why do we need to finish up all the antibiotics?

Question

My doc always give me antibiotics when i am sick & always request me to finish them up, not even 1 pill is left uneaten. If i never finish up, wat will happen?

Answer 1

Antibiotics work by either inhibiting bacteria cell growth, or by destroying bacteria cells. Either way, it cannot completely kill all the bacteria but rather makes them weaker so that your body's immune system can fight more effectively. Even if you don't feel sick or it looks like an infection is gone, there is still a great chance that there is still a reasonably large population of bacteria alive, but that the antibiotics are under control. The antibiotics are calibrated such that when you finish them all, there is almost no chance that the bacteria will be able to recover. If you don't use all the pills, the bacteria still alive can become more powerful than your immune system again. If this happens, you get sick again and have to take antibiotics again.

Summary: If you don't eat all the pills, there is a chance you will get just as sick as before, because not all the bacteria will be killed yet.

Answer 2

Probably Nothing, I See Finishing a Course of Antibiotics, as a Safety Net, to Preclude Relapse and to Negate the Production of a Possibly Resistant Organism.

Answer 3

I wonder that too. Im taking antibiotics for mastitis. I must finish all of them to prevent recurrence.

Answer 4

Your body will not totally build up against the bacteria or virus and you'll be left hanging high and dry because next time you're sick with that or something similar, the pills won't work on you because of you skipping the last few pills.

My father currently keeps undergoing surgery because he never finished the anti-biotics. He took a few and when he felt better, he stopped. Now, pills won't work on him and there is no real way to cure what he has other than to remove it surgically.

<3
stranger.

Answer 5

It's simple... relapse... if you don't destroy enough of it, it will come back. It's not like your body has its own defense against these kind of infections which is why you need (viola!) antibiotics!

Answer 6

because if you don't the infectious process will come back just because you feel better doesn't mean you are. And this is a preventive measure.

Answer 7

because your infection will reccur and u don't want that.

Answer 8

Most simple bacterial illnesses (strep throat, ear infections, etc.) respond relatively quickly to antibiotics. So, when you or your child starts feeling well after having been on antibiotics for a few of days, it's difficult to remember to finish the medication that has a whole week left.

However, seeing an antibiotic course to completion is one of the most important aspects of therapy for three very important reasons:

Not Enough to Kill the Infection If you don't finish the medication, all the bacteria causing the infection may not be killed. Then, the infection could come back in that same place or even show up somewhere else.

Resistance The best way to cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics is to undertreat them. Bacteria multiply very rapidly. As they multiply, random mistakes occur in their DNA which can make them resistant to antibiotics. The best way to keep this from happening in your child when she has an infection is to give all the doses on time. This will kill the bacteria rapidly and efficiently. When the bacteria are undertreated, some of them may have enough time to have these mistakes occur in their DNA. Then, when they multiply, you get a bunch of bacteria that no longer respond to the antibiotics.

Immune System Turns on You Some bacteria can make the immune system do things its not supposed to. A classic example of this is when strep throat causes Rheumatic Fever. The cause of this disease is not completely understood, but it is thought that there are parts of the body that have components that are chemically similar to the bug that causes strep throat, Group A Streptococcus bacteria. So, when the immune system begins fighting this bacteria, it confuses the body (particularly certain parts of the brain, joints, kidney, and heart) with the bacteria causing damage to those body parts. It takes a while for this process to occur, so it is common for the symptoms of acute rheumatic fever to show up weeks after the throat infection. However, it almost never occurs when the initial strep throat is completely treated with antibiotics. The funny part about strep throat is that the body will kill all the bacteria itself without antibiotics. The antibiotics just kill them off faster which is important to keep rheumatic fever from occurring. If all the medication isn't taken, the risk of getting rheumatic fever is higher.

Your concern about not finishing antibiotics is right on target. Therefore, let me offer a few things that can be done to help you as a parent remember to give all the medication on time?

• Many infections can be treated with one of several medications. Ask your doctor if he can prescribe something that is taken only once or twice per day. Fewer doses helps with successfully remembering them all.

• Ask if the medication has to be refrigerated. Many do not necessarily have to be, and having an antibiotic that is portable won't keep you from taking it because it was left at home.

• Make up a separate antibiotic calendar and post it in a prominent place in your home marking off each dose as you go.