Antibiotics for Fish – 2015 Update
If you are new to the whole concept of antibiotics for fish, there are a few basics you need to know. These are not antibiotics made from fish. They are also not tiny pills that you should stick down your guppy’s throat. Generally, they are pills or capsules of the same size and strength that humans use.
Although you can’t buy human or even dog antibiotics in the US without a legal prescription, a federal loophole allows these same antibiotics to be sold over the counter for aquarium use. (Most doctors and pharmacists are unaware of this exemption.) Many of the so-called fish antibiotics are of the same quality and dosage as human antibiotics (USP grade, AB grade generic). Those who purchase these products implicitly agree to use these antibiotics for aquarium purposes only.
Over the past year, several fish antibiotic retailers have disappeared, probably having come to the attention of the FDA. Again, by law, these antibiotics are sold for aquarium use only, to keep your pet fish healthy and happy, although it is clear on certain websites that they are sold for human consumption. It is currently illegal to sell these drugs to treat human infections, although enforcement can be difficult to regulate.
Are you taking your life into your own hands if you have a sore throat and decide to treat yourself to your guppy-cillin? Probably not, regarding the purity of the drug, if it’s a USP grade AB-rated generic … but maybe yes, if you’re allergic to penicillin and amoxicillin is presumed to be safe.
The problems with the use of antibiotics are manifold: perhaps most of the time, antibiotics are used for infections that cannot be cured, for conditions that are not even infections, for the wrong infections, and for self-limited diseases that do not require antibiotics. Overuse produces resistance to antibiotics and increases the difficulty of treating serious infections. Millions of people experience reactions to antibiotics each year, some of which are fatal. Would you take penicillin for gonorrhea if you knew it could actually make the condition worse?
Just because penicillin, cephalexin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, and various other antibiotics can be purchased for use in aquariums does not mean that people should treat themselves. Infectious disease doctors spend their entire lives studying the best and safest ways to treat infections. In addition, it is an ethical question whether you must fulfill the promise inherent in the purchase.
On the other hand, if you knew without a doubt that TEOTWAWKI is around the corner, you might feel that it is your moral obligation to do everything you can now to protect your family in the future. Would it be immoral to withhold sulfamethoxazole from your daughter with a kidney infection if there is no doctor? Having antibiotics on hand, in case a disaster strikes, is not unreasonable. After all, doctors prescribe them for pampered patients whose dream vacation may be threatened by traveler’s diarrhea. The end of the world as we know it may be a bit more serious. No one knows the day or time, but is it reckless not to be prepared?
I always advise readers to discuss possible medical needs with their personal physician. However, if this does not produce what one needs to feel safe and prepared, I know that many people turn to fish antibiotics for potential use in emergency situations where medical care is not available.
Starting in 2015, I noticed some changes. The window of opportunity to acquire certain powerful antibiotics may be closing. After searching various websites, I no longer find the immediate availability of amoxicillin-clavulanate, levofloxacin, azithromycin, clarithromycin, or cefdinir, and several websites simply no longer exist. I guess they didn’t follow the letter of the law.
Penicillin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, cephalexin, sulfamethoxazole, ciprofloxacin, metronidazole, and doxycycline continue to be available. Ketoconazole is an antifungal, not an antibiotic, and should be avoided due to occasionally irreversible liver damage.
Again, I emphasize that no one should use any of these without professional medical advice. But knowing that people will do what they should when threatened by a life-threatening illness and have nowhere else to turn, I have discussed the correct use of antibiotics in great detail in my book, Armageddon Medicine, information that I hope will never need.
