In the course of the treatment of infection, many people are mistaken for the notion that “the dose of the drug can be increased or reduced at random during the treatment of the infection”, either by increasing the dose on their own as a result of an eagerness to achieve it, or by a slight reduction in the dose due to a mild reduction in the symptoms. However, such seemingly irrelevant behaviour carries with it significant risks and is a highly irresponsible manifestation of their own health.
Drugs function in the human body with their specific patterns and mechanisms. The dosages prescribed by doctors are determined on the basis of rigorous medical research, clinical trials and a combination of the patient ‘ s individual circumstances (e.g. age, weight, liver and kidney function, severity of infection, etc.). In the case of antibiotics, for example, each antibiotics has its own specific antibacterial spectroscopy and lowest antibacterial concentration (MIC). When administered at the prescribed dose, the drug is capable of reaching an effective blood dose in the body, thus inhibiting or eliminating the pathogenic bacteria. If the patient increases his or her own dosage, he or she may be able to reach levels far beyond safety. This not only increases the likelihood of adverse drug reactions, such as gastrointestinal disorders, damage to liver and kidney function, increased allergies, etc., but may also trigger bacterial resistance. Because excessive drug concentrations can have a strong “survival pressure” on bacteria, they can cause mutations or other adaptive changes in bacteria, which can produce resistance. Once bacteria produce resistance, already effective antibiotics fail, which not only puts the treatment of current infections in jeopardy, but may also lead to the spread of drug-resistant strains among the population and pose a serious threat to public health safety.
On the contrary, self-reducing drug dosages are equally harmful. When there are insufficient doses of drugs, effective blood concentrations cannot be achieved in the body and drugs cannot fully perform their therapeutic effects such as antibacteria or antivirus. In the case of infection, this means that the pathogen is not under effective control and that it may continue to deteriorate, be prolonged and even cause serious complications. For example, in the treatment of viral hepatitis, if the dose of antiviral drugs is reduced at random, the virus may continue to be replicated in the body, leading to an increase in hepatitis and eventually to irreversible serious diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer.
In addition, any increase or reduction in the dose would interfere with the doctor ‘ s accurate assessment of the condition. In the course of the treatment, the doctor evaluates the effects of the treatment in the light of the improvement of the patient ‘ s symptoms, the results of the laboratory examination, etc., and adjusts the treatment programme accordingly. If the patient changes his or her own dose, the feedback obtained by the doctor is distorted, which may lead to a misjudgement by the doctor, thereby affecting subsequent treatment decisions and delaying the optimal treatment in the case.
During the treatment of infection, patients must strictly follow the medical prescriptions. This is the key to ensuring the effectiveness of treatment and safeguarding one ‘ s health. If the patient has questions about the dosage of the drug, or if special circumstances arise in the course of treatment, such as the insufferability of the adverse response to the drug and the lack of visible improvement in the symptoms, he or she shall communicate with the doctor in a timely manner and be professionally evaluated and adjusted by the doctor on a case-by-case basis. There must be no arbitrary increase or reduction in the dose of drugs based solely on their own subjective assumptions or the experience of others.
The treatment of infection is not a simple “head and foot pain”, and the determination of the dose of the drug is more a rigorous science. We need to move away from the erroneous notion that “the dose of drugs can be increased or reduced at random during the treatment of infection” and to create the correct awareness of the use of drugs, entrusting our health to professional medical knowledge and the professional judgement of doctors, in order to be able to successfully recover in the fight against infection and avoid the mudslides of health crises caused by the misuse of drugs.
