One in Four Americans Have Exaggerated or Made up Symptoms to Try to Get Antibiotics

More than one-quarter of Americans exaggerate symptoms to obtain antibiotics

More than a quarter of Americans have exaggerated or made up symptoms to try to get antibiotics from their doctor, either for themselves or for their children, a new study has found.

Over 25% of people lie to get antibiotics—and their lies aren't even good

Faked symptoms still point to infections that antibiotics don't treat.

One in four Americans have exaggerated or made up symptoms to try to get antibiotics

More than a quarter of Americans have exaggerated or made up symptoms to try to get antibiotics from their doctor, either for themselves or for their children, a new study has found. The survey of nearly 1,000 people nationwide uncovered common motivations for misrepresenting symptoms, including feeling very sick or needing to return to work or school.

Symptom Misrepresentation to Obtain Antibiotics