Antibiotic Awareness
by Mary Macdonald BSN, RN
Antibiotics kill bacteria ONLY, they do not work against viruses like the common cold, flu, bronchitis, or coughs. Most sore throats are caused by viruses and will resolve without antibiotics. When you have a virus you should not ask for or take an antibiotic, they will not work. You should get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. You can ask your doctor, or pharmacist, for advice about what over-the-counter medication might work for your symptoms, such as fever, pain, stuffy head, runny nose, cough, or other symptoms you may have. Remember that a runny nose or cough with yellow or green discharge/phlegm/sputum does not mean that you NEED an antibiotic. Bacterial infections like Strep throat, Urinary tract infections, Ear infections, or Sinus infections should be treated with antibiotics. Urine cultures take about 3 days to grow. The final culture report will list what antibiotics are effective against the specific bacteria that has grown. It is important that the right medication is used against the bacteria.
Bacteria can build defenses against antibiotics. The defenses fight against the antibiotics and the bacteria become resistant against antibiotics. When this happens the resistant bacterial infections become very difficult to treat. Some infections then will need stronger antibiotics, often given through IV administration, resulting in hospital admissions, and those antibiotics often come with serious side effects.
When you have a bacterial infection it is very important to take ALL of the antibiotic that was prescribed. You may feel better after a few days and think you don’t need to finish all of the medication, but this is not true, only some of the bacteria may have been killed off. The bacteria that remains can then thrive and multiply, and will not be killed off by the antibiotics.
At least 2 million people are infected with an antibiotic resistant bacteria yearly, and at least 23,000 people die as a result.
www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use
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