Five Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make With Antibiotics

Antibiotics save lives as they can cure diseases caused by bacteria. If they are used too often or if they are used incorrectly, the bacteria will eventually become insensitive to the active ingredients. This is a big problem for medicine because it renders the antibiotic ineffective. Here are five antibiotics misuse you shouldn’t make with antibiotics. 

Antibiotics are used as tablets, capsules, suppositories, and drops, among other things. They kill the bacteria and also prevent them from multiplying.  External use is possible in the form of ointments, gels, and tinctures. The doctor prescribes antibiotics for example against bladder infections, purulent bronchitis, gastric mucosal infections, pneumonia, and salmonella infections.

Use Antibiotics Wisely

Antibiotics must be used carefully. On the one hand, they fight all bacteria in the body that are within their spectrum of activity including the useful non-disease-causing bacteria. For this reason, many react to ingestion with diarrhea. Because the bacteria of the intestinal flora in the intestine also suffer. On the other hand, there is a risk that if used too frequently and incorrectly, resistance will develop and the antibiotics will lose their effectiveness.

Antibiotic Mistake 1: Combining Antibiotics With Dairy Products – Antibiotics Misuse

The antibiotic should be taken with a glass of tap water. The medication will dissolve more easily if you drink enough fluids. Besides, water does not hamper the drug’s effect. Coffee, tea, and dairy products, on the other hand, can inhibit the absorption of active ingredients.

Calcium-rich mineral water, milk, and milk products such as yogurt, curd, and cheese should therefore not be consumed while taking antibiotics. You should also avoid mineral supplements with calcium, magnesium, and zinc. Alcohol is also taboo.

Antibiotic Mistake 2: Irregular Consumption

Timely intake is of great importance for the effectiveness of antibiotics. If the time intervals are right, a permanently sufficient amount of the active ingredient in the body is guaranteed. It is the only way to successfully fight the harmful bacteria in the body.

If the drug has to be taken once a day, this should always be done at the same time. If the patient has to use the antibiotic twice a day, it should be done twelve hours apart. For taking antibiotics three times a day, the eight-hour rhythm provides good orientation.

Also, you should tell your doctor if you already have taken other drugs. 

Warning: Some antibiotics impair the effectiveness of the birth control pill.

Antibiotic Mistake 3: Stop Taking Antibiotics Too Early – Antibiotics Misuse

It is also important to use antibiotics consistently until the end even if the symptoms are less after a few days. Improving symptoms does not mean that the bacteria in the body have been completely eradicated. In the worst case, the disease breaks out again and much more severely. Those who discontinue the antibiotic prematurely also run the risk of developing resistance. 

How long the antibiotic has to be taken depends on the active ingredient and the disease to be treated. As a rule of thumb, pharmacists recommend always taking the entire package prescribed by the doctor. If side effects occur with an antibiotic, the next steps must be discussed with the doctor. This also applies if the antibiotic does not show any effect after two to three days.

Under no circumstances should you discontinue the preparation on your own or even increase the dose. And the remaining antibiotics must not be kept and taken by the patient for the next infection without authorization from the doctor. 

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Antibiotic Error 4: Incorrect Disposal

If there are any tablets left over, they need to be disposed of with household waste. Many pharmacies offer to accept drug residues as a voluntary service. Under no circumstances do they belong in the toilet or sink. A lot of antibiotics are already being released into the environment through human excrement and animal husbandry.

The sewage treatment plants cannot hold back all drug residues. That is why they can be found almost everywhere and all year round in the area of sewage treatment plant drains as well as in streams, rivers, and lakes, and also in groundwater and occasionally in drinking water. Painkillers and antibiotics were most commonly detected. This promotes the development of resistance.

Antibiotic Mistake 5: Taking Antibiotics For a Cold – Antibiotics Misuse

Antibiotics should only be used when necessary. There is no need to take it in the case of a common cold or a harmless flu-like infection, as these are caused by viruses. Antibiotics won’t help in these cases. It only makes sense to take them if, due to the weakened immune system, a bacterial inflammation occurs, such as an otitis media or sinus infection.

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If you have a cold, it makes sense to wait a few days to see whether the symptoms improve on their own. If this is not the case and there is also severe headache or sore throat, a visit to the doctor is recommended. This also applies to severe coughing.