Is It Necessary To Complete The Course Of Antibiotics?

The doctors strictly advise to always take antibiotics until the end of the pack so that there is as little relapse as possible is out of date. But how many are enough to really get well again? And Is it necessary to complete the course of antibiotics? And what are antibiotic course duration? Let’s take a look.

The saying ‘As short as possible, as long as necessary’ applies to many drugs. So far an exception has only been made for antibiotics. Here, particular emphasis was placed on adhering to the duration and dose prescribed by the doctor in any case until the end, even if one was feeling much better. In this way, relapses on the one hand and resistance in the pathogenic bacteria on the other should be prevented.

In recent years, however, doubts about this dogma have arisen. In some studies, medical professionals have shown that, for certain infections, shorter duration of antibiotic therapy was equivalent to or even superior to a longer one. In fact, the recommendation to take antibiotics has already been partially revised.

The recommendation to always take antibiotics to the end stems more from medical empiricism than from evidence. The origin of the intake rule is unclear but over time it has become a kind of popular belief. The antibiotic repeatedly hailed as the sharpest sword in medicine has contributed to the formation of multi-resistant germs in recent years. That is the main reason that research needed to be done.

It turned out that taking it for a long time can even promote resistance. The longer the bacteria are exposed to drugs that kill bacteria, the more likely it is that resistant bacteria will survive. A shorter intake time can therefore not only have the advantage that there is less resistance, but is also often associated with fewer side effects. Nevertheless, the decision for the antibiotic course duration remains a complex topic in which many factors have to be considered.

Too Much And Too Often – What Is The Ideal Duration of AntiBiotic Course

We know that antibiotics are prescribed and taken too often all over the world. However, many times, the antibiotics are prescribed without the need or even as a precaution. Depending on the study and indication, the numbers are between 20 and 50 percent.

That is, in many of the cases there is no compelling reason for antibiotic therapy. So before you think about whether you have to take antibiotics to the end, you should first think about whether antibiotic therapy makes any medical sense at all. For this reason, many doctors and mature patients are beginning to rethink.

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If the administration of antibiotics is necessary, however, then under no circumstances should patients stop taking the medication themselves. Ultimately, only the doctor can decide when it is the right time to stop taking the antibiotic. Patients can, however, ask their doctor about this at any time and should not always simply take the prescribed dose through to the end of the pack, although they have long since felt symptom-free.

Demonizing the drug group per se, however, is also the wrong way because Antibiotics are in many ways a blessing for mankind.

Also Read: Five Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make With Antibiotics

As with all medications, leftover or expired antibiotics should not be disposed of via the toilet. The residues pollute the environment if not disposed of properly. Medicines that have not been swallowed should be returned to the pharmacy.