Is there a scientific explanation for this?
2007-06-25 00:58:44 · 19 answers · asked by koz 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
Bacterias don't die immediately after taking Antibiotics so
whenever you feel fine after taking Antibiotics after like 2-3 days, this doesn't assure that the Bacterias are dead. When you stop/discountinue taking the Antibiotic before the whole course, this enables Bacterias to cure themselves and be stronger. Chances are once your sick again, they are already resistant to the same Antibiotic and therefore you must need another Antibiotic/medication or stronger dosage of the same Antibiotic to kill them.
2007-06-26 05:19:17 · answer #1 · answered by giftedman88 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a very sound reason for doctors insisting that you finish the whole antibiotic treatment. If you stop part way there may well be a few germs remaining, not enough to make you unwell but enough to go on breeding but there is a greater problem than this: the remaining germs are the strongest of the group as they have survived the main part of the treatment and their offspring will have a greater resistance to the antibiotic you were given. Because of this we are now seeing bacteria that are almost totally resistant to antibiotic treatments and the illnesses they produce are becoming untreatable again as they were before antibiotics were developed. Some forms of T.B. are perfect examples of this problem and they are killing people with doctors unable to do anything to stop it happening.
2007-06-25 08:14:26 · answer #2 · answered by U.K.Export 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The reason is that the microbes are pretty hardy thing and some are more resistant to antibiotics than others. These smaller numbers could survive a short course of antibiotics then multiply after you stop. The result is you get sick again.
More ominous is the idea that antibiotic resistant germs have survived and will be harder to kill the next time they infect someone.
After saying all that, I must confess that my son never finished the full course of Amoxicillin in his life. Kaiser HMO gave it to him because its cheap but it requires a dosage of 3 pill a day for 2-3 weeks. Zithromax gets the same result in three days. I guess sticking to the longer regimen just wore him out. Also, he never did get sick again after the short course.
2007-06-25 08:18:57 · answer #3 · answered by Topsail 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes its because of the reproductive cycle of the bacteria or virus. The anti biotic kills more than are created by reproduction. It takes actually 7 days to be 100% effective
Doctors nowadays use 4-5 day treatments
Many people just get sick again within days after stopping
Best treatment is still 7 days the antibiotic doesn't completely
remove the infection from your blood system it drops i down to a level where your body can fight back. Once your immune system learns to make antibodies the fight is over
2007-06-25 08:05:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are on antibiotics course, your system could have achieved the effects of antibiotics mostly by stopping bacteria replication or multiplication, killing the most of their numbers and weakened the "strong" strains. That point your system achieves "partial victory" and regain and resume normal functions -that would result in yourself feeling better. However, those weakened bacteria could resume their activities if you will not complete your whole antibiotics course at that point. Bacterial replication could resume and resistant strain will be produced and that means reinfection will occur. The sad thing is that you may be required to have another course of antibiotics of probably of another generation.
2007-06-27 06:42:57 · answer #5 · answered by ♥ lani s 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A course of antibiotics is designed to totally destroy the bacteria in your body that you are taking that med for. In the 70's there was a move on for doctors to give penicillin for all things a lot of people did not finish the course and the surviving germs mutated and this is one of the reasons it is getting very hard to cure a lot of germ based diseases
2007-06-25 08:14:13 · answer #6 · answered by burning brightly 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To be certain that ALL of the bacteria has been killed. Normally, as soon as a bit of the bacteria has been killed, we begin to feel better. After feeling better, most of us discontinue the medication. However, there are strong possibilities that living bacteria remain in the system. For this reason, doctors recommend that we take all of the antibiotics.
2007-06-25 08:04:10 · answer #7 · answered by Talaupa 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The bacteria/germ that is causing you to be sick come in various stages of "health" as well. When you first take the antibiotic, the medicine kills the "weak" ones. As more of the bacteria/germs are killed, you will start to feel better. The last ones to be killed are usually the "strongest" ones. Even though there are not enough of them left to make you feel sick, if not killed (with the final doses of the medicine), they can make a come back. Before you know it, you will be sick again.
2007-06-25 08:04:30 · answer #8 · answered by Mr. G 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You begin to feel better as the infection is lessened but not necessarily completely iliminated. To stop taking the antibiotic before all the pathogens are gone can make those remaining resistant to the antibiotic you where taking. Many so called "super bugs" have emerged because of those resistant pathogins.
2007-06-25 08:12:11 · answer #9 · answered by Patricia S 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Because not all the germs are dead yet and they will become immune if you don't finish the entire course. The germs will pass their immunity on to other germs and the antibiotics won't work the next time.
TB is a good example. There are drug-resistant TB now that are very difficult to treat.
2007-06-25 08:04:31 · answer #10 · answered by ssbn598 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋