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Original poster

Shorten a course of antibiotics?

12 replies

chickenfactory · 03/04/2013 18:08

Can you shorten a course of metronidazole? My friend is supposed to take 3 x 200mg tablets a day but wants to take 4 x 200mg so the course finishes a day earlier.
Will they still be effective? Or is this essentially an overdose?
She has an event on the last day which is will be very difficult not to drink at, hence trying to finish them earlier.

OP posts:

monsterchild · 03/04/2013 18:11

The duration is as important as the dose, so no, she shouldn't shorten it. It will be a good excuse to not drink or cut down. Can she just nurse a glass all night?

somewheresomehow · 03/04/2013 18:16

looking on this nhs site you cant drink for 48 hours after finishing the course as it can still give side effects which may well be quite serious
www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/864.aspx?CategoryID=73

tallulahturtle · 04/04/2013 08:39

Tell her to finish the course normally . Those are very strong antibiotics and you really really can't drink with them during them and for a cople of days after, they will make you very unwell if you drink with them.

Rosa · 04/04/2013 08:41

event that will be very hard not to drink at as the others have said she should take the course as prescribed and avoid drinking even after .....

Bunbaker · 04/04/2013 18:00

"event that will be very hard not to drink at"

. I don't understand why people find that so difficult. Not drinking doesn't mean you have to be a party pooper. I think it says more about the other people at the event than the non drinker.

TravelinColour · 04/04/2013 18:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CalamityKate · 04/04/2013 18:08

Metronidazole + alcohol = really really ill.

Not worth the risk.

Lonecatwithkitten · 04/04/2013 18:33

Use of metronidazole is reserved for quite specific infections if a doctor is concerned enough to use this antibiotic iris essential that she takes it correctly. It is one of a very small group that deal with anaerobic infections.

specialsubject · 04/04/2013 20:53

(extremely angry)

she has access to free healthcare and she finishes the damn course. If the event involves being held down and forced to drink alcohol, suggest she doesn't go. Otherwise she can cope for one whole night without alcohol. If she can't, she needs to get her alcoholism treated.

otherwise suggest she either does as she is told or stops cluttering the NHS, leaving space for those who appreciate it.

DiscoDonkey · 04/04/2013 20:55

"Event it will be really difficult not to drink at" most ridiculous statement ever!

Lucyellensmum95 · 04/04/2013 20:55

Why don't you just tell her to take them all in one go?

Lucyellensmum95 · 04/04/2013 21:01

Many antibiotics hijack the bugs while they are dividing and multiplying, they do this in cycles so in order to mop up all the bugs (my microbiology lecturer would have turned puce if he heard me say bugs!) you have to have the CORRECT DOSE for the CORRECT AMOUNT of time. If you don't you will leave a population of bacteria there that are more likely to be resistant to future antibiotics. One day we are not going to just be able to pop down to the doctors for ABs for common illnesses because we have misused them, over prescribed them and they are not working as well as they did.

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