4 ms·

This surprised me also, till I realized the story was in the UK. From my understanding it's much less common to get antibiotics in the UK vs US.

by ars 1y ago

OJFord 1y ago
There's concern of resistance taken seriously for sure, but it's not like people are making out here - I had fluclox prescribed after an online consultation in Jan (for probable cellulitis) - they don't give it out like candy, but when it's indicated... Maybe they tried something broad spectrum here, and what was necessary (and required the sequencing to know what it actually was) was something more targeted.
- philjohn 1y ago
  Yep - the UK prescribing guidelines from NICE are eminently sensible as a way of staving off antibiotic armaggedon. One example of the guidance: https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/pluginfile.php/199275/mod_book/chapter/823/NICE_UKHSA%20APG%20summary%20table%20content%20only_30%20Jan%202024.pdf https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/pluginfile.php/199275/mod_book...
MattPalmer1086 1y ago
It does feel like they don't hand them out as often as they used to. I've had 4 infections this year, including an ear infection, fingernail, chest (that caused pneumonia on my son) and one that caused my left eye to swell up. I received no antibiotics for any of them, just a suggestion that if they didn't go away they might prescribe some. They all got better without them (except my son, who ended up in emergency and was given two different ones which cleared up his infection rapidly). In the past though I'm pretty sure I would have been prescribed them immediately.
- swores 1y ago
  It's an intentional policy shift that has come not only as guidance to medical professionals, but as an awareness campaign (posters in pharmacies etc.) to the general public that most minor infections don't need antibiotics, and so ones that the body should be able to deal with on its own will no longer be prescribed antibiotics. It used to be that they were prescribed much more freely, because on the level of an individual case it's unlikely to do any harm and might help speed up getting better, and it was an easy way for doctors to make patients feel cared for to send them off with a prescription. But sensibly that's been course corrected now.
  - MattPalmer1086 1y ago
    Yep, agreed we should not hand them out like candy due to antibiotic resistance. Mostly it's fine. A related problem though is how hard it is to get an appointment with a doctor now. This is essentially why my son ended up in emergency.

This surprised me also, till I realized the story was in the UK. From my understanding it's much less common to get antibiotics in the UK vs US.

by ars 1y ago

This surprised me also, till I realized the story was in the UK. From my understanding it's much less common to get antibiotics in the UK vs US.

OJFord 1y ago

There's concern of resistance taken seriously for sure, but it's not like people are making out here - I had fluclox prescribed after an online consultation in Jan (for probable cellulitis) - they don't give it out like candy, but when it's indicated... Maybe they tried something broad spectrum here, and what was necessary (and required the sequencing to know what it actually was) was something more targeted.

philjohn 1y ago
Yep - the UK prescribing guidelines from NICE are eminently sensible as a way of staving off antibiotic armaggedon. One example of the guidance: https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/pluginfile.php/199275/mod_book/chapter/823/NICE_UKHSA%20APG%20summary%20table%20content%20only_30%20Jan%202024.pdf https://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/pluginfile.php/199275/mod_book...

MattPalmer1086 1y ago

It does feel like they don't hand them out as often as they used to. I've had 4 infections this year, including an ear infection, fingernail, chest (that caused pneumonia on my son) and one that caused my left eye to swell up. I received no antibiotics for any of them, just a suggestion that if they didn't go away they might prescribe some. They all got better without them (except my son, who ended up in emergency and was given two different ones which cleared up his infection rapidly). In the past though I'm pretty sure I would have been prescribed them immediately.

swores 1y ago
It's an intentional policy shift that has come not only as guidance to medical professionals, but as an awareness campaign (posters in pharmacies etc.) to the general public that most minor infections don't need antibiotics, and so ones that the body should be able to deal with on its own will no longer be prescribed antibiotics. It used to be that they were prescribed much more freely, because on the level of an individual case it's unlikely to do any harm and might help speed up getting better, and it was an easy way for doctors to make patients feel cared for to send them off with a prescription. But sensibly that's been course corrected now.
- MattPalmer1086 1y ago
  Yep, agreed we should not hand them out like candy due to antibiotic resistance. Mostly it's fine. A related problem though is how hard it is to get an appointment with a doctor now. This is essentially why my son ended up in emergency.