To have never realised why people don't finish their antibiotics?

[WhoWants2Know]

Every time I hear antibiotics discussed, it's always with the warning that "You must keep taking them until they're finished, even if you start to feel better." Otherwise super germs, etc.

I always thought it was strange that they have to keep emphasising that point, and wondered why someone wouldn't just follow the doctor's instructions.

But then I never really needed antibiotics much... Until now. And they're actually bloody awful, aren't they?

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about not being dead or in pain. But the cure involves feeling like I swallowed drain cleaner for a fortnight.

Lived abroad for years and ALWAYS got a probiotic prescription hand in hand with an antibiotic prescription (multiple countries).

They always give me a bad stomach so I take them to the point the virus seems to be gone rather than finishing the whole bunch. :/

I can handle them for about 3 days before feeling like poo!

I stopped taking them once cause I thought my ear infection was better. Not only did my ear infection come back but I then got another infection in the other ear. Since then I've always finished my course of antibiotics!

I get UTI's so frequently i have anti B's on my repeat prescription, thankfully i get no side effects from them!. I can't do flucloxacilin without an off tummy though.

co-amoxiclav had me doubled up by the end of the course. It might have worked but it's grim to take

Strange, I’ve never had side effects from antibiotics 🤷‍♀️ I wondered what the fuss was about.

I'm currently on Metronidazole and amoxicillin for periodontal issues. Bricking it as my gums still hurt after a week of the stuff. Will they prescribe another course?! It's awful. I feel so down and exhausted 😩

Flucloxacillin. I've had that a few times and you really can't take it close to food. Horrible, especially as a grazer.

My poor ds is on them for a skin infection.... I'm not sure if it's because it's the first time he's needed them but he's had awful thrush on his backside and diarrhoea.

I also think a better job should be done to educate the general population about how different medications work, from a young age.

I know basic stuff as my mum used to be a nurse, but I was never taught anything formally, and in many families or communities there is an inherent distrust in medical professionals, which has recently been exacerbated by an increasing use of Doctor Google and people self-diagnosing themselves, or even worse, self-medicating.

Only taken then twice as an adult. I had a very minor skin/ear infection but thought as I was going on holiday that I'd be sensible and get it treated here rather than risking it getting worse abroad. I took erythromycin, after 2 days of taking it I was up all night vomiting and almost had to cancel my holiday. Stopped taking it and stopped vomiting and decided to risk the sore ear

Recently I took metro whatever for a tooth infection and it was completely without incident

Some people get Diarrhoea whilst on antibiotics, so they then stop taking them (my dad used to do that). I'm allergic to Penicillin so have sometimes been prescribed Erythromycin, which makes me feel very queasy, but I've put up with that and carried on with the course.

I have had loads when young plus a few when adult and none of them were this bad.
I think most people just dont understand the whole thing.
One family I worked for didnt understand that taking the eg 4 times a day actually means 24/4, ie every six hours, not just four doses during the time you are normally awake.

I was give a tip - eat a bite of a bannana before taking the antibiotics pill. It lines the stomach and you dont feel so bad. I went through my last antibiotics like this and it worked. I have a very sensitive stomach othewise.

I had neon pee from UTI antibiotics, stopped me feeling like I was going in to pre term labour though so well worth it. Not a fan of thrush as a side effect.

DS recently had ab for tonsillitis.
Meant to take 30mins before food or two hours after 4 times a day. No chance or that! He got bad stomach with them.
Doc had given 7 days but did say they could be stopped after 5 days if feeling better.
I was so worried the tonsillitis would come back after he stopped at day 5 but luckily it didn't.

Macrobid are the work of the devil! Sickness, headaches, tiredness. I felt like I had the flu.

I've been on quite a few different antibiotics for different reasons, macrobid are the only ones I've had problems with, I would never ever take them again. I can't even put into words how ill they made me!

I’ve never had any problems with antibiotics per se but I’m rubbish at taking medications in general because you’re usually meant to take them with food and every so many hours but I’m so chaotic (suspected adhd - total lack of daily routine) that I don’t eat to the schedule and end up not taking them

I'm like a dying duck on antibiotics. But I always finish the course, because, Christ, who wants to have to go through all that misery TWICE?

You don't use mouthwash do you, OP?

If you do and it contains alcohol, that would be one reason why you feel like crap. There's enough alcohol absorbed through mouthwash to cause the reaction with Metronidazole that is exactly why the information leaflet says you must not have alcohol under any circumstances.

I'm allergic to most antibiotics. I'd love the opportunity to complain about them, but I'm usually too busy trying to not die of anaphylaxis at the time. But strangely, I'm fine, if a little queasy with Metronidazole. I did have a very helpful doctor who added the EVEN MOUTHWASH warning to the consultation, though.

There are two types of medicines: ones that don’t have any side effects, and ones that work.

I've had antibiotics many times but no reactions. I feel fortunate now - I didn't realise it was a common problem.

@Terfydactyl

Yup, maybe not quite drain cleaner, but yes every time I take them I feel fucking awful. Very sickly.

On a related note, when tablets say to take after food, they dont mean a slice of toast. They mean a proper meal.

I heard a dr once almost yelling at a frail old woman this fact.

It’s likely the awful sickly feeling you and other people are getting from antibiotic therapy is really endotoxins caused by bacterial die off. It’s known as the Jarisch–Herxheimer Reaction. Although I’m aware that Cipro class can cause nerve damage but I’m not sure by which mechanism and of course bodies can vary tremendously and not everyone processes medication exactly the same, so it’s entirely possible that on top of the bacterial die off, the compounds in the antibiotic are not pleasing to the body.

academic.oup.com/femspd/article/44/1/1/518759

And antibiotic resistance is mainly driven by chicken and pork farming, they realised they can keep them in the worst conditions but they will still get fat and big, if they’re given plenty of antibiotics.

Also prescriptions of sub-therapeutic antibiotics due to inadequate duration drive resistance.

It’s not a coincidence that since 2002, when they introduced the shorter 3 day antibiotic course for UTI, there has been a directly correlated explosion in (mis)diagnoses of ‘Interstitial Cystitis’ and ‘Painful Bladder Syndrome’. UTI dipsticks and cultures are not fit for purpose and doctors refuse to listen to patient symptoms, except the good professor doctor Malone-Lee, who is curing these incurable ‘syndromes’ with high strength long term (at least 1 year) narrow spectrum antibiotics. His research and information saves lives, but the nhs ignored this for years, they’ve just finally admitted on their site that chronic embedded UTIs exist, the same month Professor Malone-Lee very sadly died.

Yup, they are nasty.

Though, for myself, any time I don't finish them it's because I am crappy about taking pills at the best of times. And if I feel crappy, I am more likely to remember. Once I feel better, I am more likely to forget.