What If I Missed Antibiotics Dose?

What if I missed the antibiotics dose? Have you ever thought about this question? Maybe some of you get an antibiotic prescription for several days, but the others maybe have more than that, even for a long time. But if you missed your dose, do you know what to do?

No matter how hard we try to stick to our medication as scheduled, it’s human nature that sometimes makes us forget to take our medication on time, moreover, if you take it for a long-term treatment. In this article, I just want to focus to explain antibiotic medication.

Complete the Course of Antibiotics as Prescribed

Complete the course of antibiotics as prescribed. Take it as instructed by your doctor or pharmacist. Don’t stop your antibiotic midway even if you’re feeling better. On the other hand, you can stop midway if you show allergic to the prescription you got or your pharmacist or doctor told you to stop. If you don’t have any reasons such as I mentioned earlier to stop your antibiotic prescription, it can cause namely antibiotic resistance.

Take Your Antibiotic Regularly

Missing antibiotic doses, one dose or several doses can cause problems. How you take your antibiotic depends on the type of infections and antibiotics. It can time-dependent or concentration-dependent. If we talk about half-life, medicine with half-life can take some time to re-establish a steady level of therapeutic concentration. In contrast, if the medicine has a short half-life, the medicine loses the therapeutic concentration rapidly.

It’s important to take your antibiotic regularly. You should take antibiotics around the same time. For instance, azithromycin once a day and you take it at 1 pm, so, for the next dose take it around 1 pm as well.

There are some reasons you should not miss your antibiotic dose. First, it can make it harder for the antibiotic to treat your infection in the future because bacteria can make it immune to defeat antibiotics. Second, it can cost much money because we need more treatments including antibiotics from distinct classes that more expensive than we have before or even combination treatment. Third, it causes antibiotic resistance. The reasons I mentioned not only happen when you miss the doses of the antibiotic, but also when you stop your antibiotic medication midway. Once again, don’t stop your medication midway if you don’t have urgent reasons.

What Should I Do If I Missed My Antibiotic Prescription?

Antibiotics are taken once a day, 2 or 3 or 4 times a day. For example, if you take 3 times a day, thus 3 times a day over 24 hours, you take it every 6 hours. Take it as scheduled to maintain a steady level of your antibiotics in the bloodstream. Nevertheless, if you miss your dose by mistake, these some things you should do:

  • Take your antibiotic as soon as you remember. Don’t double it. For the next dose, continue as prescribed or schedule.
  • If you remember your antibiotic almost the time for the next dose, skip your miss dose and continue your next dose as a normal schedule.
  • If you take your antibiotic several hours late, take it as soon as possible. However, if the time up to 50% ahead of your next dose, skip your miss dose and take the next dose as scheduled.
  • If you take your antibiotic before a meal, and precisely you’ve already eaten but forget to take an antibiotic before, otherwise, take it after a meal. It’s better than not to take your antibiotic at all.
  • If you missed several doses, please contact your doctor or pharmacist.

Tips to Take Your Antibiotics as Scheduled

  • Set a reminder on your phone or alarm every time your antibiotics dose as scheduled
  • Tell your family that you take crucial antibiotics and ask them to remind you to take an antibiotic
  • Mark a note on your calendar or diary
  • Use a pill organizer and arrange your antibiotics in each compartment for each day of your treatment
  • Keep your antibiotic in a location that easily sees

Conclusion

Take your antibiotic regularly, do the tips above to keep you take your antibiotic on time. Complete the course of antibiotics, don’t stop it half-way even if you’re feeling better, don’t miss an antibiotic dose for any reasons to avoid re-infection or antibiotic-resistant. Keep out of your mind to take your antibiotic in the past for your present or future sickness without a prescription from your physician.

Do you want to share your point of view? Let me know. ​1–6​

References

  1. 1.
    Gilbert A, Roughead L, Sansom L. I’ve Missed a Dose; What Should I Do? MEDSAFE. Published May 2003. Accessed January 1, 2020. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/PUarticles/missed.htm
  2. 2.
    Freeland M. How to Take Antibiotics Safely: 7 Steps to Avoid Side Effects and Heal Faster. GOODRx. Published August 28, 2018. Accessed January 2, 2020. https://www.goodrx.com/blog/safe-antibiotic-use-side-effects-resistance-how-to-take/
  3. 3.
    What should I do if I miss a dose of antibiotics? NHS. Accessed December 31, 2020. https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/medicines/what-should-i-do-if-i-miss-a-dose-of-antibiotics/
  4. 4.
    Bradley S. What happens if you don’t finish antibiotics? Single Care. Published August 27, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020. https://www.singlecare.com/blog/finish-antibiotics/
  5. 5.
    Raghavan S. Can you miss a dose of antibiotics? An expert answers. TheHealthSite.com. Published April 25, 2017. Accessed January 2, 2020. https://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/can-you-miss-a-dose-of-antibiotics-k4170-486767/
  6. 6.
    Why You Shouldn’t Skip Your Medication. WebMD. Accessed January 3, 2020. https://www.webmd.com/drug-medication/stop-skipping-medication#2

Selvi Megawati

Pharmacist. Part of wethinkweshare team. I enjoy writing and sharing about pharmacy and health. I hope you have much information from this website. 

You may also like...

25 Responses

  1. Excellent read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing a little research on that. And he just bought me lunch because I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch!

  2. Best view i have ever seen !

  3. Hairstyles says:

    Definitely believe that which you stated. Your favorite justification seemed to be on the internet the simplest thing to be aware of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while people consider worries that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks

  4. Wow, amazing weblog format! How lengthy have you been running a blog for? you made blogging glance easy. The overall look of your web site is great, let alone the content material!!

  5. I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought an shakiness over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come further formerly again as exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike.

  6. Hairstyles says:

    hi!,I love your writing so so much! share we communicate more approximately your article on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Taking a look forward to look you.

  7. Best view i have ever seen !

  8. Thanks , I’ve recently been searching for information about this topic for ages and yours is the best I’ve found out till now. But, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you positive concerning the source?

  9. Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web-site is so cool. I am impressed by the details that you抳e on this blog. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched everywhere and simply could not come across. What a great website.

  10. Casinogame says:

    Wonderful blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Cheers

  11. Casino game says:

    you are really a good webmaster. The site loading speed is incredible. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece. you’ve done a wonderful job on this topic!

  12. porno abg says:

    I do believe that a foreclosed can have a important effect on the borrower’s life. Property foreclosures can have a Seven to decade negative influence on a applicant’s credit report. Any borrower who may have applied for a mortgage or any loans for example, knows that the actual worse credit rating is definitely, the more tricky it is to obtain a decent financial loan. In addition, it could affect a new borrower’s chance to find a reasonable place to lease or hire, if that gets the alternative housing solution. Interesting blog post.

  13. Casinogame says:

    Thanks , I have recently been searching for info about this subject for ages and yours is the greatest I’ve discovered till now. But, what about the conclusion? Are you sure about the source?

  14. situs bokep says:

    I?m impressed, I must say. Actually rarely do I encounter a weblog that?s each educative and entertaining, and let me let you know, you have got hit the nail on the head. Your concept is excellent; the problem is one thing that not sufficient individuals are talking intelligently about. I’m very completely satisfied that I stumbled throughout this in my seek for one thing referring to this.

  15. Spa Salon Forest Hills says:

    I truly appreciate this post. I?ve been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again

  16. Queens Nails says:

    Howdy! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a extraordinary job!

  17. dobry sklep says:

    Wow, wonderful blog format! How lengthy have you ever been blogging
    for? you made blogging glance easy. The full glance of your site is
    fantastic, as well as the content! You can see similar: dobry sklep and here najlepszy sklep

  18. click says:

    Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My blog is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would genuinely benefit from some of the information you present here. Please let me know if this okay with you. Appreciate it!

  19. Good post. I learn one thing tougher on totally different blogs everyday. It’ll always be stimulating to learn content material from other writers and observe a bit of something from their store. I?d desire to use some with the content on my weblog whether you don?t mind. Natually I?ll offer you a hyperlink on your internet blog. Thanks for sharing.

  20. I would also love to add that in case you do not actually have an insurance policy otherwise you do not remain in any group insurance, you could possibly well gain from seeking assistance from a health broker. Self-employed or people with medical conditions typically seek the help of one health insurance dealer. Thanks for your text.

  21. film porno says:

    Hey there! I’ve been reading your site for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from New Caney Tx! Just wanted to tell you keep up the good job!

  22. film porno says:

    This is without a doubt one of the best articles I’ve read on this topic! The author’s extensive knowledge and passion for the subject are apparent in every paragraph. I’m so thankful for stumbling upon this piece as it has enhanced my comprehension and sparked my curiosity even further. Thank you, author, for taking the time to craft such a phenomenal article!

  23. visit site says:

    Thanks for this article. I might also like to mention that it can be hard if you find yourself in school and starting out to initiate a long credit ranking. There are many scholars who are simply trying to pull through and have an extended or good credit history can occasionally be a difficult factor to have.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *