Hello,
I might be preaching to the converted here but in case there are otehrs who don’t know this about anti-biotics, I want to tell you something that can help you and everyone else.
If you are sick and require anti-biotics, most doctors and phrmacists will prescribe 2 - 3 days dosage. THAT IS NOT ENOUGH! Make sure you get them to give you at least 5 days if not a week.
Taking too few antibiotics, or stopping them as soon as you feel better (another frequently recommended thing by medical professionals here) is BAAAAAAD. All you are doing is killing the weakest of the bugs and giving better breeding conditions to the strong ones who survive the short period you bombarded them with drugs.
You are using your body as a kind of incubator to help breed stronger (resistant - to antibiotics) bacteria.
I was sick last week and went to the hospital. Got into a discussion with the doc about anti-biotics. He said I was right and when I asked him why then would he prescribe so few before I protested. He just laughed. Then I said it’s not just me, it will hurt everyone. He made a joke about keeping doctors busy.
This is a NATIONAL hospital. Fuck this place does my head in sometimes.
Well the logic is really simple if you think about it…they want you to come back a second time… 
And I always do… 
[quote=“Vannyel”]Well the logic is really simple if you think about it…they want you to come back a second time…
And I always do… [/quote]
Took me a while to figure this out myself but it’s the only reason I can think of. I pay $150 to 200 everytime I go in… what does NHI pay them, I wonder?
i have overcome this problem two ways:
1.) buy the rest of the days over the counter at a pharmacy. anti-biotics are rather inexpensive in taiwan.
2.) i have found only two doctors who will prescribe 4 days ( :s ) of anitibiotics, and only antibiotics. none of that other crap that jiggles around the wax packet.
Dr. Lee, an Ent at TaiAn (Taiwan Adventist Hospital), told me that since i’m a foreigner and used to getting more medicine he’ll break the rules for me. again :s . actually, he told me it’s policy and procedure that prevents them from prescribing anymore. NHI sets the rules, not the doctors. he has even gone so far as to prescribe me enough to take in case i get sick again. back up pills.
i have taken the same antibiotics since i was a kid. i get a lot of ear infections but that’s about it. therefore i tend to skip the doctors appointment and go buy exactly what they would under-prescribe me anyway. it’s a lot quicker and i feel as though i’m not wasting NHI money becuase i end up tossing half of what i get anyway.
Uh . . . WHOA.
You shouldn’t be throwing away half of what you were prescribed. Always take the full course, otherwise you could end up in deep shit. You’re basically running your own little biowarfare program, selecting the most resistant bacteria each time, until some day you won’t be able to use that class of antibiotics any more, at all. Likewise, your body is constantly dumping those resistant bugs into the environment, where other people will pick them up – especially those in close contact with you.
The duration and dosage are going to vary depending on the drug and on what you are treating. If the “doctors” here are dicking you around, see if you can find the information online, or perhaps ask a friendly doc back home what to take and for how long. Then actually follow the guidelines.
Uh . . . WHOA.
You shouldn’t be throwing away half of what you were prescribed. Always take the full course… [/quote]
I meant all that other stuff they throw in with the anti-biotics like the antacid, the big yellow pill, the small pink one, and the one snapped in “half.”
Of course i haven’t taken antibiotics continuously since i was a kid. i meant, i have taken the same kind, Ceclor to be exact, since i was a kid because thats the one that is most effective for me and i’m allergic to Penecillin and Amoxicillin.