Ex, DS and Antibiotics

[LesLavandes]

My 15 year old son arrived home yesterday after having spent Christmas with his father. He asked me if I had any antibiotics as he had tonsillitis. Obviously I didn't. On enquiring, he told me that he had not finished the course of antibiotics prescribed to him months ago for same problem when staying with ex and when he took sick this time ex gave him end of old packet. And thought that was fine. He has still got white spots in his throat.

I am horrified at ex firstly not making sure he finished course months ago and then giving him the end of an old packet. I will be taking him to Dr today.

I laid into ex and called him clueless or lazy. We are not on good terms as it is... He says he finds this very offensive.

I checked NHS guidelines which has a section on how important it is to finish the course.

Am I AIBU to kick off at ex for this?

First time poster. Thank you

Surely the only issue with taking "old" antibiotics for the same complaint though is that if the full course was taken there should be none left?

Otherwise if the meds are still in date and have been stored appropriately what's the issue? My GP often prescribes a course of 7/10 days antibiotics but says to stop after 5/7 if feeling better (HCP, he trusts me to self assess!) Having 2 days antibiotics available when you know you have yet another UTI/tonsillitis etc and no chance of getting to a gp is the stuff of dreams!!

As said, this is a topic that is close to my heart but professionally and personally and what saddens me most is not that the public is confused (although there is so much campaign about it yet still people rush to their GP at the slightest infection), but how professionals are still clueless.

Another link for those who are interested! (World Health Organisation, so doesn't get more reliable than that!)
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/antibiotic-resistance/en/

www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jul/26/rule-patients-must-finish-antibiotics-course-wrong-study-says

Whoops! I should have read the thread.

Greenshoots it has indeed been a while since I attended school. Altho until about two years ago I worked within schools at both primary & secondary level...still never seen it come up!! Perhaps I need to be ensuring that the schools I work within cover it so that parents have one less thing to fret about 🤔
(not a dig at you OP btw, but definitely at your husband!).

its been in the KS3 curriculum for many years mustbemad, and is considered key to the GCSE spec as well

Some bouts of tonsillitis do actually need antibiotics, the latest advice about stopping the course early is still up for debate among the medical profession, not all of them agree.

No one on here can diagnose the OPs son, the GP he saw was in the best position to do that.

My ex once refused to give my ds his hayfever tablets as ex "didnt believe in taking tablets"
He was a twat.

If it has been in KS3 curriculum for many years, surely they must be changing their point of view every so often , since, from what I read on here, the medical view has changes every so often

Your ex made a mistake, yes inform him that DC needs to take the full course. Or as DC is 15, tell DC and get him to be responsible. But 'kicking off' and calling him 'clueless or lazy' is just abusive.

Unfortunately the ex wasn't there to hear this and my son goes back there today.

But given the doctor told him, surely your ds will understand? Is he neurotypical?

If it has been in KS3 curriculum for many years, surely they must be changing their point of view every so often , since, from what I read on here, the medical view has changes every so often

no, no change.

The medical "view" has not changed

as always, in many ares, there is ongoing research, and some research is going to raise questions about the current understanding, or even contradict it, but "the medical view" does not blow quite so easily in the wind as to change with every individual result, it takes consistent and repeatable evidence, not the media picking up and dropping something on a whim

Maelstrop. My son has no problems with his brain. It is the ex who needs to be educated

Science teacher here - it is on the National Curriculum. I teach it at KS3, KS4 (literally lessons on how antibiotics work, dangers of over use and antibiotic resistance) and then in depth at KS5.

We really do hammer home that courses should be completed (as per exam spec), but do discuss the latest research. The kids should know it.

It is the ex who needs to be educated
Clearly we all do, including your son and yourself, but for some reason, you seem to think that only your ex is in the wrong. Do you have a conflicting relationship with him?

Some bouts of tonsillitis do actually need antibiotics,
Few do and considering there is a virus going around at the moment (DH's got it, so does my friend and a couple of people at work), the likelihood would be that it is indeed viral, in which case, the antibiotics are doing more harm than good. If the GP had reasons to believe it was viral, he should have run a test. If he had, he wouldn't have had the results so quickly to decide that the infection was bacterial and prescribe antibiotics.

GPs are now monitored for their antibiotics prescription and the variation between practices (per 1000 patients) is astounding which clearly shows that there are still many GPs who continue to prescribe, usually the same GPs who still prescribe paracetamol.

So it's not his fault that he didn't know he should finish the course
Any doctor will tell them to finish the course

Doctor we saw yesterday prescribed another full course and explained to my son the problems of not taking a full course and that he must finish this one

Yes

Unfortunately the ex wasn't there to hear this and my son goes back there today

It's your son that needs to hear it not your ex. Your son is old enough to look after himself at boarding school I'm as to why your ex is the baddy in this situtation

If you are concerned that he won't take his meds as he should, why not text him three times a day to remind him? Surely he won't have any excuse then if he still doesn't.