27/01/2022
Why You Should Complete The Antibiotic Course!
Why shove harmful antibiotics down your throat when you are feeling alright, right?
Well, that's what you think.
And mind you, you couldn't be more wrong!
Let's talk about bacteria before we proceed.
Bacteria are foreign intruders that are the root cause of many infections. When you have a bacterial infection, your doctor may recommend an antibiotic to help you recover.
Although the same type of bacteria appears to be identical, they have varying degrees of susceptibility to antibiotic doses.
At one end of the spectrum, there are the 'weaklings' which can be killed with a mild dose of antibiotics.
On the other end, there are the resilient ones that are unaffected by mild doses of antibiotics.
In the middle of the spectrum, there are the 'middlemen'. These are neither resilient nor weak.
So, when you begin taking antibiotics, exposure to the mild dose of the antibiotics kills the 'weaklings' and weakens the 'middlemen'.
You may start feeling better by day 3 or 4. This is where the big trap lies. Most people decide to discontinue their antibiotics at this stage, which is a big mistake.
Why is it a big trap?
When you begin feeling well, it simply means that a majority of the bacteria in your body have been cleared out by the antibiotic, mostly the weaklings and most of the 'middlemen'.
But the resilient and unresponsive bacteria are still intact.
So, when you discontinue your antibiotics halfway, you give room for the resilient bacteria to multiply more resilient bacteria, since they will have reduced competition for nutrients from the 'weaklings' and 'middlemen' who would have been wiped out.
This may cause the infection to relapse or even worsen.
Additionally, exposure to a mild dose of antibiotics will cause the resilient bacteria to build resistance against that antibiotics, rendering it not fit for use in case you get infected by the same bacteria.
This is how antimicrobial resistance develops as a result of not taking the complete prescribed dose of an antibiotic.
Purpose to be taking the complete dose of any prescribed antibiotic!
Dr. Libeya Bethwel
Pharmacist- Photizo Pharmacy, Nairobi west
Why shove harmful antibiotics down your throat when you are feeling alright, right? Well, that's what you think.And mind you, you couldn't be more wrong!Let'...