Whats with the antibiotic mentality here?

[QRM]

Every time I or my toddlers goes to a clinic we always end up with a bottle of antibiotic.

Is there some sort of commission based payment for this stuff? Ask a doctor for direction to a bus stop and you will end up with prescription Amoxil.

So far my toddler who is 3.5 years old has never had a dose, all 8 bottles have sat in the cupboard gathering dust.

I had an 8 hour open brain surgery in the US a few months ago and no antibiotic was ever given.

In the West people tend to avoid it like the plague in my whole life I think I have had it 4 times, here you mention you have a cut to a local and they say get some antibiotics, in my mind it should only be used as a final line of defense.

[patsy_sg]

zap em dead and zap em good....

if I'm not mistaken a large proportion of a GP's clinci's income comes from the meds he prescribes

[sundaymorningstaple]

Worse part about it is when they get a prescription for antibiotics they rarely finish them. That's why the flu just keeps going around and around.

[QRM]

Worse part about it is when they get a prescription for antibiotics they rarely finish them. That's why the flu just keeps going around and around.

Always been told Antibiotics have no effect on the flu virus because it is viral. Antibiotics is required if you get a secondary infection due to a weakened immune system but 9/10 times your body can defend itself.

Using antibiotic makes you or the virus more resistant to the drugs.

Not finishing the course causes more problems as it also kills off the "good" bacteria leaving you more prone for infections.

[jpatokal]

Using antibiotic makes you or the virus more resistant to the drugs.

Antibiotics work only on bacteria, not viruses. But yes, handing them out like candy is ridiculously common (it's even worse in eg. Indonesia), I guess the locals figure that it's better to be kiasu 'coz you can't get too much of a good thing