Doctor: Antibiotics Must Be Taken Exactly as Prescribed to Avoid Resistance
Family doctor Ksenija Margole explained on the Latvian TV24 programme that incorrect antibiotic use promotes bacterial resistance. She also listed symptoms that require immediate medical help this autumn.
If antibiotics are not taken as the doctor instructed, bacteria can learn to resist them, and the medicines gradually stop working. This was explained by Ksenija Margole, a family doctor at Dr. Vilkoite's Stomach Clinic, on the TV24 programme “Ārsts atbild” (“The Doctor Answers”). She stressed that this is the greatest danger of using these drugs incorrectly.
Autumn infections are mostly viral
Margole notes that most infections in autumn are viral. They typically bring symptoms lasting about 3–5 days, such as a cough and a runny nose. Viral illnesses can also be severe, and the doctor gives influenza as an example.
When to seek help immediately
The doctor urges people to watch for so-called red flags, especially older adults. A doctor should be consulted in case of chest pain or shortness of breath even at rest. Persistent diarrhoea or blood in the stool is also a warning sign.
Why the full course must be finished
If a doctor has prescribed antibiotics, they must be taken precisely as directed. If the course is not completed, bacteria adapt and bacterial resistance develops. Margole explains that bacteria can mutate and adapt, so the medicine may not work next time. In her words, within a few years this could mean that, for example, pneumonia can no longer be treated with antibiotics. She adds that the problem is not limited to Latvia.
The course should be completed even when a person already feels well. If a doctor has prescribed five days, the medicine should be taken for five days. After two days a person may feel fine, but the bacteria keep going and develop defences against that specific antibiotic. As a result, later even a course of two, five or ten days may not be enough.
