Natalie is a 21-year-old female student on no medication except Mercilon. She has had a sore throat for six days and her GP has advised that he doesn’t believe antibiotics are indicated at present.

However, the weekend is approaching, so, in line with the practice policy, he has sent a prescription to be left for her at the pharmacy. The GP advised that if her symptoms do not settle in the next three days, she should get the prescription dispensed. She presents at your pharmacy the next day and asks to take it now, “just in case I need it and if I don’t, it will be handy to have it for next time”.

How would you respond?

Janine Stanton presents at the pharmacy with a prescription for cefalexin 500 mg twice a day for 14 days. She is 15 weeks pregnant and has been prescribed the antibiotic for an “infection in my water”.

When counselling Janine about the use of the antibiotic, you ask about allergies and she says that she had a “bad reaction” to penicillin previously.

What would your response be?

Sonia Pascal has just been to the surgery with her one-year-old daughter Matilde, who has ear ache in both ears, with discharge.

She has been given a prescription for ibuprofen 50 mg three to four times a day as required and amoxicillin 125 mg three times a day for five days. She is not keen on her daughter taking antibiotics, as she has heard a lot in the press about overuse and is concerned that if Matilde keeps taking courses of antibiotics they will stop working.

How would you explain the idea of antibiotic resistance to Sonia?