Can I stop an antibiotic treatment after two doses?

[tolovemercy]

I guess the question is not so much "can I" as what can I expect to happen?  I caved and decided to take prescribed antibiotics for some bad food poisoning (c. jejuni), even though the organism itself is self-limiting--because I had some events happening that I really needed to be well for (and I was sick of being so sick, I guess). If I were to stop the treatment now, will I experience a strong relapse? FWIW, I am also taking probiotics (Florastor). Anybody know?  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  I think it's really bothering DS3's tummy (through breastmilk).  He is also taking Florastor.

[hopefulfaith]

The short answer is that yes, you could have a relapse. 

The long answer has to do with antibiotic resistance & what happens when the bacteria meet the antibiotic:  the most susceptible/weakest cells are killed first, leaving behind the stronger ones.  If you kill off the weakest ones in the first few days of the antibiotic and then stop taking it, you're leaving behind the most resistant bacteria to hang around in your body.  They're strong enough to cause a recurrent systemic response.  Many people will start feeling better after a few doses of antibiotics, because you've killed off a good population of the offending bacteria - but different bacteria require different lengths of treatment for a reason - if you're prescribed something for seven days, it's best to finish the seven days to make sure all of the bacteria are gone. 

This is also why you should never take a leftover prescription - if you're just taking a few days worth and enough to get some of the bacteria but not all, you're just leaving the most resistant bacteria hanging around ... and then you have antibiotic-resistant diseases.  Antibiotic-resistant bacteria scare me worse than just about anything, as an emergency nurse.  MRSA and the like are something I never want to carry home under my fingernails and such, to my children.

I hope you feel better soon.  :)

P.S. - I don't view all antibiotic therapy as "caving", though.  My family has had fewer than five courses in the past 15 years --- but antibiotics are a pretty significant contribution to modern medicine.  The biggest problem is overuse/misuse.  You don't have to view appropriately prescribed antibiotics as caving, IMO.

[Llyra]

I agree that it's not "caving" to take antibiotics that have been appropriately prescribed. I also agree that having made the decision to start a round of antibiotics, it is best to finish the prescribed course. One of the "abuses" of antibiotics, that has contributed to the rise of more and more resistant strains of bacteria, is people's tendency to stop the drugs as soon as they feel better. The responsible decision in my opinion is to finish the full course.