I got bronchitis 4 months ago and my doctor gave me levaquin, it went away but then I still had minor symptoms of it ever since. Then 2 weeks ago, the bronchitis came back and now my doctor gave me augmentin.
Its only been a day since I’ve been on augmentin but I feel like the levaquin was a lot stronger and had more of an immediate impact. Why would my doctor give me something that is less effective than before?
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It’s not less effective, but the first time you had bronchitis, the bacteria that were killed first were the weak ones. because levaquin didn’t manage to kill all the bacteria, the ones that didn’t die the first time (the strong ones, essentially) were able to reproduce and you ended up with bronchitis again. This time, you need augmentin because it is stronger and you are fighting a strong enemy. It will take a little longer, but thats just because the bronchitis is stronger than before.
Both are antibiotics. However, levaquin belongs to the quinolone group and augmentin is akin to amoxicilin and belongs to penicillin group. The antibiotic spectrum for both is common in certain ways but is different as well and can be used in different situation. The half life and thus the dosage is different in both of them. Levaquin is usually prescribed as once a day while augmentin is more frequent. There is no cross allergenic problems therefore levaquin be given to patients who are allergic to penicillin.