Health · Advice & Questions · Oct 16

My aunt offered her leftover antibiotics to save me a clinic fee. How do I refuse kindly?

Health

My aunt put a blister pack beside the soup and said, "These worked when my throat hurt. There are enough to get you started."

I have a sore throat and have arranged a call with a healthcare service. The visit they may recommend would cost $65. My aunt knows money is tight and thinks refusing her tablets means I would rather spend money than accept help.

I have not taken them. Her prescription was for her illness, and I do not know what is causing mine. The soup was welcome; the conversation about the tablets made the whole favour awkward.

What would you say when the offer is sincere but the answer is still no? I also do not want the pack to stay on my bedside table as a standing invitation to reconsider.

Discussion

2 community replies

@maren17

"Thank you for bringing food and thinking about the cost. I'm going to get advice about my own throat, and I won't take medicine prescribed for you." You can accept the soup without accepting both parts of the favour.

@northstar88

[CDC advises against taking someone else's antibiotics or saving antibiotics for a later illness](https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/about/index.html). That is enough to support refusing the pack; nobody here needs to decide whether your sore throat is bacterial or viral.

My aunt offered her leftover antibiotics to save me a clinic fee. How do I refuse kindly?

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