Secret Sources for our Special Forces - Antibiotics over the counter

People with Lyme disease often watch their health deteriorate, with no access to the antibiotics that could help them.

Not so our Special Forces, according to this letter to the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002, titled "Obtaining Antibiotics without a Prescription".

To the Editor:

I recently treated an Army Special Forces soldier who presented with a three-month history of purulent sinusitis that was not responding to self-medication. After much prodding, he related that he had been taking a combination of penicillin and sulfa antibiotics, which he had purchased without a prescription “in the fish medication aisle” of a local pet store. He went on to explain that this over-the-counter source of antibiotics is common knowledge among all branches of the American Special Forces community.

For the complete letter, follow this link:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200207183470319 

For an example of an online resource, search for aquatic antibiotics on ebay.

It's not new news that antibiotics are controversial. Their overuse leads to super-bugs that endanger humans and animals. Human use is highly regulated, and but some say unfairly so: a teenager can receive a year's worth of antibiotics for acne, but many with Lyme disease cannot receive the same antibiotic at the same dosage for the same period. Antibiotic use is rampant in veterinary medicine,  agriculture and animal husbandry. Why should Lyme patients suffer and die, when the medication that could help them is freely given to teenagers, cattle, and fish?

I personally advocate the use of natural medicine, whenever possible, in the treatment of Lyme disease and other health conditions (including teenage acne). However, there are times when antibiotics and conventional medical approaches are a lifesaver, and it is critical to have access to them. 

Most hopeful: Skillful Lyme doctors are discovering ways to combine antibiotics and other medications so that there are no "survivor super bugs." This knowledge has been developed by so-called "Lyme Literate MDs" who are members of ILADS. Joining self-help groups is the best way to be pointed to information, doctors and resources in your state.