What You Can Do

If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, don’t be afraid to question why you are being given these meds. Often, physicians feel pressured by patients or protocol for prescriptions that ultimately are, at best, useless. At worst, it can be harmful to the patient and community. Consequently, don’t pressure your doctor for medications like antibiotics without doing your research. Many common ailments don’t respond to antibacterial medications.

Question your pharmacist as to whether he or she thinks this medication is appropriate; mention other prescription meds you are taking and ask about possible drug interactions. Read the label and make sure you understand dosing information. Do you take it on an empty stomach or after eating? Strict dosing or a little flexible? Taking an antibiotic under the wrong circumstances could result in prolonged illness and reduced overall drug efficacy.

Take the entire course of antibiotics, even though you may feel tons better and are back on your feet. The danger of stopping your meds could be reinfection if the antibiotics didn’t knock out all of the illness-causing bacteria. These bacteria are theoretically more resistant to the antibiotic than the original strain that caused the illness in the first place. So be careful.

There are many generous people who will share the leftover contents of an antibiotic prescription with you. The wisest thing is to gently encourage that person to toss the pills into the trash. More than likely, it is not enough to treat an infection effectively.

Two simple things you can do to help prevent bacterial infections is to get a flu shot and wash your hands often with soap and running water.

One larger issue you may want to monitor is the use of antibiotics in farm or food animals. Eighty percent of available antibiotics in this country is given to livestock, though they are not sick. This overuse of antibiotic drugs in farm animals is being blamed in some scientific publications for the emergence of the superbug in this country. Get informed and get healthy!