The Downside of Antibiotics - Even a Good Thing Can Be Dangerous

There is no doubt that when correctly prescribed and taken as directed, since there introduction in the 1930s, antibiotics have saved millions of lives.

The Downside of Antibiotics -- Misuse and Overuse

Many patients now demand antibiotics for viral infections, against which they do not work. When prescribed for bacterial infections, there is no doubt that antibiotics can save lives. But a survey conducted in 1998-99 by the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network showed that 32 percent of the population thought that antibiotics should be used for colds, and fully half were not aware that antibiotics carry risks. Since colds are caused by viruses, antibiotics do nothing to cure them.

Another downside is that too many doctors cave in those patient demands and prescribe antibiotics when unnecessary.

Even when needed, as with bacterial infections, antibiotics are often not taken long enough by patients to completely kill the bugs, which allows bacteria to build up resistance to the very drugs that should wipe them out.

Enter the new dangerous super-bugs, which continue to grow more resistant to a wider range of antibiotics. There are now a number of bacterial strains that no antibiotic yet discovered can treat.

The Downside of Antibiotics -- Dangers and Side Effects

Antibiotics do indeed have side effects. The worst one is when a person experiences a life-threatening allergic reaction, which requires immediate emergency treatment.

Other side effects include digestive distress, increased sensitivity to sunlight, skin rashes, and although rare, an increased risk of developing a blood clot or kidney stones.

Perhaps even more disturbing are the results of a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine showing the effects on some of the infants born to mothers who had taken sulfa drugs or nitrofurantoins during pregnancy. Birth defects for sulfa drugs ranged from brain diseases to weakened hearts. For those having taken nitrofurantoins there were greater incidents of infants born with smaller than average limbs, cleft palates, and heart problems.

The Downside of Antibiotics -- Other Factors

Even if you use antibiotics only when necessary and exactly as prescribed, there is a change of over-use through food and water sources. Domestic and farm animals are treated with antibiotics of the same type used to treat bacterial infection and disease in people. We get it in meat and dairy products.

The antibiotics in animal excrement is used to fertilize fields and can end up in lakes, rivers, and ground water, thus exposing even people who've never overused them to suffer the consequences of imprudent antibiotic use.

The Downside of Antibiotics -- Conclusion

There is no doubt that antibiotics still serve a valuable purpose, and they still save many lives. The best thing we can do is to learn all the facts about them, and use moderation and intelligence concerning everything that we personally choose to put into our systems.