Question about pinkeye (no, not asking for a diagnosis or treatment - just a general question)

[Kittenmommy]

So, last week I was diagnosed with pinkeye in my left eye.

I was given Sulfamethoxazole tablets to be taken twice a day for two weeks, and Ciprofloxacin drops to be instilled in each eye (even though only one eye was affected) every two hours for the first two days, and then every four hours for five days.

My regular pharmacy had the pills, but not the drops. The pharmacist told me to take a pill and try to find the drops somewhere else. I took a pill, and within an hour the eye felt better. I called all over town and finally found a pharmacy that had the drops.

My question is, what if I'd never gotten the drops? What if I'd just taken the pills? My theory is that the pills would have eventually knocked out the infection, and that the drops just accelerated the process because they were applied directly to the eye. So I'd have gotten better, but it would have taken longer.

Am I right? I'm just curious. Tonight is my last night on the drops, but honestly I'm going to take them until they're gone because antibiotic.

Thanks in advance!

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[DrZeke]

So, last week I was diagnosed with pinkeye in my left eye.

I was given Sulfamethoxazole tablets to be taken twice a day for two weeks, and Ciprofloxacin drops to be instilled in each eye (even though only one eye was affected) every two hours for the first two days, and then every four hours for five days.

My regular pharmacy had the pills, but not the drops. The pharmacist told me to take a pill and try to find the drops somewhere else. I took a pill, and within an hour the eye felt better. I called all over town and finally found a pharmacy that had the drops.

My question is, what if I'd never gotten the drops? What if I'd just taken the pills? My theory is that the pills would have eventually knocked out the infection, and that the drops just accelerated the process because they were applied directly to the eye. So I'd have gotten better, but it would have taken longer.

Am I right? I'm just curious. Tonight is my last night on the drops, but honestly I'm going to take them until they're gone because antibiotic.

Thanks in advance! .

Your question cannot be answered here.


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[Kittenmommy]

Your question cannot be answered here.

Why not? I don't want a diagnosis (already have one!), I don't want treatment advice (am following exactly what the doctor said to do!), I just wanted to know if hypothetically the pills would be enough to knock out that infection. I mean, the pills work systemically, so I'd think they'd work eventually, but not as fast as pills + drops.

 

[DrZeke]

"Pink eye" is not a diagnosis. None of us have examined you. None of us know what is actually wrong with you. You're asking for medical advice. Hypothetical or theoretical or not.


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[Kittenmommy]

"Pink eye" is not a diagnosis. None of us have examined you. None of us know what is actually wrong with you. You're asking for medical advice. Hypothetical or theoretical or not.

Fair enough!

I have the paperwork somewhere with the diagnosis on it, but meh. The eye is better, so whatever! It was just a hypothetical question!

 

[gutonc]

Medical advice. Closing.