Overprescribing Antibiotics: Tips for Dealing with a Pediatrician Who Prescribes Antibiotics Too Often

After suffering from a chronic cough and intermittent but short-lived shortness of breath for several weeks, I decided to take my 4-year-old for a trip to the pediatrician's office. Upon hearing my son's cough and examining him, the pediatrician almost immediately diagnosed him with asthma started him on regular breathing treatments at home with his nebulizer. During the examination, the pediatrician also noticed that my son's left ear was "slightly red" so she put him on a course of antibiotics "just in case". Although I wasn't too enthused about him taking antibiotics when he hadn't complained about ear pain nor had he been running a fever, I figured that she was the doctor and should know what's best.

After a few weeks of using the nebulizer regularly, my son was still coughing and wheezing, so I took him back to the pediatrician. The doctor figured that maybe my son was suffering from a sinus infection and put him on another course of antibiotics. I really didn't believe that he had a sinus infection, and I couldn't help worrying about the unnecessary antibiotics that he had been on lately. I am aware of the fact that antibiotics not only kill bad bacteria, but good bacteria as well, and I'm also aware that not all ear and sinus infections are bacterial, so therefore they don't always require antibiotics. So when just a month later when my son developed a fever and refused to eat, I reluctantly took him back to the doctor, but I had already made up my mind that I wasn't going to automatically agree that antibiotics would be the best option for my son. Thankfully a different doctor saw him that day and even stated what I already knew: that sometimes doctor's overprescribe antibiotics, especially for possible ear infections. This new doctor stated that my son's ear was slightly red but not red enough to necessitate antibiotics. He believed what was causing his fever was a very bad cold. He instructed me to bring him back in if he wasn't feeling better in 2 to 3 days, and my son was like new after 2 days-without antibiotics. If you feel your child's pediatrician is overprescribing antibiotics for your child, the following tips will show you how to handle this situation, which could possibly be detrimental to your child's health in the future.

1. Confront the doctor - of course most doctors won't appreciate being questioned by a parent, but you are your child's advocate and if you feel that a certain treatment might be harming your child, you certainly have a right to ask questions.

2. Wait a few days - if you do decide to allow your child's doctor to prescribe antibiotics yet again, it may not be a bad idea to wait a few days before starting the medication, provided your child isn't seriously ill or in a great deal of pain. Of course if your child has a confirmed infection that requires antibiotics, you'll want to give him or her the medication. Otherwise, by waiting a few days, you can wait to see if the condition clears up on its own, and in most cases this is exactly what happens. Asking the doctor's permission is best, although the doctor may not agree that you should wait.

3. Visit a holistic doctor - if you check your local yellow pages, chances are you'll find various listings for holistic doctors. Holistic doctors don't write prescriptions, but they do treat conditions with natural and complimentary medicine. It may be a great way to prevent your child from developing symptoms that prompt your doctor to prescribe antibiotics in the first place.

4. Get a new doctor - many doctors simply don't listen and only want to treat patients the way they believe is best, and without any input from parents. If your child's doctor refuses to listen to your concerns or seems to ignore them, it may be time to find a new pediatrician, one who will actually listen and take your concerns seriously.

If you feel that your child is taking too many courses of antibiotics that don't always seem warranted, there's no reason for you to sit back and allow things to happen. If you speak up, even if your doctor doesn't particularly like it, you will feel better, and your child will thank you for your efforts in the future.

References

CBS, Overprescribing Antibiotics - http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_n2617_v125/ai_18750175/

Holistic Healing Info - http://www.holistic.com/holistic/learning.nsf/0/8507b31467bfa9df872569f3007eefbe?opendocument

Mayo Clinic, Antibiotics - http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/antibiotics/FL00075