Eli5 – why do you take antibiotics as a course and not all at once?

Question

I’ve just started an antibiotics course which is 4 times a day for 10 days and that got me wondering if they would be just as effective if I took them all and why not.

In: 674

Answer 1

Its like trying to choke somebody. If you want to kill them you want to apply sustained pressure for some time. If you miss doses, that’s like getting them have a breath once in a while. And pressure all at once is not very effective either.