what happens if you don't finish antibiotics course

If you have ever taken an antibiotic, you likely know the drill: Finish the entire course of treatment, even if you are feeling better, or else you risk a relapse. Worse, by not finishing, you might contribute to the dangerous rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Full Answer

What happens if you don’t complete your antibiotic?

“If we don’t complete the course of therapy, there is concern that the bacteria that are left over may be more likely to develop resistance to the antibiotic,” Hicks says. “That turns out to be much less of a problem than was originally believed.”

Are antibiotic courses too long?

AS A pharmacist, Allan Wilson should know better if he is suggesting that antibiotic courses are too long. A number of factors will determine how long it takes even an effective antibiotic to eliminate an infection.

Do you have to finish an antibiotic treatment?

If you have ever taken an antibiotic, you likely know the drill: Finish the entire course of treatment, even if you are feeling better, or else you risk a relapse.

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 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.

What are the end points of antibiotic trials?

The typical end-points for trials of antibiotics are patient cure or improvement and microbiological eradication. Monitoring the fraction of resistant bacteria in an infection during or after a course of treatment is rarely done. The development of resistance is usually not incremental.

Is it safe to take antibiotics?

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. Antibiotics are too safe.

Do antibiotics give you enough?

resistance: Antibiotics are prescribed to give enough but not too much. If you stop when you feel better you may only kill 95% of the bacteria, unfortunately these may have been the stronger "bugs" and be the source of new antibiotic resistance then when the infection becomes symptomatic again the same antibiotic may not work.

Can you use HealthTap for medical advice?

Content on HealthTap (including answers) should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and interactions on HealthTap do not create a doctor-patient relationship. Never disregard or delay professional medical advice in person because of anything on HealthTap. Call your doctor or 911 if you think you may have a medical emergency.

Is it bad to not finish antibiotics?

Worse, by not finishing, you might contribute to the dangerous rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The advice to always finish your antibiotics has long been considered medical dogma, and can be seen today on the websites of the World Health Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other leading health authorities.

Does stopping antibiotics increase antibiotic resistance?

The idea that stopping an antibiotic treatment early encourages antibiotic resistance is not supported by scientific evidence, he said. Moreover, having everyone finish their antibiotics all the time may actually be increasing antibiotic resistance worldwide, because it's the taking of antibiotics for longer than absolutely necessary ...

Is completing the course of antibiotics based on scientific evidence?

Boucher said she agrees with the BMJ authors' stance that "completing the course" merely for the sake of lowering the risk of antibacterial resistance is not based on solid scientific evidence. She added, however, that doctors don't often know when a shorter course of antibiotics is as effective as a longer one.

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 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 ...

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 ...