MANY times, a patient may go to the doctor with symptoms of an infection. The doctor listens, examines, and confirms the infection, but the doctor doesn’t write any antibiotics on the prescription.

What?? How can that doctor NOT give you any antibiotics? That’s crazy, right?

It’s not crazy at all.

Antibiotics are a type of medication that treats bacterial infections. There are several different types of germs that can cause various infections; these include bacteria, viruses, fungus and parasites. Each type of infection is treated with a different class of medication. Bacterial infections are treated by antibiotics but the infections caused by other germs cannot be treated with antibiotics.

Infections caused by viruses include the common cold, flu, stomach bug, and COVID-19. Fungal infections are ringworm, athlete’s foot, and yeast infections. “Worm out” medications are to treat parasites. Antibiotics will not work on any of these.

In fact, taking antibiotics when it is not needed has proven to be dangerous. Decades of improper and unnecessary use of antibiotics has caused super bugs to develop. These super bugs are resistant to many antibiotics, are very difficult to treat, and have resulted in thousands of deaths across the globe.

That is why it is so important for you to complete the course of antibiotics if prescribed.

Picture this — the bacteria are little germs with swords and bats running around your body wreaking havoc. Your immune system sends fighter cells to defend your body. The antibiotics bring reinforcements: they have bigger swords and start killing the bacteria. But even though the bacteria are fighting your body, they are also multiplying. It’s the ones that have survived the first few days of the antibiotics that are the strongest and multiply to produce more bacteria. If you stop the antibiotics before the course is complete (for example when you start to feel better), you leave behind those bacteria that have survived and now know how to resist the antibiotics. Those germs will multiply. But now they won’t have swords any more, now they have guns, grenades and heavy armour. These germs may now be resistant to antibiotics!

So if you get sick again when these super germs multiply, or you spread these germs to your loved ones, it’s possible that the antibiotics prescribed won’t work because of antibiotic resistance. You end up having to be admitted to the hospital to be treated with intravenous (through the “drip”) antibiotics for weeks. Or worse!

When a doctor prescribes antibiotics for your child, we prescribe the exact amount the child needs based on age, weight and condition. The dose and length for treatment of an ear infection may be different from that of a bladder infection, even though it is the same drug.

Don’t be discouraged when you don’t see the effects of antibiotics on the first day as it usually takes two to three days of antibiotics before you start feeling better and your symptoms start to improve. If you don’t see any improvement after three to four completed days, please go back to your doctor.

Try not to skip a dose. First, don’t beat yourself up about it. Life happens. It’s okay! If a dose is missed, take that dose as soon as possible. If the entire course of antibiotics requires 14 doses over seven days, try as best as possible to take all 14 doses.

If for whatever reason you missed three to four doses consecutively, it’s very likely that the antibiotics may not work as effectively as you would hope. This is also why you shouldn’t share antibiotics. You shouldn’t have enough medication to effectively treat more than one person because doctors prescribe only the exact amount patients need.

Most liquid antibiotics have a limited shelf life. That means that after a certain time (usually 10-14 days) the medication loses its effectiveness so don’t store any leftover antibiotics for another time. After the course is complete, throw the remainder away.

Dr Tal’s Tidbit

Antibiotics treat only bacterial infections. They don’t cure common infections caused by other kinds of germs like the flu or a stomach bug. Taking antibiotics incorrectly or unnecessarily causes antibiotic resistance.

Dr Taleya Girvan has over a decade’s experience treating children at the Bustamante Hospital for Children, working in the accident and emergency department and paediatric cardiology department. Her goal is to use the knowledge she has gained to improve the lives of patients by increasing knowledge about the health care system in Jamaica. Dr Tal’s Tidbits is a series in which she speaks to patients and caregivers, providing practical advice that will improve health care for the general population. Email: dr.talstidbits@gmail.com IG @dr.tals_tidbits