Not Reacting to Antibiotics

[ChomskyandHauser]

I am a 20 year old female in college. I got sick very quickly a week ago.  My boyfriend was ill for a day or so, and then I became very ill and have yet to recover.  My symptoms are as such,  I have a lot of sinus congestion, post nasal drip, sore throat, fatigue, and sinus pain.  I was treated with a zithromax - pack? I think thats what it is called.  It did not work though, and I now am experiencing severe neck and back stiffness. It is really painful and has persisted for three days now. I went back to my doctor when the antibiotic didn't work, and they informed me I just needed to take a stronger dose, but after feeling worse from taking them in the first place I am worried this may not just be a sinus infection, as our university health services are notoriously shoddy.  I have never struggled this much with a sinus infection before and my neck and back pain is intense and is making it hard to go through the day, along with the sinus issues.

In looking on my own some sites stated it could be mono, or even meningitis.  Obviously neither of those results is really happy, and I am not sure how likely they are, but this neck pain is nuts, and I am starting to have issues thinking clearly.

If there is any insight into what is going on with me I would sincerely appreciate it.  Even questions I should be asking my doctor about what is going on with me, or things I might be able to do to relieve this pain.

Thank you so much.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
You appear to be having a viral infection, hence are not responding to antibiotics. The other possibility is that the bacteria are not sensitive to the antibiotic you are taking. Along with cold symptoms since you also have sever neck pain, chances of meningitis are there. On the other hand viral flu causes neck pain and headache too. It is also possible that you have infectious mononucleosis. You have searched well! However you now need to consult another doctor ASAP as the treatment from this doctor is not helping. You also need to run tests to rule out both meningitis and mono.
Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[LivingInHope]

If the doctor gave you an antibiotic without running any tests, they were negligent.  You are not supposed to give antibiotics for viruses, because they won't work on them.  And if you possibly have spinal meningitis, they should be testing you for that and seeing if it is viral or bacterial in nature.   I believe it is typically accompanied with high fever. Meningitis can be life threatening, so if you still think you might have that get to the doctor ASAP!  They should also run a WBC with differential, which can help aid in diagnosing you, including if you have mono.