Antibiotics and performance

People always say that taking antibiotics hurts your race performance,
even at the tail end when you are feeling better. IS there any medical
basis for this, or is it just a cycling myth? Seems like it would be
hard to test a bunch of sick people taking antibiotics in a lab
environment.

On 10 Nov 2005 16:51:11 -0800, "fred_hack" wrote:

People always say that taking antibiotics hurts your race performance,
even at the tail end when you are feeling better. IS there any medical
basis for this, or is it just a cycling myth? Seems like it would be
hard to test a bunch of sick people taking antibiotics in a lab
environment.

I think it depends on the illness and the antibiotic. I had this happen
several months ago, performance dropped off by 1/2, though I felt normal
walking around. Dip in ability started on day three after beginning. Got
worse on day 9 of 10 day regime, then seemed to be better, returning to
normal after that.

This time, no drop in performance, but different antibiotic.

Thanks,
-Hoff

But, that's the type of illustration people always give, myself
included. There is no control for the performance drop that is due to
the drug and the drop that is due to the illness. Maybe you rode bad
because you were sick? I'm mostly curious if there is a basis in
medical research or pharacology for this statement, or if it's
something that bike racers say a lot, so it must be true.

fred_hack wrote:
People always say that taking antibiotics hurts your race performance,
even at the tail end when you are feeling better. IS there any medical
basis for this, or is it just a cycling myth? Seems like it would be
hard to test a bunch of sick people taking antibiotics in a lab
environment.
Eliminate illness as an uncontrolled variable: do a double blinded
experiment on healthy people: give antibiotics to one half and a
placebo to the other (neither half nor the people giving them the pills
knowing what they are taking) and monitor performance of both groups.
I'd guess this has been done, but don't know any references.

Nigel Grinter
Well-Spoken Wheels Inc.
www.wellspokenwheels.com

On 10 Nov 2005 16:51:11 -0800, "fred_hack"
wrote:

People always say that taking antibiotics hurts your race performance,
even at the tail end when you are feeling better. IS there any medical
basis for this, or is it just a cycling myth? Seems like it would be
hard to test a bunch of sick people taking antibiotics in a lab
environment.

Some antibiotics have secondary effects which may be amplified by
exertion; in such instances, you can induce additional problems by
riding while on them. Also, anything from the tetracycline group will
increase your chances of getting a nasty sunburn; in some cases, the
side effect continues for a week or more after the last dose was
consumed.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

wrote:
fred_hack wrote:
People always say that taking antibiotics hurts your race performance,
even at the tail end when you are feeling better. IS there any medical
basis for this, or is it just a cycling myth? Seems like it would be
hard to test a bunch of sick people taking antibiotics in a lab
environment.
Eliminate illness as an uncontrolled variable: do a double blinded
experiment on healthy people: give antibiotics to one half and a
placebo to the other (neither half nor the people giving them the pills
knowing what they are taking) and monitor performance of both groups.
I'd guess this has been done, but don't know any references.


No study references here, but antibiotics *could* kill off beneficial
gut bacteria. Diarrhea is a common complication:
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/amox_ad.htm (I picked amoxicillin
because it's near the beginning of the alphabet). Diarrhea will make it
tough to ride at any level.

Jeff

fred_hack wrote:

People always say that taking antibiotics hurts your race performance,
even at the tail end when you are feeling better. IS there any medical
basis for this, or is it just a cycling myth?
The infection hurts your body, not the anti-biotics.

Greets, Derk

JeffWills wrote:

No study references here, but antibiotics *could* kill off beneficial
gut bacteria. Diarrhea is a common complication:
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/amox_ad.htm (I picked amoxicillin
because it's near the beginning of the alphabet). Diarrhea will make it
tough to ride at any level.
Especially for the person riding behind you!

Seriously, I have taken both Doxycycline (against Lyme) and Amoxicilline
over a longer period and never had diarrhea. Of course you can have this
problem, but you don't have to. If your body handles the anit-biotics
without any side effect the medicine itself won't influence performance.

It's bad for your body, though, to continue training whilst you have an
infection. It's potentially mortal, because you can end up with an
infection of the heart. This seems to happen more often than is widely
know. Even a simple throat ache should make you train less intensive or
even better: rest till th einfection has been cured.

Greets, Derk

fred_hack wrote:
People always say that taking antibiotics hurts your race performance,
even at the tail end when you are feeling better. IS there any medical
basis for this, or is it just a cycling myth? Seems like it would be
hard to test a bunch of sick people taking antibiotics in a lab
environment.

Is there a (cycling) Doctor in the house?????

People always say that taking antibiotics hurts your race performance,
even at the tail end when you are feeling better. IS there any medical
basis for this, or is it just a cycling myth? Seems like it would be
hard to test a bunch of sick people taking antibiotics in a lab
environment.

Being sick is not the only reason people take antibiotics.
Tetracycline is commonly prescribed to control acne. People who
travel to countries where sanitation and water treatment are poor
often take antibiotics prophylactically.

Cattle and poultry are fed antibiotics to help fatten them up for
slaughter and to control infections in the poor conditions under which
they are raised. Where do you think those antibiotics end up? They
end up in your food.