What happens whether you don't finish your course of antibiotics?

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alex
User offline. Last seen 2 years 9 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 12/04/2009

Some time last year I had an ear infection and the doctors prescribed a course of antibiotics. When my ear infection was gone I stopped taking them (about half way through the course) not knowing your not supposed to stop taking them half way through.

I now have another ear infection, but I heard that if you stop a course of antibiotics half way through they will be vain in the future.

So, my questions is: What are the effects of only taking half of your antibiotics? and is there any point in going to the doctors approximately my current ear infection?


Mr. Knowitall
User offline. Last seen 1 year 21 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 09/09/2010

theres a chance it will come back

Cocia Ŵyn bac yp
User offline. Last seen 1 year 21 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 09/09/2010

The infection may not have been killed off entirely and may return.

Italian69
User offline. Last seen 1 year 21 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 09/09/2010

You're at risk of not clearing up Every part of the nasty bugs you're trying to kill thus fitting ill again... even whether you feel well you should still complete the prescribed course.

RN2B
User offline. Last seen 1 year 30 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 07/06/2010

A new course of antibiotics would not be useless, unless you decide not to take the entire course again. It takes a sure amount of the drug in your system to completely eradicate the bacteria, so when the physician prescribes you something, take it as directed.

Yeah.
User offline. Last seen 1 year 21 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 09/09/2010

it will come back and slowly die absent, depends on your illness.

Alexis
User offline. Last seen 1 year 49 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 02/24/2010

If you don't finish your whole course of antibiotics you're creating a sort of super bug in your body. An easy example to relate it to is Germ-x. It kills something like 99.99 of bacteria. What happens to that 01 Same concept in your body. You got rid of some of the bugs giving you an ear infection but not all of them. Making you more susceptible to infections in the future and making it harder to receive rid of later. I'm not a physician, of course, but that's what I've been told.
Go back to the doctor and take your Whole prescription. )

Microbiologist
User offline. Last seen 1 year 21 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 09/09/2010

Antibiotics kill the bacteria that are causing the ear infection. Sometimes one feels better before the course of antibiotics is complete. Notwithstanding, that does not intend that all of the bacteria has been killed. Since one has stopped taking the antibiotics before the course is finished, those bacteria that were not killed will acquire the necessary genes to become immune to that particular course of antibiotics. This has become a major issue with the overuse of antibiotics. The effect of only taking half of your antibiotics is that now you host a strain of bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotic that you took for your ear infection. I would go again to the doctor and let her/him know that the first antibiotics weren't taken to completion, and maybe there is another type of antibiotic that they are give you.

Veronica Alicia
User offline. Last seen 1 year 23 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 08/25/2010

The bacterial infection may not have been eradicated completely or that the bacteria will have had time to build a resistance to the specific antibiotic. This means that should you be prescribed the same family of antibiotic when you have a subsequent infection, the antibiotic will be ineffective against that bacterium.
You should tell your doc if you have another ear infection that you did not total the previous course; he/she may decide to prescribe a different antibiotic.
Be certain to take the full course next time, even whether you feel better.

Kate
User offline. Last seen 2 years 7 weeks ago. Offline
Joined: 12/19/2009

You are supposed to finish the full course of antibiotics to ensure that all of the bacteria causing the infection is killed. If any remains, it will become resistant to that specific antibiotics and will cause you to receive another infection, one that is resistant to the antibiotics used initially. That means you have to use a different kind of antibiotic to kill the moment infection, because the bacteria are immune to the first antibiotic used.

Considering this happened a year ago, I highly doubt that your current ear infection has anything whatsoever to do with your ear infection a year ago. The bacteria that are causing this infection are not going to be the same ones that caused your infection final year, so likely the same antibiotics will take care of the infection now as they did before. Whether not, your doctor will prescribe a different kind. Go receive the infection taken care of, ear infections can receive really nasty and even cause neurological damage whether not treated.

Good luck!

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