How can doctors prescribe anti-biotics so easily without proof of any infection or otherwise?

Question

It seems that every doctor I see is more than eager to give me prescription for ant-biotics without even hearing me out, or having any form of test results. Twice now I have forked out for anti-biotics only to be told 1-2 days later to stop taking them as I don't really have any infection. I know from my own research that anti-biotics kill of bad bacteria, but also good, so how can doctors possibly hand them out so easily?

Answer 1

Overuse of antibiotics is a hot topic in the medical literature. One problem is that many doctors will prescribe antibiotics when they believe the patient wants one ( and there are LOTS of patients who get upset if they don't get a prescription). Unfortunately, doctors are lousy at guessing whether the patient is really expecting the antibiotic. The simple answer here is simply to ask if it's really needed. A doctor worth seeing won't be offended by this little check-back.
Second, doctors, like everybody else, aren't really that good at judging risk/benefit ratios, especially when the diagnosis is uncertain.
Third, I've heard many a doctor say,"I'd rather be sued having done something than having done nothing."
Fourth, there's inertia: before the HiB and pneumococcus vaccines, the risk/benefit ratio of treating ear infections was different, and in the US almost everybody felt early antibiotics were a good idea (though that wasn't true in Europe). Since those vaccines have come on line, the risks of not treating have decreased substantially, but doctors' thinking has shifted more slowly.
Finally, doctors have been pushed to see more patients in less time than in the past, and this leads not to "efficiency" as insurance companies and hospital administrations hope but just to sloppiness. Medicine should be inefficient to a degree, and it would be better if doctors' income were not so tightly tied to the number of patients treated.

Answer 2

Some doctors are overly eager to prescribe medication (ie antibiotics) where it isn't needed, perhaps just to throw something at the problem and hope it works. Some patients also push doctors to give them antibiotics for infections that don't need antibiotics (ie a cold should never be treated with antibiotics, because viruses aren't killed by antibiotics).
Good doctors are able to use empiric therapy, because there are certain bacteria that are the most common cause of the infection. Then they can prescribe the appropriate therapy based on that.
Antibiotics can kill normal flora, which is why therapy should be tailored to each case. There are a lot of side effects of destroying normal flora, such as vaginal candidiasis (overgrowth of bad guts in the female genitourinary tract) and pseudomembranous colitis (overgrowth of bad bugs in the gut).
However, if you begin taking a prescription, I would take the full course of the antibiotic that is prescribed because if you stop, you have a high chance of creating "super-bugs", ie bacteria that become increasingly resistant to antibiotic therapy.

Answer 3

I wonder why you would be told 2 days later to stop taking them. I would have to assume that a test was taken, and when the result came in, you were told you didn't have to take them.

A Doctor will look at the signs and symptoms of a particular sickness. If the signs and symptoms are consistent with a particular bacteria, then they will prescribe an antibiotic so that you don't have to wait on the test to get started on treatment. Since the antibiotic is not going to harm you, then it is a comfort measure that is taken. A test is always used to confirm the infection when needed.

The part you had about normal flora...the bacteria in your body is there for a reason. Sure, it is beneficial, but it does have a purpose. And when you take antiobiotics at the prescribed dosage and times, then you will not be killing off too much of your own normal flora.

Next time, you can wait the 1-2 days before buying the antibiotic in case you feel as if you are wasting your money.

Answer 4

"Good bacteria" should really just be called "Beneficial bacteria" as your body does not absolutely require their constant presence. Anti-Biotics don't necessarily do any harm to your body, so it would be much better to take them right away rather than wait for a test result and find out that your anti-biotics aren't going to do you too much good right off the start.

If you are on anti-biotics, they should be taken until all the pills are gone, no matter how well you feel (even though I personally wouldn't take them in the first place). The reason for this is because the plasmids of bacteria cells will develop immunities in the bacteria's genome and then replicate with that immunity. So if you continue to take the anti-biotic, you aren't giving the bacteria any chance to build that immunity, and then you don't have the roblem of a mutated bacterial cell that is resistent to the anti-biotic, causing the need for the development of yet another new anti-biotic.

Answer 5

This summer my son, 24, went through four treatments of antibiotics in a row over about 3-4 mos. He looked like death and I was worried....6' 1" and 148 lbs. I told him the same thing I am saying now. Make sure a culture is done to see what type of bacteria is actually present in your system. He finally did what I said and went into the ER at a local hospital where they ran a culture and treated him with the proper antibiotics and meds. You are right about drs out there who are more interested in seeing patients rather than curing them. I have been misdiagnosed numerous times.... including cancer....you have to be your own advocate these days.

Answer 6

You're right - antibiotics isn't all 100% kind to our bodies. In fact, there are studies that suggest some antibiotics may kill the good bacteria in our bodies as well.

I personally do not see any reason for doctors to administer antibiotics unless it's a stubborn cough or flu that has lasted for more than 3 or 4 days, or in case of a very painful headache accompanied by fever, or some illness that requires fast urgent recovery (eg. an upcoming surgery).

And part of the problem is, most patients doctors see, want to get rid of their sickness FAST. Relying on our body's immunity to work may take a longer time for recovery but most do not see or understand or even know the benefits of allowing your body's amazing system for self-repair, especially for flu and cold, since it can affect us many times in a life time.

Antibiotics are handed out EASILY because it is what drug companies want - it is BIG PROFIT to them! I suggest you learn more about what the media is hiding AT THE EXPENSE of your health and mine ---> http://www.mercola.com (Dr. Mercola's famous website). I highly recommend you find out the health myths and truths from this site as well as others who have converted to what I call "Mercola fans".

Wishing you good health!

Answer 7

This is most unfortunate, but is the fault of patients. If the doctor refuses an antibiotic he loses a patient who can tell how an unnecessary shot made him immediately well. Charging for a shot is unfortunately another reason with some doctors.

Answer 8

Just my own theory, but watching what happened when my wife took the kids to the doctor over the years for virus infections convinced me that they do it just to make you feel like you're doing something proactive, rather than relying on the body to produce antibodies and defeat the infection on it's own.

Answer 9

antibiotics is not only to attack bad bacterias, but it is given to enhance the growth of some bacterias in our body so that our body can produce our own antibody to fight the bacterias. It means the doctors just give out some antibiotics has he may be thought of producing our own antibody just our by signs and not by symptoms. ther are different between both.

Answer 10

yor r right we are miss using antibiotics,but in certain cases it can be given without documantation of bacteria with culture.such as brain infection[meningitis].