Health Tip

Antibiotics Aren’t Always the Answer

       When you feel sick, you want to feel better fast. Your first thought may be to call the doctor and request a prescription for an antibiotic. However, antibiotics aren’t the answer for every illness.
       Most illnesses are caused by two kinds of germs: bacteria and viruses. Antibiotics can cure bacterial infections, but not viral infections.
       Viruses cause the common cold, most coughs, and the flu. Antibiotics don’t work. Using antibiotics for a virus will not cure the infection, will not help you feel better, and will not keep others from catching your illness. Ask your doctor or healthcare provider what other treatments are available to treat your symptoms.
       Bacteria cause strep throat, some pneumonia, and sinus infections. Antibiotics can work. If antibiotics are prescribed for you to treat a bacterial infection, such as strep throat, be sure to take all of the medicine. Only using part of the prescription means that only part of the infection has been treated. Not finishing the medicine can cause resistant bacteria to develop.
       Using antibiotics when they are not needed causes some bacteria to become resistant to the antibiotic. These resistant bacteria are stronger and harder to kill. They can stay in your body and can cause severe illnesses that cannot be cured with antibiotic medicines. A cure for resistant bacteria may require stronger treatment, and possibly a stay in the hospital.
       To avoid the threat of antibiotic-resistant infections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you avoid taking unnecessary antibiotics. Ask your doctor or healthcare provider and follow his or her advice on what to do about your illness.
       Remember, colds, most coughs, and the flu are caused by viruses and should not be treated with antibiotics.