Things You Can Do to Prevent the Spread of Resistant Bacteria

Don’t let a physician prescribe antibiotics for a cold or flu just to satisfy your expectation of medication. Don’t ignore signs of over-prescription of antibiotics and other concerns.

Yep, you are sick as a dog and visit a doctor, expecting a shot or prescription for something, anything, that alleviates those swollen eyes and runny nose. But more than likely, antibiotics won’t do a darn thing about your symptoms. Over-the-counter drugs that manage your symptoms would do more than antibiotics. So don’t pressure your physician for a prescription or shot in hopes of shortening your illness. It won’t. And it will add to the problem of drug-resistant antibiotics.

Another problem occurs when antibiotics are not taken correctly. How often does this happen? You’re taking antibiotics and it’s been a few days. You feel a thousand times better, so you stop taking your meds though there are another few days to go. Don’t do this! It will only encourage antibiotic-resistant strains of your illness. Also, if you don’t completely get rid of the illness, you are a carrier and may spread the illness to your family, friends and coworkers, or become reinfected.

Some doctors may prescribe inappropriate antibiotics for your kind of infection based on misreading symptoms and without waiting for lab results. In this case, you are counting on the professionalism of your physician to be informed of the type of antibiotic he or she prescribes.

Another ding on docs is the “just in case” course of antibiotics. Some physicians have common practices that include prescribing possibly unneeded antibiotics, which adds millions to the cost of health care.

The bottom-line picture of misuse of prescription antibiotics is one of ineffectiveness of treatment, higher health care expenditures, extended times of patient illness and a higher risk of death.