Verified answer

Until culture sensitivities come back from the lab (this can take 2-3 days inpatient, longer for outpatient) we have to use an educated guess as to which antibiotics will work to combat the infection. Of course you don't know its resistant until the sensitivity comes back but we may suspect resistant organisms in patients recently on antibiotics, hospitalized, on steroids, immunocompromised etc.

We prescribe several antibiotics which work to combat different types of bacteria so that hopefully we are covering the patient's infection until the culture results come back and we can better tailor the antibiotic to the specific bacteria growing.

Usually it's because they are confronted with a very dangerous organism or very dangerous type of infection. However, they should "suspect" they should know.

Golly....maybe to find the one that WORKS best?

caz u get addicted to them and have to buy more from the streets and they give them the anti biotics so its basically FO money