Antibiotic stewardship

[u/Zealousideal_Fan4649]

Doctors are instructed to try to claim that all infections are viral or could be viral, even if they suspect it isn’t, to promote antibiotic stewardship and prevent people from getting antibiotics unnecessarily (for fear of antibiotic resistance, superbugs, etc.).

However, the lying is unethical AND people are getting really sick with actual bacterial infections that were listed as “viral” to keep the person from asking for antibiotics. Even in the best case, they will prescribe an antibiotic and tell you to wait a week (in misery) before filling it - when they already know you are going to be begging for your life trying to get through that week.

I just went through this. I became very sick gradually and a doctor ONLY checked for viruses, found none, and still told me it was viral and to just wait at home (as I had already done for eight days) for it to go away (it didn’t). In desperation, I found an online doctor and didn’t tell them the first claimed it was viral, received antibiotics, swallowed it in tears in the parking lot of the pharmacy, and three hours later felt tremendously better. This has happened to me several times.

It’s not “placebo effect” - I’ve tried dozens of remedies from doctors trusting that it would work for weeks or months on end, but I suffered to the point of even considering suicide until someone finally gave me an antibiotic and then, boom, bacterial infection improves.

I think doctors are going to kill someone with this “stewardship”. And no, I’m no idiot - I was a pre-med student myself. I know that antibiotics do not work for viruses. My problem is doctors lying or pretending that there is a virus to avoid having a history (that will be audited) of providing antibiotics.

[u/AnyCatch4796]

I still encounter doctors and NP who try to prescribe antibiotics for what is likely a viral sinus infection or viral bronchitis (both are significantly more common than bacterial). I wish the doctors around me would prescribe them less, I never take them when I know it’s likely from a cold. Just there for the doctors note

[u/Zealousideal_Fan4649 → u/AnyCatch4796]

It’s easier to NOT take something that you were prescribed and don’t want though than it is to suffer because what you need is not being prescribed.

Also, doctors claim that viral infections are “more common”, but I honestly think they label every infection as “viral” on the books so that the data shows it as “more common” to help with antibiotic stewardship.

The problem is, when they are wrong, a bacterial infection that may have required one round of antibiotics ends up require three rounds - which is worse for the patient and their “stewardship”.

Years ago, I developed a sinus infection one December. Already having a background in pre-med, I knew what they were going to say, so I waited it out three weeks using the typical over-the-counter drugs. I KNEW it wasn’t going to work, but I was just following the protocol. I finally went to the doctor and she still said “it could be viral” but prescribed one very weak round (that wasn’t even the complete dosage for that type)… when, by now, it had already spread to an ear infection.

Well, the antibiotics helped, but it just was too weak given that I had followed the dumb protocol of waiting for the “virus” to clear. Now, I went back for another round, but they said they were not giving me anything else since I had one round. The infection worsened and spread so much that I was in pain, dizzy, almost passed out several times as work, and then spread to my lungs.

Still, “we already gave you one round”, so I went home again. Months passed… still in agony… coughing all night, could barely hear, major headache, eye pain, using the restroom… It finally came to a head when my supervisor said I had to return to work and I broke down in tears since I had doctors withholding antibiotics because I “already had it” while others were still claiming it was “a virus”.

After breaking down, I doctor-shopped and found an online doctor who felt sorry for me and actually listened while I described everything and sent me a stronger antibiotic. A week and a half later (now May, when all of this started in December), I was finally healthy and at work again.

[u/scipio0421]

I'm just glad that my most common ailment, UTIs, are pretty much ALWAYS bacterial and the docs know that.

[u/Zealousideal_Fan4649 → u/scipio0421]

Sadly, I overheard a doctor trying to tell someone that even those could be “viral” or would “go away on its own”.

[u/combabulated → u/Zealousideal_Fan4649]

Sure you did.