Anti-biotics are prescribed for say 7 days, 3 per days and in between if u skip 1 or 2 tablets, what harm?

Answer 1

the harm is that this particular bacteria can become resistant...this is the beginning of the evolution of superbugs. bacteria can reproduce very quickly and so they can adapt to changes in shorter periods of time. one bacteria can have many generations in a few weeks, this they can evolve quickly and we as humans can't develop new antibiotics for the new strains of quick...this is why we have these superbugs....antibacterial soaps are also a problem in regular households...they are necessary in hospitals but not in a typical household....wash hands with soap and water for thirty seconds kills most household bacteria....this antibacterial products in stores are not necessary and if we stopped buying them then the manufactures won't make them for homes....they are perpetuating the problems that we have seen in just the short time since antibiotics have been discovered.

Answer 2

Generic erthromycin is a bit of a disaster of an antibiotic, many patients get nausea, vomiting and sometimes quite severe abdominal pain, especially at does at the top end, 2gms a day, the dose you have been prescribed. I assume you must have a penicillin allergy, although I would have thought you would have mentioned it, as the normal 1st choice antibiotic, IF a decision to prescribe an antibiotic is taken in the first place, would really always otherwise be amoxicillin. The comment that both your ears appear infected is also an interesting one, as bilateral otitis media is very uncommon. ( Bacterial infection affecting both middle ears.) However it is very common to have both eardrums reddened in febrile viral illnesses, this might indicate that this is your diagnosis. Being viral, this would not respond to any antibiotic. It has also been well known for many years that studies have shown that 81% of cases of otitis media will settle without antibiotic treatment. In children the official ENT guidelines suggest antibiotics should be withheld for 48 hours after the diagnosis has been made. This is because by this time 83% will have resolved spontaneously, though this advice is not yet included in the adult management guideline. The "marginal" benefits of antibiotic therapy have led some authorities to propose non-treatment paradigms for acute otitis media in adults also. Either way it is inappropriate and unacceptable to expect you to continue with an antibiotic that upsets you to any significant extent. I do wonder why you accepted this antibiotic from you GP when he examined and prescribed for you? {OMG sudden thought, did this guy examine you or could this have been one of those arrangements where your cousins brothers pal phoned the doctors, he spoke to the receptionist, the receptionist spoke to the doctor and he wrote a prescription in his tea break without actually examining you??? If you were by some chance involved in that sort of management, it is even more difficult to justify prescribing an antibiotic at all, in a condition with an 80%+ spontaneous recovery rate!}

Answer 3

It really depends on what they were prescribed for. If your doctor gave you the drugs because you have a virus, it'll make no difference whatsoever. Antibiotics are over-prescribed in the U.S. They have no effect on viruses. It's much easier, and more profitable, for the doctor to write a prescription than to try and educate the masses.

If the drugs are for a bacterial infection, continue taking them at the prescribed level until they're all gone. As someone else said, take the remaining 1 or 2 tablets as an additional dose at the end of treatment.

Answer 4

Don't skip.

The target strain will become resistant, and the patient will typically worsen.

Take all the antibiotics prescribed, for the complete course of treatment like clockwork, even if the patient fells better, because even though getting better, the target is still alive, only reduced, and if you stop early will come back.

Seen this over and over in military service, guys get an infection or something feel better, blow it off, stop taking the meds, get worse, and the doc is all bent out of shape, has to come up with something stronger.

Answer 5

you really need to take them as you've been told by your doctor!
when missing one or two pills, the bacteria might build up a resistance (does not have to, but you don't want to give it a chance, right?) and will not be terminated anymore and go right back into doing what they can do best. grow, grow, and grow even more. always take all the pills you have been subscribed, even when feeling better after a few days.
talk to a pharmacist or your doctor when needing any further help.
good luck

Answer 6

Probably none but the level will dip in your bloodstream when not taking proper dosing. If you have one or 2 "missed pills" take them after your 7th day, pretending that it is your last day.

Aim for keeping them as properly timed as you can and always finish your antibiotics.
Be well!

Answer 7

then you need to start over. keep track or get sick again, your choice.