 bucks nice entree few drinks and desert. and the food killed anything at the hotel.

 

[DandyDon]

It's hard to spend $22 at El Moro?

Dive Paradise charges $10/tank for 100 cf upgrades?!

Glad you had a good trip.

 

[WOODMAN]

The point that I was trying to make was that treating the symptom of diarrhea with imodium alone has potential risks as you are trying to treat the symptom not the cause. Most traveller's diarrhea simply resolves on it's own without any active treatment. I fully agree that antibiotics are quite overused however taking cipro for a day or two on the vacation that you have planned for a year or more may not be all that bad. Again not what this post was originally started.

How many times do we have to pound on this? Taking a powerful antibiotic like cipro for "a day or two on vacation" is exactly how the antibiotic resistance phenomenon has arisen. This has been discussed here ad nauseum before, but the basic rule is to take enough of the drug to reach effective blood levels, and then to keep it there for at least 4-5 days, and preferably a week. There are exceptions to this of course, but this is the general rule of thumb. Giving only a little of the drug for a very short time is what allows bugs to become acclimated and resistant to the stuff. Also, as mentioned above, these drugs take anywhere from 24-48 hours to reach effective levels, so a change in condition which occurs in 6-12 hours after dosing has nothing to do with the antibiotic you just took. C'mon folks, doctor evaluations are surprisingly cheap in Coz, and available in numerous places. Do this the intelligent way, and let a professional help you. Woody