Really? So now we don’t have to finish our course of antibiotics when we get better?
We have always been told that we must complete courses of antibiotics, the theory being that taking too few tablets will allow the bacteria causing their disease to mutate and become resistant to the drug.
But Martin Llewelyn, a professor in infectious diseases in the UK, claims this is not the case.apple-converted-space:
Telling patients to stop taking antibiotics when they feel better may be preferable to instructing them to finish the course.
It is argued that the rule long embedded in the minds of doctors and the public is wrong and should be overturned.
“The idea that stopping antibiotic treatment early encourages antibiotic resistance is not supported by evidence, while taking antibiotics for longer than necessary increases the risk of resistance,” experts say.
There are some diseases where the bug can become resistant if the drugs are not taken for long enough.apple-converted-space:
The most obvious example is tuberculosis, they say.apple-converted-space:
But most of the bacteria that cause people to become ill are found on everybody’s hands in the community, causing no harm.
People fall ill only when the bug gets into the bloodstream or the gut. The longer such bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, the more likely it is that resistance will develop.
The experts say there has been too little research into the ideal length of a course of antibiotics, which also varies from one individual to the next, depending in part on what antibiotics they have taken in the past.
Little research? And we have been told this for how long?
“I have always thought it to be illogical to say that stopping antibiotic treatment early promotes the emergence of drug-resistant organisms,” says Peter Openshaw, president of the British Society for Immunology.apple-converted-space:
“This brief but authoritative review supports the idea that antibiotics may be used more sparingly, pointing out that the evidence for a long duration of therapy is, at best, tenuous. Far from being irresponsible, shortening the duration of a course of antibiotics might make antibiotic resistance less likely.”
So why are these experts speaking out now years after we were told we should be finishing our course of antibiotics come what may?apple-converted-space:
I mean the instruction to finish the course is still one of the most familiar health messages. It embodies the relationship between doctor, patient and the wider community – for not completing the course, it has always been assumed risks allowing the bacteria that are not destroyed by the antibiotic to grow more lethal.apple-converted-space:
In the meantime, England’s chief medical office professor Dame Sally Davies, says the message to the public remains the same; people should always follow the advice of healthcare professionals.apple-converted-space:
“To update policies, we need further research to inform them,” she says.
So what is it...should we or shouldn’t we finish our antibiotics?!