Understanding Why Antibiotics Aren’t Always The Answer
11/18/2022
Tristan O'Driscoll, Aspirus Infectious Disease Pharmacist
U.S. Antibiotic
Awareness Week takes place November 18 – 24 and is an annual observance that
gives participating organizations an opportunity to raise awareness of the
importance of appropriate antibiotic use to combat the threat of antibiotic
resistance.
Antibiotics can save
lives, but patients and providers need to outweigh the risks of side effects
and antibiotic resistance, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and projections
of a more severe flu season.
“When antibiotics
aren’t needed, they won’t help you and the side effects can actually hurt you,”
says Antimicrobial Stewardship Coordinator and Infectious Diseases Pharmacist
Tristan O’Driscoll. Adverse reactions can include dizziness, nausea, yeast infections,
diarrhea, rash and life-threatening allergic reactions, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Antibiotic resistance
occurs when germs such as bacteria develop the ability to defeat the drugs
designed to kill them.
“The more we use
antibiotics, the less effective they become, making it difficult to treat viral
infections that may occur in the future,” warns O’Driscoll.
The CDC also states
that an antibiotic will not make one feel better if they have a virus.
Respiratory viruses usually go away in a week or two without treatment.
O’Driscoll explains
“antibiotics kill bacteria, not viruses. They will not help viral infections
such as a cold, the flu or COVID-19, and can end up doing more harm than good.”
O’Driscoll recommends getting the flu vaccine and keeping up to date with COVID
boosters as the best way to prevent an opportunity to receive antibiotics that
aren’t needed.
Everyone can help
improve antibiotic prescribing and use. Improving the way healthcare
professionals prescribe antibiotics, and the way we take antibiotics, helps
keep us healthy now, helps fight antibiotic resistance, and ensures that these
life-saving antibiotics will be available for future generations.
For more information
on antibiotic awareness, visit CDC.gov.
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