by Effie Moore Salem

Created on: April 28, 2008

Antibiotics are needed only for bacterial infections; they do nothing for viruses other than possibly rendering the body resistant to their effect by this overuse. When they first came on the market in 1940, having been discovered in 1928 by A. Fleming, it was used to treat many war victims of infection. Consequently many lives were saved. Its use has skyrocketed and, unfortunately, has been grossly overused.

This over use, or quite correctly, this abuse of this amazing bunch of wonder drug, has led them to becoming less effectual in infection control. The pharmaceutical industry, in turn, tailors this drug to specific bacteria and, whenever necessary, to create resistant types of penecillin and streptomyacnin and its other associated drugs.

Although the public is carefully instructed not to overuse these drugs and to use them only under the careful directions of a physician, they don't often listen. Self-medication with left over medication and to insist on getting antibiotics for simple colds and other viral infections is not uncommon.

Resistance occurs mainly when the drug is not taken as directed. A full dose is prescribed and all the tablets or capsules should be taken even though this means taking the medicine for the whole two weeks - or for the length of time prescribed. When this is carelessly ignored and only a portion of the drug is taken, the offending organism gain a foot hold and become stronger. Whereas if all the antibiotic had been taken, all of the organisms would have been killed and none would have remained to recoup and to build up their arsenal. What happened when only the prescribed dose was partially taken, the drug stopped the immediate attack only but many of the organisms were arming themselves for future combat. At the next onslaught they would fight harder and better and the poor human who had not listened carefully to his doctor would not have the expected relief of symptoms.

Most likely antibiotics will be needed for infected wounds, some ear infections, some sore throats with elevated temperatures, urinary tract infections and many others. They probably will not be needed for colds, the general run of sore throats, bronchitis, stomach flu, influenza, or most ear infections. So please don't become a pest and inisist your doctor give you antibiotics against his better judgment. Often this happens and kind doctors wanting not so much to please his know-it-all patients as to keep his practice viable, will give in.

How will the doctor know when to prescribe antibiotics and when not to prescribe antibiotics? They may not and that is why they test first to find out what organism they are working with before they prescribe a specific drug. There are a few exceptions to this general rule: if there are many children for one school, or one location, coming down with the same kind of bacterial infection and the doctor is reasonably sure it is the same thing, he may forego the testing for all and prescribe an antibiotic for those later getting sick.

Today it is more important than ever to take antibiotics only when necessary and to get over the belief that they are the miracle drug they once were. True, they are good and are helpful but the more we know about them, the more we need to know. There are some side effects to these hundreds of different varieties being developed every day, yet the worse ones are resistance to them.

Too, hopefully, the virus, the as yet not completely understood pathogen that causes more of our diseases than we currently know, has scientists working around the clock developing drugs to counteract its effects upon the human b body. Stay tuned, we are sure to learn more; yet when we do, let's be sure and follow the directions carefully.

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