How to Prevent Your Prescription from Running Out Too Soon

One of the most common complaints I hear from patients is that antibiotic
prescriptions never last as long as they’re supposed to. The reason this happens
is because most antibiotics come in set amounts and pharmacists are not allowed
to add extra to make sure patients do not run out early. To get around this
policy, I calculate how much a child needs for a full-course of treatment and
then prescribe the next larger size bottle. For example, if a child is taking 1
tsp of amoxicillin twice a day for ten days, he needs a 100ml bottle. When I
fill out the area that says how much the pharmacist should dispense, I write
150ml instead of “ten-day supply.” You can ask your doctor to do the same
thing.