Are Fish Tank Antibiotics Safe For Humans
The answer is yes, because those antibiotics are the exact same drugs as those used in people. People will sometimes buy antibiotics marketed for fish and give them to themselves, usually with dosing errors. The problem is that the antibiotics in fish dont work as well as they do in humans.
In fact, they can cause serious side effects, such as kidney failure, pneumonia, and even death. So if youre going to give yourself a dose of antibiotics, its best to do it in a way thats safe for you and your fish.
What Happens If You Take Fish Amoxicillin
The study found that human consumption of fish antibiotics may lead to dangerous consequences. adverse effects that include treatment failures, antibiotic resistance, and the development of antibiotic-resistantbacteria may be caused by the consumption of these antibiotics.
In a study published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine analyzed data from more than 1,000 patients who were treated for urinary tract infections at UCSF Medical Center between 2005 and 2010.
They found that patients treated with antibiotics were more likely to develop UTIs than those who did not receive antibiotics. Patients who received antibiotics had a higher rate of UTI recurrences, as well as higher rates of bacterial resistance to the antibiotics used to treat the infection.
These findings suggest that the use of antibiotics for the treatment of infections may be associated with an increased risk of developing a bacterial infection, which could have serious consequences for patients and their health care providers.
Uses For Antibiotics And Products That Contain Them
As with any medical information provided on this site, this is provided for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation by anyone here at Ready Lifestyle. Always consult a physician prior to taking any medication! This is especially true when youre considering taking something like fish antibiotics.
Fish antibiotics, as well as other animal antibiotics, can contain antibiotics that are usable by humans. The exact product names of the fish antibiotics may change over time. The key thing to remember is that the ingredients in them is what makes them useful to us, not the name or brand.
All dosage information was found on Drugs.com. The site has all kinds of great information on common drug usage and dosages. The site also has an extensive pill identifier.
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Is Fish Amoxicillin The Same As Regular Amoxicillin
Fish are given many of the same antibiotics as humansamoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, penicillin and moresometimes even in the same doses. These pills, which are intended to be dissolved in fish tanks and absorbed through fishes skin, can look very similar to antibiotics used in humans.
Its not uncommon for people to use fish as a source of antibiotics, said Dr. Michael D. Smith, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved with the study.
Can Humans Take Amoxicillin For Animals
The same medicines are taken by dogs, cats, horses, and sheep. Many, and perhaps most, antibiotics are approved for use on animals, but they are not approved to treat humans. In fact, the FDA does not even have a list of antibiotics that can be used on humans, let alone animals.
The only approved antibiotics for humans are penicillin and tetracycline, both of which are used in the treatment of infections caused by bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella spp., and other bacteria that cause food-borne illness. Penicillins are the most commonly used antibiotics in humans and animals because they kill most of the bacteria.
However, they can also cause serious side effects, including kidney failure, pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, necrotizing fasciitis , and septicemia .
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Can Humans Take Veterinary Medicine
While human medications can sometimes be used for animals, they should never be used as a substitute for human medication. If you suspect your pet may have been exposed to a drug overdose, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Your veterinarian will be able to determine if the overdose was accidental or intentional, and if so, how to prevent it from happening in the future.
What Is The Difference
For an antibiotic to work properly, it isnt enough for it to contain a certain ingredient . The antibiotics also must be formulated to ensure absorption in the patient and absorption in the right place.
For example, antibiotics for cows will need to be formulated differently than those for humans.
As far as fish antibiotics go, you CAN NOT take powders or pellet forms of the antibiotics and expect them to be effective on humans. These are meant for fish.
However, if you see pill or tablet antibiotics marketed as for fish, these are really human forms of the medicines that have just been labeled for fish to get around the prescription requirement. I feel bad for any pet owner who mistakenly buys pill forms of antibiotics for their fish!
How can you be sure that the fish antibiotics you buy really are meant for humans?
Read on
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Avoiding Natural Antibiotics And Medications
While many reputable aquarium brands offer great products to their consumers, some brands take advantage of branding treatments. Some of the latest trends in the aquarium hobby have arisen from natural fish antibiotics and medications which end up hurting fish more than helping them. Some of these organic alternatives include tannins and natural oils.
Tannins can be very beneficial to aquatic systems and can lead to healthy fish, however, they dont exactly help with bacterial infections. Research has found that tannins are only effective at combatting bacteria at very high concentrations3, much more than is reasonable for any tank size. Tannic acid is also a blood coagulant with can decrease healing rates.
Natural oils, like those found in MelaFix and PimaFix, are also detrimental to the health of your fish. Though these oils might look and smell medicinal, they have been linked to swim bladder damage and have been found to be nearly ineffective at low concentrations. Similarly, aloe vera also inhibits your fishs ability to exchange oxygen and increases available sugars for bacteria to feed on.
Though it might seem like a good idea to stay as natural as possible when it comes to treating fish diseases, it is usually safer and easier to use tried and true fish antibiotics.
Is Fish Aid Antibiotics Safe For Humans
Antibiotics in pet stores have not been approved by the Federal Drug Administration and there is no evidence to say whether they are safe or effective for use in dogs and cats. The FDA has not approved the use of antibiotics in cats and dogs. DOGS AND CATS THAT HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH ANTIBIOTIC DRUGS IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS: None.
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Strategies For Getting Other Prescription Medications
For medications that treat non-infectious illness, such as cholesterol or blood pressure drugs, you will also need a prescription. These medications are not available in aquarium supply houses, so how can you work to stockpile them?
You may consider asking your physician to prescribe a higher dose than the amount you usually take. Many drugs come in different dosages. If your medicine is a 20 milligram dosage, for example, you might ask your doctor to prescribe the 40 mg dosage. You would then cut the medication in half take your normal dosage and store the other half of the pill. Its very important to assure your physician that you will continue to follow their medical advice and not take more medicine than is appropriate for your condition. Your success in having your request granted will depend on the doctor.
Others have managed to obtain needed prescriptions by indicating that they are traveling for long periods of time out of the country or telling their physician some other falsehood. I cant recommend this method, because I believe that dishonesty breaks the bond of trust between doctor and patient. Consider having a serious discussion with your healthcare provider. Describe your concerns about not having needed medications in a disaster situation. You dont have to describe the disaster as a complete societal collapse any catastrophe could leave you without access to your doctor for an extended period.
General Tips For Using Animal Drugs
If you intend to use or if you come across any type of medication whether thats antibiotics or not, that has been authorized by the FDA for use in animals, will it work for humans as well?
A few things to keep in mind:
You should be double sure that the medicine you are about to take will not hurt you. Cause then, whats the point?
Also, be sure that animal medicine doesnt go by a different name than the human versions.
However, even animal medicines that have the same name as human medicines, they both might not be identical. For instance:
- FDA regulations for animal and human drugs are determined separately. Fillers, additives, and contaminants that arent permitted in human pills may be permitted in animal medicines and used in animal drugs.
- Medications are manufactured to absorb in the type of animal body theyre approved for. A calf has more than one stomach and a fish is tiny. Are all animal bodies equal? Not likely.
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Can I Buy Antibiotics Over The Counter
The official answer is yes. OTC antibiotics are not approved in the U.S. for the treatment of gonorrhea. For example, oral cephalosporins, such as cefixime and ceftriaxone, are approved by the FDA to treat gonococcal infections. If you are sexually active, you may be at risk for infection with either of these sexually transmitted infections .
Gonorrheal infections are caused by a type of bacteria called Neisseria meningitidis. Chlamydial infections, which are more common in men than in women, occur when a bacterium called C. trachomatis infects the lining of the urethra .
Both types of STIs can be treated with antibiotics, but treatment is not 100% effective in preventing the spread of either infection.
Are Fish Antibiotics For Humans Safe
First off, if you are considering this or any other medical related option, you should perform whatever research you deem necessary AND talk to a doctor. Dont just take this article as you main resource, the author is not a doctor and does not dispense medical advice.
To answer the question of the safety of fish antibiotics for humans, we must first consider the following factors:
I have researched some common brands of fish antibiotics and created this table to help share the information:
| Fish Antibiotic Name |
|---|
| Penicillin500mg |
So, if someone was interested in acquiring some fish antibiotics for humans, they can see that these readily available medicines appear to be both the same ingredient and in many cases the same dosage as those offered to humans from pharmacies.
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This Is Why Taking Fish Medicine Is Truly A Bad Idea
Those who misuse aquatic antibiotics are playing a dangerous game with their health, doctors and veterinarians say
Earlier this month, a from author Rachel Sharp alerted the Internet to a disturbing trend: Some people were resorting to taking fish antibiotics to cure their ailments. Yes, fish antibiotics. Sharps Tweet, which quickly went viral, included a screenshot of several thinly veiled Amazon reviews left by humans who were clearly using the aquatic pet medicine Moxifish on themselves.
Naturally, the Internet was appalled. But few stopped to ask: whats actually so wrong with taking fish antibiotics?
How bad is American healthcare?Read the reviews for aquarium antibiotics and decide for yourself.
Rachel Sharp
Its not quite as crazy as it sounds. Fish are given many of the same antibiotics as humansamoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, penicillin and moresometimes even in the same doses. These pills, which are intended to be dissolved in fish tanks and be absorbed through fishes’ skin, can also look extremely similar to the human versions. And while a trip to the doctor can rack up hundreds of dollars for someone who doesn’t have insurance, a bottle of 30 500mg capsules of Moxifish costs just $29.95 from the supplier, Fishceuticals.
But there are a few key reasons why taking your fishs drugs is a very bad, no good idea. Lets start at the top.
But even if fish meds were labeled as human-grade medicines, using them to self-medicate would still be a bad idea.
So Can Humans Really Take Fish Antibiotics
from Dr. Bones of The Doom and Bloom Hour with Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy
The following advice is contrary to standard medical practice, and is a strategy that is appropriate only in the event of societal collapse. If there are modern medical resources available to you, seek them out.
However, thinking long and hard for a solution has led me to what I believe is a viable option: fish antibiotics.
For many years, I was a tropical fish enthusiast. Currently, we are growing Tilapia as a food fish in an aquaculture pond. After years of using these medicines on fish, I decided to evaluate these drugs for their potential use in collapse situations.
A close inspection of the bottles revealed that the only ingredient was the drug itself, identical to those obtained by prescription at the local pharmacy.
Thats right, there are NO added ingredients in fish antibioticsAmoxicillin, Doxycycline, Penicillin, and more.
If the bottle says FISH-MOX, for example, the sole ingredient is Amoxicillin, which is an antibiotic commonly used in humans. There are no additional chemicals to makes your scales shiny or your fins longer.
I understand that you might be skeptical about considering the use of aquarium antibiotics for humans in a collapse. Those things are for fish, arent they?
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Are Fish Antibiotics Safe For Humans
As most of us already know, healthcare in the United States is really costly. Sick people and preppers alike have been known to stock up on fish antibiotics because they are a fraction of the cost that they would spend on getting a conventional prescription.
Its important to remember that if you have a Penicillin allergy, you should not take Fish Penicillin, Mox, or Fish Ampicillin. Cephalexin is in a different drug family than Penicillin, but is quoted as having a 10% cross-reactivity rate with Penicillin.
Can Humans Use Fish Antibiotics
The answer is yes, because those antibiotics are the exact same drugs as those used in people. People will sometimes buy antibiotics marketed for fish and give them to themselves, usually with dosing errors. The problem is that the antibiotics in fish dont work as well as they do in humans.
In fact, they can cause serious side effects, such as kidney failure, pneumonia, and even death. So if youre going to give yourself a dose of antibiotics, its best to do it in a way thats safe for you and your fish.
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Is Fish Mox Safe For Humans To Take
I found out that fish mox is safe for humans. Aquarium Aquarium is written on the side of Thomas Fish Mox Forte. This is the same marking that is found on all of the fish that are sold in the United States.
It is also the mark that was used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when they first approved the use of this fish for human consumption. I have also found that the markings on this particular fish do not appear on any other fish sold by Thomas. This means that Thomas is not the only person who has used this mark on their fish.
I will be happy to assist you.
Can People Take Fish Antibiotics
The study found that human consumption of fish antibiotics may lead to dangerous consequences. adverse effects that include treatment failures, antibiotic resistance, and the development of antibiotic-resistantbacteria may be caused by the consumption of these antibiotics.
In a study published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine analyzed data from more than 1,000 patients who were treated for urinary tract infections at UCSF Medical Center between 2005 and 2010.
They found that patients treated with antibiotics were more likely to develop UTIs than those who did not receive antibiotics. Patients who received antibiotics had a higher rate of UTI recurrences, as well as higher rates of bacterial resistance to the antibiotics used to treat the infection.
These findings suggest that the use of antibiotics for the treatment of infections may be associated with an increased risk of developing a bacterial infection, which could have serious consequences for patients and their health care providers.
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Meet The People Using Fish Antibiotics As A Cheap Alternative To American Healthcare
UPDATE :
This story has been updated to include Fin Mox being listed as “currently unavailable” on Amazon.
For a sobering look at the state of healthcare in the United States, consider: Some people are so cash-strapped, and in such desperate need of medical care, that they’re scoringand then usingmedications meant for pets.
Antibiotics aren’t the most expensive prescriptions, but it’s the trip to a doctor in order to get them that adds up to a hefty bill. One way people are getting around this?
Fish antibiotics. Bought off Amazon.
The world started to learn about the trend after Motherboard wrote up a Tweet from writer Rachel Sharp, in which she posted photos of a product on Amazon“Moxifish”and screengrabs of some of the reviews.
“How bad is American healthcare?,” she wrote. “Read the reviews for aquarium antibiotics and decide for yourself.”
And lest you think this healthcare horror show is limited to a few freak use cases, think again: It wasn’t hard to find several online forums dating as far back as ten years ago, questioning the use of animal medications.
On these forums, users discuss why they buy meds meant for pets , and which meds they believe are safe to use. One forum revolves around using horse liniment for aches and pains.Another discusses buying over-the-counter pet antibiotics when they don’t have insurance.
On Twitter, people have also detailed their experiences with taking or seeking out animal medications.
