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In a U.S. online survey conducted in early 2026, 27.9% of 959 adults said they had exaggerated or invented symptoms to obtain antibiotics for themselves. Among those who reported doing so, 76.9% said they had received antibiotics; a separate caregiver survey found 26.7% had misrepresented a child’s symptoms, and 87.3% of that group said they received antibiotics. The self-reported results do not establish how often prescriptions were clinically inappropriate or prove that misrepresentation caused them.
About 28% of adults in a U.S. survey said they had exaggerated or invented symptoms to try to get antibiotics for themselves, and 76.9% of that group said they had received them, according to research reported in JAMA Network Open. A separate survey analysis found that 26.7% of caregivers said they had misrepresented a child’s symptoms, raising concerns about prescribing decisions and trust between patients and clinicians.
The online survey, conducted in early 2026, asked U.S. adults whether they had ever exaggerated or fabricated symptoms to obtain antibiotics. Of 959 adult respondents, 27.9% said they had done so for themselves. Within that group, 26% reported exaggerating existing symptoms and 16.7% reported making up symptoms that were not present. These response categories may overlap.
Among adults who said they had misrepresented symptoms at least once, 76.9% reported receiving antibiotics. The survey records respondents’ accounts; it does not independently verify prescriptions, clinical diagnoses or whether a clinician knew symptoms had been misrepresented. The findings therefore do not show that every prescription in this group was inappropriate or that deception alone led to a prescription.
In a separate analysis of 236 caregivers, 26.7% said they had misrepresented a child’s symptoms to obtain antibiotics. Caregivers reported exaggerating symptoms (24.2%), fabricating them (23.6%), or doing both (19.1%). Among those who reported misrepresentation, 87.3% said they had received antibiotics for the child, according to the researchers.
Prescribing and Patient Trust
The findings matter because antibiotic use has to balance a patient’s clinical needs against the risks of prescribing when the drugs are not appropriate. Survey respondents often described pressure to get better quickly: among adults who misrepresented symptoms, 62.2% said they felt very sick, 61.8% believed antibiotics were the only thing that would help, and 61% said they wanted to return to work or parenting sooner. These are reported motivations, not evidence that antibiotics would have helped those respondents.
The report also points to the role of communication. Adults who often felt that clinicians did not take their symptoms seriously had higher odds of reporting misrepresentation, as did people who believed antibiotic resistance was a hoax. Those associations do not establish why any individual misrepresented symptoms, but they suggest that patient expectations and the quality of clinical conversations may be relevant to stewardship efforts.
In an accompanying commentary, Northwestern University physician Jeffrey Linder cautioned against placing responsibility solely on patients. He argued that clinicians’ prescribing decisions also matter, including when a prescription is given despite a diagnosis for which antibiotics are not indicated. Inappropriate prescribing can expose patients to possible harm and contribute to antimicrobial resistance, while also damaging confidence in clinical care.
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What Respondents Reported
Among adults who misrepresented their own symptoms, cold-like symptoms were most commonly named, reported by 65.7%. Stomach symptoms were reported by 49.3%, joint or muscle pain by 46.3%, and no specific symptom by 36.9%. The categories are based on respondents’ answers. Linder noted in his commentary that, among the symptom categories examined, urinary symptoms were the one that clearly justified antibiotic prescribing; the survey does not provide a clinical assessment of each respondent’s case.
Researchers also reported associations between misrepresentation and several respondent characteristics. Adults who needed help reading health materials had higher odds of reporting it (OR 2.40), as did those who often felt clinicians did not take their symptoms seriously (OR 2.19). Believing antibiotic resistance was a hoax was also associated with higher odds (OR 1.98). Greater antibiotic knowledge and disliking taking antibiotics were associated with lower odds. These are statistical associations, not proof of cause and effect.
For caregivers who misrepresented a child’s symptoms, 63.5% said they did so because they felt clinicians did not take the child’s symptoms seriously. Caregivers reporting that concern were more likely to report misrepresentation in the study analysis. The authors, led by Alistair Thorpe of the University of Utah, described the findings as concerning for patient-clinician relationships and antimicrobial stewardship.
“Together, these findings suggest concerning patient-clinician dynamics characterized by patients not feeling taken seriously, unclear and inconsistent messaging about antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance, conspiracy-like beliefs about antimicrobial resistance, and symptom misrepresentation to obtain antibiotics.”
— Alistair Thorpe and colleagues, writing in JAMA Network Open
Limits of the Survey Evidence
The results rely on respondents’ self-reports in an online survey. The supplied findings do not establish whether the participants represent all U.S. adults or caregivers, and they do not provide a direct check of medical records or prescribing decisions. People may remember or report past behavior differently, and the survey cannot show that misrepresentation caused a prescription.
It is also unclear from the reported figures how often the antibiotics were clinically appropriate, what diagnoses clinicians recorded, or whether clinicians recognized inconsistencies in reported symptoms. Although the researchers found associations with views about health care and antibiotic resistance, those results do not establish that those views caused misrepresentation. The findings describe reported behavior in this sample, not the prevalence of inappropriate prescribing across the country.
Implications for Clinical Practice
The study authors said the results signal a concern for clinicians, antimicrobial stewardship and public health. The findings point to two areas for discussion: how clinicians explain when antibiotics are unlikely to help, and how they respond to patients who feel their symptoms are not being taken seriously. They do not establish a particular intervention or show which approach would change prescribing or patient behavior.
For patients, the report is not a reason to self-diagnose or seek antibiotics for symptoms that may not require them. Antibiotic decisions depend on clinical evaluation, and the survey does not offer treatment advice. Further research would be needed to test how common these reported experiences are across broader populations and to compare survey responses with clinical records, diagnoses and prescriptions.
Key Questions
How many adults said they misrepresented symptoms to seek antibiotics?
27.9% of 959 adults in the survey said they had exaggerated or fabricated symptoms to get antibiotics for themselves. The survey was conducted in the United States in early 2026.
How many respondents who misrepresented symptoms said they got antibiotics?
76.9% of adults who reported misrepresentation said they received antibiotics. In the separate caregiver analysis, 87.3% of caregivers who reported misrepresenting a child’s symptoms said they received antibiotics for the child.
Does the survey show that these prescriptions were inappropriate?
No. The figures are based on respondents’ reports and do not establish the diagnosis, clinical circumstances or appropriateness of each prescription. They also do not prove that misrepresentation caused a clinician to prescribe antibiotics.
Why did some respondents say they misrepresented symptoms?
Among adults who reported doing so, common reasons included feeling very sick, believing antibiotics were the only thing that would help, and wanting to return to work or parenting sooner. These are respondents’ stated motivations, not evidence that antibiotics were medically needed.
Source: medpagetoday.com
