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.

The OP has gone quiet.......

I assume that means you can't don't want to answer my questions, @annielouise. I can't say I am surprised.

Who made you god?

Hahahaha.

There's also some evidence antibiotics may be behind the explosion in allergies in the last 40 years.

That's interesting if true. I was certainly informed by my GP that a penicillin allergy commonly develops at about the tenth course of it. That might be accurate for when I developed mine, not sure exactly how many times I've had ABs prescribed over the years, or exactly how many of them were penicillin when I was a child.

It is interesting, it's the "Old Friends" theory, that we're killing off the good bacteria which kept our immune systems in balance.

Been a lot less keen on antibiotics since seeing a documentary about it!

www.nhs.uk/livewell/homehygiene/pages/are-we-too-clean-for-our-own-good.aspx

Realising they have no research based evidence beyond personal, op has disappeared.

I think there's a fair few people who don't understand what ab resistance is - my ILs and a couple of PPs are good examples. My MIL told me my FIL is now resistant to certain antibiotics because he'd had them so many times (he genuinely needs them, suffers from many health issues). That's not how it works. It's not the patient that becomes resistant, it's the bug that does the infecting. So it's not one person becoming resistant that is affected but EVERY SINGLE PERSON infected by that strain of bug who now has one less antibiotic to try.
Failure to complete a course must be a big issue too, do any doctors have figures on how prevalent that is?

OTC antibiotics like in Greece which had the highest isolation rate of Carbapenem resistant bacteria (CRE) in Europe in 2014?
Or India where ESBL producing bacteria are just normal? Its not just MRSA we have to worry about now, there is a whole host of goodies out there and misuse of antibiotics will only encourage the spread of these lovely creatures in the community.

"Actually, in Norway, if you"ve been in a hospital outside of Norway in the past twelve months, you have to have a swab taken before you are hospitalised for anything routine. "

People I have known to have planned admissions in NHS hospitals have been swabbed too, I have not personally known anyone to be positive so I don't know what the protocol is to deal with a positive result but I am sure there is one.

In my place pretty much everyone is swabbed for MRSA and depending on previous history/ admission/ illness they are also swabbed for CRE and VRE. Most surgical patients hsve all this done a week before admission. MRSA is treated until it's gone, if positive for the others you are isolated from admission
Its a lot of work....

Ds was in one hospital and then in another shortly after and was in isolation until his swab had come back. Seems standard practice

Op all you need to do to know why your post is ridiculous is type in ' antibiotic resistance' into your google search bar. It is a HUGE problem . I'm not sure how you've missed media coverage of this?

I don't have to justify myself to anyone. Your tone stinks. I accept it's not a good idea and am well aware of resistance but within that I don't have to follow the crowd. I'm self-employed, can't afford to take time off as I don't get paid so I do what I do to suit me and my life as don't have a partner for back up to pay the bills. I don't need your permission or blessing for that. Stop being so fucking arrogant. Hectoring and patronising tone. piss off.

STDG if you want questions answered try talking to people in a nicer way. You'll get better results than talking down to them.

Same back at you .

try talking to people in a nicer way

Hahahahahahahaha

I don't think I started with the patronising tone. But I did respond yes, Soupdragon. That's what happens, funny enough .

So, how do you know whether an infection is bacterial or viral? How do you know what is the correct AB to take? How do you know the correct dosage? I know that I have no idea whatsoever.

This is one of the few threads where I've been so that I've hoped it's a troll.

NO ONE is this stupid, surely...

Your problem is getting a GP appointment. That's a NHS funding issue. Doesn't need to be solved by OTC ABs.
You do get them in India btw. My parents are always amazed that I don't get the kids to the doctor for some antibiotics with every sniffle and cold.

Stop being so fucking arrogant.

Coming from someone who has, in essence, said 'my convenience and finances are more important than the potential contribution of my irresponsible antibiotic use to the future deaths of others.'

Well played.

I accept it's not a good idea and am well aware of resistance but within that I don't have to follow the crowd.

This sort of selfishness is so lacking in intelligence & imagination, it's gobsmacking.

"I'm all right, Jack" in its essence

It's actually refreshing seeing how many sensible answers here. Makes me feel better about those patients who think it's acceptable to give me a mouthful when I won't prescribe for their virus, or suggest they wait three days (I then issue a script after a brief phone chat if symptoms not improving , doesn't happen often).

Std , Annie and her life is so much more important than anyone else, see it from her side...