[theaphonn]

I have a stye and it's been over a week now. I went to my doctor and she prescribed me gentamicin ointment as well as cephalexin antibiotic pills a couple of days ago. I noticed my stye got bigger ever since I've been using the ointment. I stopped using the ointment, but I'm still taking the pills. What should I do now?

[KBC]

You should NOT STOP what your doctor ordered.

Are you smarter than your doctor?Did you go to med school?

We are prescribed medications and our responsibility is to TAKE THEM AS PRESCRIBED.

It might have gotten bigger because it was still in a growth stage, why would you think the ointment would make it grow?

Some things have to run their course, start using the ointment as prescribed and see your doctor on Monday if it 'grows' more.

[theaphonn]

My whole eyelid got swollen and red and hurt even more. Then I had yellow discharge when I woke up this morning. I've been using it for two days already and was hesitant to stop using it because I really want it to go away asap. I told my doctor about the swelling and pain, and she said to stop medication. I'm continuing the pills though. I'm not saying the ointment made it grow, but I think I had a pretty bad side effect from it.

[KBC]

The discharge could just be the bodies way of telling you it's been fighting the infection(white blood cells producing puss)but the validity of that would need to be verified by a professional(of which I am not).

You say you've been using it for 2 days already, what is it you have been using for those 2 days?the ointment?This conflicts with your initial post stating that you stopped using it.

Which one is it?

Of course you want it to go away,I have had some in my past too, they suck and made me feel very self conscious,it hurt and I wondered what would be next.. guess what.. it takes time for any virus to run it's course, a cold sore will be uncomfortable till it's gone too,but it'll go away eventually.Patience,you won't be looking like this forever.

I think the effects you are concerned about was the medication actually working, but that's just my opinion.If your doctor said stop using it,then by all means stop,but don't stop just because you THINK it's the right thing to do, that decision should be discussed with your health care professional.

[JudyKayTee]

Did your Doctor suggest warm compresses to help it drain?

[theaphonn]

KBC: Sorry, I should've been more clear. My doctor prescribed the antibiotic ointment and pills on Thursday. I noticed my whole eyelid swelled up and felt more pain after using both of the medication, but I just waited it out for two days. Then Saturday morning(the same day I first posted this), it was still the same. I then called my doctor and told her what happened. She said to stop the ointment treatment and continue with the pills. Now the swelling went down a lot. The pain is still there of course, but I know sties tend to hurt anyway. Yeah, I was concerned about whether the ointment was working or hurting. I've had a stye before and it never came out to look this bad( I mean my eyelid was huge!), that's why I was worried. I posted this to get a second opinion.Thanks for your advice and opinion.

JudyKayTee: Nope. My dr. never suggested that. I've researched online about sties and I noticed about every website recommended warm compress. My dr. just told me to wash with soap and warm water.. and massage it while doing so.

[JudyKayTee]

Before you take medical advice from anyone, check their credentials, of course - and I don't have any medical credentials. I only know what my Doctor told me and what I see on line.

I do not see that warm compresses can make it worse.