August 17, 2026 | Source: Nautilus | by Jake Currie
You’re a conscientious person reading a conscientious science publication, so you probably know that you’re supposed to finish the entire course of antibiotics a doctor prescribes you—even if you’re already feeling better. You may have even found an expired, half-full bottle of amoxicillin in a friend’s medicine cabinet, and shuddered to yourself at their irresponsibility.
If you’re that type of person, I have some bad news: Your friend was probably right, and you are, in fact, wrong.
In 2023, infectious disease experts published a review looking back at 25 years of random controlled trials (more than 120) investigating short and long courses of antibiotics. They found that short courses were just as effective as long courses for everything from routine urinary tract infections to more serious ailments, like pneumonia. If anything, because many antibiotics come with annoying side effects and dietary restrictions, an abbreviated treatment schedule might be preferable.
