Whenever one falls sick and seeks medical attention, it is mandatory for a doctor to insist that the patient should finish a whole dose of antibiotics in order to recover fully. The sensitivity attached to the emphasis given by doctors on the importance of antibiotic course completion has risen a lot of debate on whether the claims of non-completion are true; Whether competition of the courses is really necessary after the patient has already recovered. Doctors have warned that failure of course completion may bring about certain factors such as antibiotic resistance of the bacteria in the human body. Such arguments have been combated with a lot of objection from medical centers for research and other related bodies, claiming that doctors have greatly increased the belief in the myth of antibiotic completion. It is the belief of both patient and doctors over the years that completion of a dose is quite important for full recovery and that it vital for prevention of recurrence of the disease.
According to the latest research by scientists, it has been clear that there are bacteria that have grown relatively resistant to antibiotics known as the superbugs. Once a patient has been confirmed to have that string of bacteria, completion of an antibiotic course is not very relevant in such a case. This has pushed scientists to fight the idea of doctors forcing the patient to complete antibiotic doses, claiming that such is what has led to the growth of superbugs within the patient's bodies(Davies et al., 2010). The research indicated that once a patient becomes exposed to antibiotics after they have already been healed, the extra doses then become absorbed by the other bacteria, creating a form of resistance in the body. When the patient gets sick against, the antibiotic is rendered useless as the cells and the bacteria are already resistant (Forster, 2018). This view is not meant to challenge the advisory of the doctor on completion of antibiotics but it has been said that further research would be accrued out on how to deal with superbugs or create stronger antibiotics to counter the resistant bacteria.
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As indicated by the two opinions; doctors and research scientists, it is evident that completion of course of prescribed any antibiotics should be taken into consideration. Although scientists have presented a very strong argument accompanied by equally strong evidences, it is important that a patient completes a whole prescribed course. This should be done according to the prescription and doctors instructions, this is done to avoid recurrence of the illness and most importantly, to ensure that all the bacteria die. This is better than letting the illness reoccur or making the bacteria resistant because they have already been exposed to the antibiotics conditions ("The myth of antibiotics: “Complete the course” won’t stop resistance, researchers say", 2018). Despite the standing a patient may take, it is important that a full dosage is complete to avoid any unnecessary reoccurrence. It is also essential that patients consider the fact that the research could prevent the spread and growth of superbugs that have been reported to cause a lot of death over the years. If there is any chance that completion of antibiotics would not lead to the rise of superbugs, then more research should be conducted to find a way to combat growth and spread of the superbugs. Patients prescribed to antibiotics should finish their doses for their full recovery while the relevant organizations are searching for new ways to fight the string of bacterial superbugs.
References
Davies, J., & Davies, D. (2010). Origins and evolution of antibiotic resistance. Microbiology and molecular biology reviews, 74(3), 417-433.
Forster, K. (2018). One of the key pieces of advice about antibiotics is wrong, scientists say. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/antibiotic-courses-complete-bacterial-resistance-worse-medical-myth-scientists-doctors-pills-a7861351.html
The myth of antibiotics: “Complete the course” won’t stop resistance, researchers say. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/myth-antibiotics-complete-course-wont-stop-resistance-642476
