To think that we should be able to buy antibiotics accross the counter like a good number of other countries

[Carollocking]

Why do we need to go through the rigmarole of doctors just to get an antibiotic when we know what we need.
What reason is there to prevent us access to them without seeing a doctor.
I know we're not the only country like this but there are plenty of places you can just buy them at the chemist.

Well, you can't in Australia either. And you have to pay to see your GP and get the prescription. As it should be, IMO.

Who cares what 'some countries' do? It's not a race to the bottom.

I think it could be set up that you could pay for a pharmacist to carry out a strep throat test in order to see if you needed antibiotics or if your sore throat is viral. I certainly think that could help.

Beyond that no - for the reasons here so far and also that for children it looks increasingly likely that amoxicillin impacts on tooth enamel and linked to cavitities

YABU - even GP's are giving out too many antibiotics when under pressure from patients. THEY DON"T WORK on viruses which is what most of us get, and overuse is creating huge problems I.E. if we're headed for a situation where antibiotics won't work anymore which means people couldn't actually die from what should be a minor infection.

of course because everyone can tell the difference between a viral infection and a bacterial one.

And when you get another infection because you've taken ABs you just need to take some more. Just keep popping those pills.

YABU. It is not because some other countries "trust" their citizens to make these decisions themselves.

It is because regulation and enforcement are expensive and having a sophisticated health system that can control antibiotic use is one of the many privileges of living in a rich country. (Like having access to a qualified doctor who can diagnose your condition and prescribe the appropriate treatment).

Antibiotic resistance is utterly terrifying.

Where's this evidence that some are quoting saying some countries are changing there policy's about over the counter? That I've not seen

I believe the law changed in Turkey last year and now you have to have a prescription. That should be universal in my opinion; convenience is a ridiculous justification for encouraging misuse and weakening of the precious few effective tools we have left against infection.

Interesting you say a stupid idea though it works well elsewhere,or would it be more i of a concern because of a patient not visiting so you'd not get the visit payment?

Considering the generally poor level of English comprehension on here, a website with a supposedly high proportion of well-educated women, YABU.

It's because of morons in other countries not regulating the use of anti-biotics that we could see the end of surgery in my lifetime.

Imagine if every surgery - all of them, even the minor ones - had a 40% likelihood of lethal infection. Because that's what we will be looking at soon because of anti-biotic overuse.

Noooo.

Antibiotics should only be used when absolutely necessary. Taking them can have a huge impact on your health by damaging your gut microbiome.

Overuse of antibiotics will lead to there being no antibiotics. Think of the consequences of that. No more operations, unless you're willing to take the risk. A lot of chemotherapy treatments rely on the availability of antibiotics. Infections like tuberculosis and STDs won't be treatable. Septicaemia isn't as much of a threat any more because we can treat it. A scratch on the garden, or an infected fly bite, or a tooth abscess could become fatal.

40%+ of antibiotic use is so we can use modern farming techniques and have cheap chicken nuggets. That's the biggest threat.

It clearly doesn't work well elsewhere or anibiotic inmunity wouldn't be a global issue would it. In some countries you can just go out and buy a gun. In some countries you can buy a wife. I mean why not, it works for them.

The law changed in the UAE this month OP, as well as Turkey last year.

Interesting you say a stupid idea though it works well elsewhere

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28162966

Viral illnesses accounted for the highest percentage for seeking antibiotics in 35.5% (n=166) more commonly among females.
Thirty one point eight percent (n=149) used antibiotics for analgesia
while 13.7% (n=64) believed in their prophylactic use.

So, over 80% of use was completely inappropriate and damaging to global antimicrobial stewardship. Meaning, little old ladies go into hospital and die from MRSA. Meaning, in the future, we all potentially die from a superbug because we've nothing less that works.

or would it be more i of a concern because of a patient not visiting so you'd not get the visit payment?

There is no such thing as a visit payment in the NHS.

When I was a medic I would say attendees to ED (without injury) would have about a 45% request rate for AB. So many people lost their rag because we wouldn't dish them out like sweets. I would conservatively estimate the amount of people who had NO idea what ABs were for to be around 25% of patients and next of kin. Many thought they were a magic pill to cure quite literally anything and thought it was a cost cutting measure for us not to prescribe for the likes of headache, broken bones and even dementia.

If you want to go down the route of other countries, I believe it is illegal not to complete a course of AB in Spain.

It's a shame antibiotics don't cure stupid.

No way. What a daft AIBU.

I find it very frustrating that you can't buy them over the counter.

Why? I regularly get urine infections and tonsillitis. I know when I need antibiotics. But have to wait (sometimes in considerable discomfort/pain) until I can get a GP appointment. The GP without fail writes out a prescription for me.

For people who get regular infections, I think they should be able to obtain treatment when they need it. Not 10 days later when they can get a GP appointment.

It would be carnage if people took them willy nilly.

Please read the link about antibiotic guardians posted here and upthread.

Antibiotic resistance is a massive international problem.

I'm not sure what you are actually arguing about now. You've had evidence showing you it's a global issue, evidence showing how countries across the world are changing their policies, and great statistics showing you that a huge proportion of antibiotic use is inappropriate.

One of the upsides of the NHS is that it's possible to control use more easily than in many other countries. Sadly people who think they know better still insist on buying on-line, or abroad. In addition many people bring them in from their home countries where widespread use/abuse is the norm (e.g. China and Poland) .

Interesting you say a stupid idea though it works well elsewhere

I guess that depends on what you mean by "works well". Yes, it means more people can just take ABs rather than go to the doctor, freeing up appointment times.

The flip side, as has been pointed out over and over again, is that over use and misuse of ABs is causing resistance. Where will you be when your nice freely available AB is about as much use as popping a smartie?

For every person like you, purplecollar there are 9999 others who would take them for a sniffle or a virus.

It's a shame antibiotics don't cure stupid.

This ^

I know when I need antibiotics. But have to wait (sometimes in considerable discomfort/pain) until I can get a GP appointment.

The consequence of failing to steward antimicrobials correctly is that the human race dies.

I understand that the process inconveniences you, but it's bigger than your tonsillitis.