The Evidence on Antibiotics, Without the Hype

Key takeaways

• What they target: bacterial cell walls, ribosomes and DNA replication
• Why they fail on viruses: viruses have none of those structures
• Most useful single change: Ask what symptoms should prompt you to come back, and by when.
• Commonest mistake: Pressing for antibiotics because mucus has turned green.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

What it is

Medicines that kill or inhibit bacteria, and do nothing whatever to viruses. It sits within Immunity. The figures below are the ones published guidance uses, rather than the ones that circulate.

The numbers, in one place

What helps

Here is what the evidence supports doing. Some of it will already be familiar.

• Ask what symptoms should prompt you to come back, and by when
• Finish the course exactly as prescribed when they are indicated
• Return unused antibiotics to a pharmacy
• Accept a delayed prescription where offered; it is evidence-based

What to avoid

The usual wrong turns. Some are more tempting than others.

• Pressing for antibiotics because mucus has turned green
• Taking leftovers, or someone else's
• Assuming a longer illness means a bacterial one

Where to go next

• Antibiotics: What to Do, in Order
• Antibiotics: Common Myths and What Guidelines Say
• Antibiotics — the reference entry
• What the Guidance Really Says About Hand Hygiene
• The Evidence on Fever, Without the Hype

When to speak to a doctor

Contact a GP or NHS 111 for a cough lasting more than three weeks, fever persisting beyond five days, symptoms that improve then suddenly worsen, or difficulty swallowing with a sore throat. Call 999 for difficulty breathing, confusion, or a rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass.

Where this comes from

• NICE — Antimicrobial stewardship
• NHS — Antibiotics

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.