AIBU to B amazed at how many people still don't seem to have a clue about antibiotics?

[CameraTime]

Talking a work colleague the other day... I happened to mention that I have a heavy cold/sore throat. He said "Oh, I have some antibiotics if you want them". Turned out he'd been prescribed them for something a few months ago, took them for a few days, felt better, stopped taking them and kept them in case he needed them for something else.

I pointed out that you're meant to finish the whole course, you can't just keep some for later; you also can't really just give prescription medicine to other people, and anyway it was unlikely that they'd work on a cold.

Several other colleagues were there. One agreed with me, one basically seemed to be hearing this for the first time, and the other two thought there was nothing wrong with what he was doing and "they're way too fussy about antibiotics now, they used to hand them out all the time and it was fine".

AIBU to be quite shocked that so many people (all well-educated, all have lived here for years ago so shouldn't have missed the campaigns) were blatantly not that fussed about casually taking antibiotics? I'm religious about finishing the course, not taking them unless I need to etc, and I assumed most people were too.

I get that there are bigger issues with antibiotic resistance (farming etc) but still, it's important to do what we can. And you should never hand out drugs to someone else or take them from them!

emmur (Eddie did a brilliant “emmur” this week).

Indeed.

I do understand that distinction but interestingly, your post made me think and I think every now and then that understanding slips for me - hadn’t realised this. It’s indeed a societal issue not personal.

Or perhaps Eddy.

Whatevskev @QualCheckBot the amusing thing about your post is that as an actual doctor, it doesn’t sound like your ‘ability to understand a non rocket science simple discipline like medicine’ shows you actually understand at all. Pathways for microbiology vary around area. But macrolides aren’t used for second line pneumonia nor for atypical types. They may be an alternative first line in penicillin resistance.

My post was in response to one from a non "actual doctor" who suggested that because doctors required top level marks, they were the only ones who could understand anything to do with antibiotics. I then narrated a personal example of where my GP failed to diagnose pneumonia and then respond to unsuccessful treatment by penicillin, and having twice to go to A&E to receive correct treatment, after becoming seriously ill.

And your suggestion that it’s incredibly simple and anyone with A levels can do it is patronising and shows your own ignorance.

I did not suggest this at all. You need to check your accuracy on this. There are of course other professionals than doctors who do need to understand antibiotics development and use - chemists, biologists, pharmacists and medical negligence lawyers (who obviously do defence work as well before you fabricate something about me hating doctors).

I'm a bit surprised at your aggressive response. You will know that as professionals, we get all sorts of criticism and abuse thrown at us by frustrated people. The best and indeed only way to address it is by calm and reasoned response, based on fact.

Togijornot Also, finding it slightly amusing / slightly concerning / not surprising that as a legal professional @QualCheckBot feels their knowledge of medicine is sufficient to speak as some sort of expert*

She turns up on every thread about antibiotics, spouting this nonsense about macrolides being some kind of wonder-drug solution to everything - if only doctors would understand.

She’s been told before, by multiple people, in very plain language that she is wrong. But still she posts this garbage. It is most bizarre.

Have you confused me with another poster? I've been on here around 3 months (although no doubt you will check up on this and tell me it is actually 3 months and 11 days) and I think I've mentioned macrolides once or twice in the same post.

Macrolides are not a wonder drug. They are simply another class of antibiotic that can be used as an option.

There is not some rule that doctors, and only doctors, can use words such as "macrolide".

@HeronLanyon. 😂😂

There’s no way there’s more than one medical negligence lawyer with a weird obsession with macrolides.