do antibiotics work better if you rarely use them?

[CoolHands]

I think I've had a chest infection since christmas, and I'm finally going to the docs tomorrow where I presume they will prescribe antibiotics. I prefer normally to just let my body fight stuff off -I figure it makes me stronger in the long run. My question is, am I right? Or am I a fool who is / has suffered for no good reason, in other words there is no benefit to letting my body fight stuff off on its own? I might as well have always taken antibiotics when suitable.

Note this is a different question to the general overuse and ineffectivness of antibiotics in the population at large.

[ben5732]

Had the same as you last year and funnily enough this year two. Never taken them since i was a child but resorted to it for the previous time as i still had it after a month, cleared up within a week.

[R300will]

Antibiotics don't impede your immune system function in any way. They simply stop the bacteria being able to divide/develop allowing your immune system to catch up. It will still produce antibodies and use other forms to kill the bacteria so i am afraid you have been suffering needlessly.

However not using antibiotics all the time is good as it stops the build up of resistance, but this is only a risk of happening when pople don't finish the full course. This leaves bacteria that haven't been quite killed off by antibiotics, maybe because they are slightly resistant to them, all alone with no competition so they divide and re-fill the places of the other bacteria that were killed off and now you have a big population of bacteria causing illness but now you cannot get rid of them.

[The_Doc]

R300will said:

Antibiotics don't impede your immune system function in any way. They simply stop the bacteria being able to divide/develop allowing your immune system to catch up. It will still produce antibodies and use other forms to kill the bacteria so i am afraid you have been suffering needlessly.

However not using antibiotics all the time is good as it stops the build up of resistance, but this is only a risk of happening when pople don't finish the full course. This leaves bacteria that haven't been quite killed off by antibiotics, maybe because they are slightly resistant to them, all alone with no competition so they divide and re-fill the places of the other bacteria that were killed off and now you have a big population of bacteria causing illness but now you cannot get rid of them.

very nicely put

[R300will]

The_Doc said:

R300will said:

Antibiotics don't impede your immune system function in any way. They simply stop the bacteria being able to divide/develop allowing your immune system to catch up. It will still produce antibodies and use other forms to kill the bacteria so i am afraid you have been suffering needlessly.

However not using antibiotics all the time is good as it stops the build up of resistance, but this is only a risk of happening when pople don't finish the full course. This leaves bacteria that haven't been quite killed off by antibiotics, maybe because they are slightly resistant to them, all alone with no competition so they divide and re-fill the places of the other bacteria that were killed off and now you have a big population of bacteria causing illness but now you cannot get rid of them.

very nicely put

cheers

[CoolHands]

R300will said:

Antibiotics don't impede your immune system function in any way. They simply stop the bacteria being able to divide/develop allowing your immune system to catch up. It will still produce antibodies and use other forms to kill the bacteria so i am afraid you have been suffering needlessly.

However not using antibiotics all the time is good as it stops the build up of resistance, but this is only a risk of happening when people don't finish the full course. This leaves bacteria that haven't been quite killed off by antibiotics, maybe because they are slightly resistant to them, all alone with no competition so they divide and re-fill the places of the other bacteria that were killed off and now you have a big population of bacteria causing illness but now you cannot get rid of them.

that's very interesting cheers. Well, I've just got back from the quacks - he listened to my chest which is 'clear' but prescribed me amoxicillin anyway I'm beginning to wonder - have the medical establishment written off amoxicillin and it's real function now is as a placebo for the masses? cos it's over-prescribed and half the dumb population don't finish the course etc. I reckon they save the good stuff for serious cases.

[R300will]

CoolHands said:

R300will said:

Antibiotics don't impede your immune system function in any way. They simply stop the bacteria being able to divide/develop allowing your immune system to catch up. It will still produce antibodies and use other forms to kill the bacteria so i am afraid you have been suffering needlessly.

However not using antibiotics all the time is good as it stops the build up of resistance, but this is only a risk of happening when people don't finish the full course. This leaves bacteria that haven't been quite killed off by antibiotics, maybe because they are slightly resistant to them, all alone with no competition so they divide and re-fill the places of the other bacteria that were killed off and now you have a big population of bacteria causing illness but now you cannot get rid of them.

that's very interesting cheers. Well, I've just got back from the quacks - he listened to my chest which is 'clear' but prescribed me amoxicillin anyway I'm beginning to wonder - have the medical establishment written off amoxicillin and it's real function now is as a placebo for the masses? cos it's over-prescribed and half the dumb population don't finish the course etc. I reckon they save the good stuff for serious cases.

It is a penicillin derivative, the drug they used to give the masses before they became too stupid to use it. Chances are this will go the same way plus it is pretty broad spectrum. Although doctors should still use their knowledge to not prescribe antibiotics for infections that they are sure will clear up on their own quickly without them.

[pharmvrs]

R300will said:

It is a penicillin derivative, the drug they used to give the masses before they became too stupid to use it. Chances are this will go the same way plus it is pretty broad spectrum. Although doctors should still use their knowledge to not prescribe antibiotics for infections that they are sure will clear up on their own quickly without them.

Working as a community pharmacist i see ALOT of prescriptions for amoxicillin, most patients do not require antibiotics but the GP's are too reluctant to tell them to MTFU or to give them a post dated prescription.

[R300will]

pharmvrs said:

R300will said:

It is a penicillin derivative, the drug they used to give the masses before they became too stupid to use it. Chances are this will go the same way plus it is pretty broad spectrum. Although doctors should still use their knowledge to not prescribe antibiotics for infections that they are sure will clear up on their own quickly without them.

Working as a community pharmacist i see ALOT of prescriptions for amoxicillin, most patients do not require antibiotics but the GP's are too reluctant to tell them to MTFU or to give them a post dated prescription.

That is a shame to read