Nearly 30 per cent of American adults admit lying to doctors to get antibiotics they do not need, even as drug‑resistant 'superbugs' are linked to millions of infections and tens of thousands of deaths each year in the United States.

A national survey published in JAMA Network Open found that patients routinely exaggerate or fabricate symptoms to secure prescriptions, despite repeated warnings that misuse of antibiotics is fuelling antimicrobial resistance.

At the same time, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that drug‑resistant infections now cause an estimated 9.7 million infections annually across the US.

Nationwide Deception To Secure Antibiotic Prescriptions

The study analysed survey responses from 959 adults across the United States. Overall, 28 per cent of adult respondents admitted misrepresenting their health symptoms to a clinician.

A companion survey of 236 parents and guardians found that 27 per cent lied about a child's symptoms to obtain antibiotics. The vast majority of those who reported being dishonest said their tactics resulted in a prescription.

Approximately 77 per cent of adult patients and 87 per cent of caregivers confirmed clinicians granted them prescriptions after they lied. Researchers warned that this behaviour significantly accelerates the overuse of critical antimicrobial medications.

Patients Invent Cold Symptoms Antibiotics Cannot Cure

The survey found that 65 per cent of respondents who reported being dishonest said they had fabricated or exaggerated cold‑like symptoms, including coughs, fevers and sore throats. These viral respiratory conditions do not respond to antibiotic treatment.

Respondents cited a desire for quick recovery, feeling severely ill and wanting more control over their care as common reasons for misrepresenting their symptoms. Others reported feeling that clinicians did not take their illness seriously, while some said they believed antibiotic resistance is a hoax.

'As clinicians, we know that patients lie to us sometimes,' noted Dr Jeffrey Linder, a primary care clinician‑investigator at Northwestern Medicine.

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Unnecessary Prescriptions and the Rise of Superbugs

The widespread misuse of antibiotics contributes to the spread of drug‑resistant bacteria and fungi.

CDC data show US drug‑resistant infections were estimated to have risen from 2.8 million in 2017 to 9.7 million in 2023. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that one in six bacterial infections was antibiotic‑resistant that same year.

Annual deaths caused by resistant germs in the US were reported to have increased from 35,000 to 50,800 over the same period. Taking unnecessary antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiome and expose patients to adverse side effects without providing clinical benefit, according to medical experts.

WHO also reports that bacterial antimicrobial resistance was estimated to be associated with more than 4.7 million deaths globally in 2021.

Doctors Under Strain as Patients Push for Pills

Outpatient clinicians often have brief appointment windows, may not have access to rapid diagnostic tools and can face pressure from patients who expect medication. Medical ethicists say doctors are expected to follow established prescribing guidelines regardless of whether patients are fully truthful about their symptoms.

'Symptoms do not determine the indication, a diagnosis does,' Dr Linder emphasised in an accompanying commentary.

'It does not track that approximately 80% of respondents who reported misrepresenting their symptoms obtained a prescription,' Dr Linder added.

'Clinicians' obligation is to act in patients' best interest, even if patients are hoping we do something different, even if patients do not like it, or even if patients lie about their symptoms,' he concluded.

Guidance for patients is to complete the full course of antibiotics prescribed, even if they begin to feel better before finishing the medication. Stopping treatment early can allow the infection to return and contributes to antibiotic resistance, which can make future illnesses harder to treat.

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