Spain is one of the developed countries with increased consumption of antibiotics, and is that about 30 percent is obtained over the counter or from the remains of previous antibiotic treatments that are kept at home, so the rate of self-medication with these drugs in Spain is one of the highest.
Antibiotics are a type of medicine with which fight infections caused by bacteria, destroying them or preventing their growth. However, their high consumption is due to the fact that infections caused by viruses are also treated with them, which do not require or respond to antibiotics, such as colds, respiratory infections, or even cases of otitis or pharyngitis.
This supposes “an irresponsibility that entails damage to our health, because consuming antibiotics without needing them will make healing more difficult when the patient really needs themin addition to subjecting the person to unnecessary risks, such as allergic reactions or alterations in the intestinal flora, among other adverse effects”, explained the Cinfa doctor Aurora Garre.
In fact, these drugs are currently losing effectiveness because bacteria are becoming resistant to them, becoming insensitive to their effect. For this reason, Dr. Garre has developed a decalogue withno tips for consuming antibiotics responsibly:
1. Never self-medicate with antibiotics. You may be making the mistake of consuming completely ineffective medications to combat your infection and, therefore, contributing to the increased resistance of pathogenic bacteria. You also expose your body to allergic reactions or adverse side effects without need.
2. Do not request antibiotics from the pharmacist without the doctor having indicated them to you. The health professional should not be pressured to dispense these medications when we go to the pharmacy without a prescription, since it is prohibited by law. Also, do not require the doctor to prescribe them if he does not consider them necessary: he, better than anyone, knows when their use is indicated and when it is not.
3. Neither for your children. If the child shows symptoms of an infection, go to your pediatrician, who will tell you whether or not it is necessary to administer an antibiotic. Doing it unnecessarily can be harmful to your child’s health and make it more difficult for him to heal when he does get an infection that actually requires antibiotics.
4. Patience and care. If you come down with a cold or the flu and your doctor says you don’t need antibiotics, take care of yourself and get well. Resting and arming yourself with patience is often the best remedy for colds and colds.
5. Follow the doctor’s instructions faithfully. You must respect and comply with all its guidelines, both in terms of the dose you must take, as well as the schedule or duration of treatment, because when these are taken in incorrect doses or irregularly, the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics is favored. .
6. Get organized to meet the schedule to the letter. Before starting treatment, think about what time is easiest for you to respect the frequency of taking indicated by your doctor. Try to always take it at the same time.
7. Complete the treatment to the end. Don’t interrupt him; the symptoms will disappear soon, but that does not mean that the infection is resolved. You must complete the prescribed treatment, otherwise the infection may recur and the antibiotic may no longer be effective.
8. Do not save antibiotics left over after treatment. Instead, ask your pharmacist how to properly dispose of them.
9. Whenever possible, get vaccinated in order to avoid infections, whether viral or bacterial. In this way you will be able to avoid its appearance. Also accompany your children or adults to get vaccinated, when it is recommended for them.
10. Make a responsible consumption of antibiotics. The effectiveness of medicines depends on everyone. Responsible use of antibiotics can help curb the emergence of resistant bacteria, keeping antibiotics effective both today and for future generations.