what happens if antibiotics course not completed

Over the last 70 years antibiotics have been used to treat bacterial infections. The CDC, FDA, and WHO have pointed out that some bacteria could remain in your system if you stop taking the prescribed antibiotics before completing the full course, even if you feel better.

Full Answer

What danger will result from not completing a course of antibiotics?

What danger will result from not completing a course of prescribed antibiotics? THE danger to the individual is that the infection will recur, and will be more difficult to treat when it does.

Do you really need to finish all of your antibiotics prescription?

And for the last 75 years, people with a bacterial infection have been told it is essential to finish all of an antibiotic prescription, usually seven to 10 days, to keep from getting sick again. But British researchers are now saying that patients may not need to "complete the course," that it may actually be contributing to antibiotic resistance.

Is a five-day course of antibiotics too long?

If the drug manufacturers know the antibiotic is effective in 48 hours then a recommended five-day treatment would keep everybody happy, including their shareholders. Allan Wilson, Pharmacist, Comrie, Perthshire. AS A pharmacist, Allan Wilson should know better if he is suggesting that antibiotic courses are too long.

What happens if you cut antibiotics short?

The kind of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor, and the length of the course, are based on the best evidence for what will kill all of the bacteria. By cutting treatment short, you increase the chances of the existing bacteria mutating and becoming resistant, therefore making it harder to treat the next time around.

Why do we ask patients to finish the entire course of antibiotics?

How long do you have to take antibiotics to get rid of a bacterial infection?

What happens if you stop taking amoxicillin?

How many people are affected by antibiotic resistance every year?

Why do people take antibiotics?

Can you transmit a resistant microbe to another microbe?

Can antibiotics cure a disease?

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What danger will result from not completing a course of prescribed ...

I think the danger of creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria is very real. Bacterial infections, before antibiotics, quite often proved to be fatal and by discontinuing a course of prescribed ...

Taking antibiotics for full 7 to 14 days can actually harm you

A growing body of research finds that telling patients to finish a full course of antibiotics even if they’re already feeling better not only fails to prevent drug-resistant “superbugs” from ...

What Happens If You Stop Antibiotics Early? Avoiding Antibiotic ...

Quora.. Is it harmful to not finish antibiotics? This question originally appeared on Quora. Answer by Drew Smith, Pharmacology Research and Development.. Doctors are taught that it is important to finish out a course of antibiotics, and they dutifully relay this information to their patients.

What is the danger of antibiotics?

THE danger to the individual is that the infection will recur, and will be more difficult to treat when it does. The danger to the rest of us is that the general population of the infecting bacterium will become more resistant to the antibiotic concerned. If you fail to complete a course of antibiotics, some of the bacteria causing ...

Where do antibiotics not penetrate?

These include the fact that there are areas of the body where antibiotics do not achieve good penetration (e.g. the lungs and sinuses). The quantity of infective material that may have built up in the body, and from which re-infection may occur, must also be taken into account.

How long should an antibiotic be effective?

If the drug manufacturers know the antibiotic is effective in 48 hours then a recommended five-day treatment would keep everybody happy, including their shareholders. Allan Wilson, Pharmacist, Comrie, Perthshire. AS A pharmacist, Allan Wilson should know better if he is suggesting that antibiotic courses are too long.

Why did Nikhil Ravishanker decide to go to a doctor?

This debate is meaningless in light of the fact that decision to go to a doctor was that of the patient and he/she decided to go because of the confidence in the doctor's ability. Once prescribed by the doctor, I strongly believe that one must complete the course as prescribed.

Can you treat a bacterial infection with the same antibiotic?

As the surviving bacteria reproduce, the resulting infection would not be treatable with the same antibiotic. If the infection is passed on to someone else, their infection will also be resistant to the antibiotic. Jim Lodge, London SE4.

Can antibiotics cure viral infections?

Antibiotics will not cure viral infections. So, prescribing antibiotics without properly ascertaining the cause of infection is indeed an equally real danger.

Is antibiotic resistant bacteria real?

Mary Ingham, Ramsgate, Kent. I think the danger of creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria is very real. Bacterial infections, before antibiotics, quite often proved to be fatal and by discontinuing a course of prescribed antibiotics, we run the risk of going back there.

Why is it important to cut antibiotics short?

By cutting treatment short, you increase the chances of the existing bacteria mutating and becoming resistant, therefore making it harder to treat the next time around.

Why stop treatment early?

According to the World Health Organisation, stopping treatment early involves the risk of not getting all of the bacteria that made you unwell killed off. As we don’t know who can safely stop treatment early, making your own judgement could result in you falling ill again.

Does taking a full course help with resistance?

Taking the full course, even if you feel better partway through, will result in you being more likely to get rid of all the bacteria, and reduce the risk of resistance.

How long should you avoid the same antibiotic class?

This is why is recommended to avoid the same antibiotic class for 3 months if possible. For example, if you have pneumonia and take x antibiotic for 5 days and stop followed by relapse of the pneumonia a week later an antibiotic of a different class should be started and not the same one previously used. Sometimes this may not be possible if the bacterium is only sensitive to drugs within a certain class.

Why repeat antibiotic classes?

Repeated antibiotic courses with an antibiotic within the same class over a short period of time increases the chances that a resistant bacterial population will develop.

Why is it important to keep an antibiotic level?

Due to the concern of potentially developing microbial resistance it is important to keep an adequate blood level of an antibiotic until the bacteria causing the infection are dead. In any given population of bacteria some may have mutated to harbor some level of resistance to any given antibiotic. So, if the course of antibiotics is stopped to soon these remaining organisms may flourish and possess resistance characteristics

Is antibiotics effective?

Antibiotics are too effective. The gold standard in clinical trial design is the placebo-controlled randomized trial. But soon after antibiotics were introduced, it became obvious that withholding antibiotic treatment from a control group was unethical, as it exposed them to a high risk of disease and death. Few placebo-controlled trials of antibiotics have been performed since 1950. Instead, a new antibiotic agent is compared to an existing one, and if it appears no worse than the existing agent, it is deemed “non-inferior” and is approved on that basis.

Is it safe to take antibiotics?

Antibiotics are too safe. Most antibiotics, particularly the ß-lactams like penicillin and cephalexin, are very well tolerated. Adverse events are rare, and are fairly minor - diarrhea and allergies are the principal side effects. Thus there is little incentive to minimize either the dose or the duration of antibiotic treatment, and few trials are designed to do so.

Can bugs cause resistance to antibiotics?

The bugs causing the infection may develop resistance to the antibiotics. Next time, the molecule might not act and the doctor would need another antibiotic to control the infection.

Does non-compliance increase the risk of antibiotic resistance?

It is believed by most experts that non-compliance increases the risk of acquiring an antibiotic resistant infection [ 5] , but few studies have been done and there is no compelling evidence or quantification of risk.

Why are antibiotics important?

They argue that it is not backed by evidence and should be replaced. Antibiotics are important for fighting off infections, but there is a growing global concern about the number of cases in which bacteria have become resistant to these medicines. So that more germs don't build up a resistance to antibiotics, it's important ...

Why do we need to complete the full prescription?

The current recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) is to "always complete the full prescription, even if you feel better, because stopping treatment early promotes the growth of drug-resistant bacteria.”. But several experts in infectious diseases are urging policymakers, educators, and doctors to reconsider ...

What did Alexander Fleming say about penicillin?

Alexander Fleming's 1945 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, for example, included his view that if not enough penicillin is given for a streptococcal throat infection, a resistant form of the infection could be passed on to another person. It turned out that the streptococcal bacteria responsible for throat infections have yet to develop a resistance to penicillin.

Can antibiotic resistant bacteria be mutated?

It is true that for certain infections -- such as tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and malaria -- when the germs causing the infection replicate, antibiotic-resistant mutations can happen if not enough antibiotic is given during treatment or only one medicine is used . This is known as targeted selection. But most bacteria do not develop resistance through targeted selection.

Is there evidence that stopping antibiotics early encourages antibiotic resistance?

They say that there is no evidence that stopping antibiotics early encourages antibiotic resistance -- and ...

Does stopping antibiotics early increase resistance?

They say that there is no evidence that stopping antibiotics early encourages antibiotic resistance -- and that taking them for longer than needed makes resistance more likely.

Should antibiotics be stopped when the patient feels better?

They say that in one clinical trial, stopping antibiotics for treat ing pneumonia when the patient's fever went down cut the average length of antibiotic treatment in half and did not affect recovery.

Why stop taking antibiotics before they are finished?

It is thought that stopping your antibiotic before the course is finished would prevent complete killing of your infection , leaving some survivors; surviving bacteria would then be harder to treat with antibiotics. It has been suggested that the idea of taking the full course originated from Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin back in 1943. In his Nobel Prize speech, he describes a scenario where someone with strep throat takes penicillin to treat the infection, but not enough to kill most of it, and the remaining bacteria are resistant due to being exposed to penicillin. He concludes, “if you use penicillin, use enough,” since this was before dosing standards existed–he was trying to say that underdosing is still dangerous. It is understood that the minimum concentration of antibiotic capable of significantly inhibiting growth of bacteria depends on the action of the drug and other factors about the patient it is administered to and, because of this, there are adjusted dosing suggestions. For instance, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bug responsible for Tuberculosis, is very slow growing. Thus taking a single antibiotic, like rifampicin, for only a short time would not be sufficient to clear the infection. On the other hand, something like an acute, non-recurring urinary tract infection does not require prolonged antibiotic use. While underdosing/not taking an adequate concentration of antibiotic is dangerous for human health and may cause antibiotic resistance, what about taking “enough” for too long?

Why are bacteria resistant to antibiotics?

Bacteria are antibiotic resistant when they can grow in the presence of an antibiotic that was meant to kill them. Some bacteria already have the genes to resist antibiotics. Others acquire this resistance through random mutations that are then maintained in the population. Mutations constantly arise in DNA; many people think ...

What factors are considered when creating a mathematical model for antibiotics?

They considered factors like the dynamics of susceptible and resistant bacteria, natural growth rates, horizontal gene transfer, death of microorganisms, and degradation of drugs when creating their model. They suggest that initial high doses followed by lower doses might optimally eradicate an infection. Since their study is not based on empirical evidence, it can only make suggestions about the duration of antibiotic prescription.

Can antibiotics cause resistance?

The general idea is that prolonged exposure to antibiotics will promote resistance instead of prevent it. If a population of bacteria are continually exposed to antibiotics, eventually only the bacteria with a rare, specialized ability to resist the antibiotics will remain and they’ll be able to grow as long as they want despite the presence of antibiotics. Some experts think this explanation is more likely and that we should be wary about extended courses of antibiotics. Tim Peto, a professor of infectious diseases, says, “I think we should always say that patients should follow their physician’s advice. But I think what we’re saying is we can empower physicians to advise shorter courses of treatment depending on what’s wrong with you. And also, if you respond well to your treatment and get better, they might well say you can cut short your course of antibiotics.” Dr. Brad Spellberg, Chief Medical Officer for LA County, boldly stated, “It is absolutely false that continuing to take antibiotics after you feel completely better will reduce the emergence of antibiotic resistance.” He follows up to explain that we don’t know the course of treatment which is absolutely necessary to treat most infections but hypothesizes that the Constantine decree of 7 days in a week is why antibiotics are often prescribed for 7 or 14 days. These opinions are not outliers. If you do a Google search on this topic, all of the top hits have something to do with stopping your course of antibiotics early; this is probably because antibiotic resistance is growing and people are beginning to question age-old practices.

How long does it take to finish an antibiotic?

And for the last 75 years, people with a bacterial infection have been told it is essential to finish all of an antibiotic prescription, usually seven to 10 days, ...

How long is a short term course of antibiotics effective?

In pneumonias that were acquired in the hospital, for example, randomized-controlled trial data indicates that short-term medication courses — for three to five days — is as effective as longer courses and were associated with lower rates of infection recurrence and antibiotic resistance.

How long does it take for a child to feel better after taking antibiotics?

In other words, if a child feels completely better after five or six days out of a 10-day course, it's safe to stop.

Why do we need to wipe out bugs?

The worry has long been that an infection must be wiped out so that any surviving bugs don't become resistant. This deeply embedded message is being put into question by a group of UK experts in a research analysis published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal on Monday. Martin Llewelyn, lead author of the study, and many other experts are saying that “ completing the course ” of antibiotics may be unnecessary.

When is antibiotic resistance put at risk?

Patients are put an unnecessary risk from antibiotic resistance when treatment is given for longer than necessary, not when it is stopped early, British researchers say. Shutterstock

Does antibiotic treatment reduce the risk of resistant infections?

According to the report, an individual’s risk of resistant infection depends on how much of an antibiotic they've taken in the past, so reducing exposure with shorter courses of antibiotic treatment is associated with lowered risk of resistant infection.

Can antibiotics be prescribed for viral infections?

Already doctors have been more cautious about prescribing antibiotics, especially for viral upper respiratory infections. "We only want to be treating for bacterial infections," Azar said, noting you should ask your doctor to perform a culture so you know what bug she's treating.

Why do we ask patients to finish the entire course of antibiotics?

The reason that we ask patients to make sure they finish the entire course of antibiotics is to prevent the development of resistant bacterial strains. The length of therapy has been determined through studies that have looked at what level of antibiotic is needed in the blood and body tissues over a particular length of time to completely kill off the pathogenic population.

How long do you have to take antibiotics to get rid of a bacterial infection?

usually Dr prescribed antibiotics for a period of 5 to 10 days. antibiotics have to be taken bds (bis in die) (two times a day).

What happens if you stop taking amoxicillin?

Let's say you have strep throat and get amoxicillin from your doctor. If you quit the antibiotics early, you may have killed off 99% of the bacteria. The problem is that the 1% that survived are the toughest and meanest of the bunch. If you’re otherwise healthy, your immune system might be able to clean up the stragglers. If for any reason it can’t finish the job, though, that 1% begins to replicate unopposed by antibiotics. In that case, you now end up with an infection which is resistant to the amoxicillin we gave you the first time. Anyone you're in contact with will be exposed to this newly resistant strain. Now, both you and anyone who caught strep from you have to be treated with a stronger antibiotic that has more side effects than the amoxicillin did. There is also now a resistant strain of bacteria in the population. We’ve already seen the results of this problem in common bacterial infections. There are now known strains of strep and staph that are typically resistant to the penicillin that used to kill them. This resistance is why you almost never get plain penicillin for an infection anymore. Too many bugs have developed resistance.

How many people are affected by antibiotic resistance every year?

So even if you’re feeling better after a few days, that doesn’t mean all of the bacteria which made you sick is actually gone yet as per the centre of disease c ontrol (CDC), antibiotic resistance is a major public health threat that affects upward of 2 million people every year.

Why do people take antibiotics?

Continue Reading. Antibiotics are generally meant for destroying the microorganisms that are responsible for the disease in the body. A sick person starts feeling better as the number of organisms is getting destroyed but that doesn’t mean they are eradicated.

Can you transmit a resistant microbe to another microbe?

You can also be a carrier of that resistant microbe and if it is a respiratory tract infection then you could transmit that resistant microbe Unknowningly to some one else like CoVid transmission.

Can antibiotics cure a disease?

Doctors prescribe it on the basis of the disease, it’s duration, it spread, etc. so they give the recommended dose of the antibiotics to cure it completely. hence never ignore the dose and duration of taking it.