An antibiotic is a medicine that is used to treat an infection caused by bacteria; antibiotics will not help treat infections due to viruses, fungi, protozoans, or other organisms. Antibiotics are prescribed by healthcare professionals daily. Unfortunately, the more antibiotics that are misused, the more commonly we see resistance to them. Often an infection caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria requires longer hospital stays, more follow-up with the medical provider, and more costly, toxic alternatives. It is important to remember that antibiotic resistance does not have to do with our body’s inability to clear out an infection, but with the bacteria’s ability to resist treatment by an antibiotic (CDC, 2018).
There are many strategies that both you and your healthcare provider can implement to help decrease the likelihood of antibiotic resistance:
Only take antibiotics when they are prescribed to you by a healthcare professional.
Do not use old antibiotic prescriptions. When an antibiotic is prescribed, it is carefully picked for the particular infection, and taking an antibiotic that is inappropriate can lead to other, more serious, complications.
When prescribed a course of antibiotics, complete the course as directed by the instructions from the healthcare provider and make sure not to skip doses.
Do not give your antibiotic to anyone else. It is meant for you and the condition you are being treated for.
Not every condition requires an antibiotic. Many infections that we get are from organisms other than bacteria, including viruses, fungi and protozoa, which will not be helped by antibiotic therapy.
We can try our best to avoid infection, but we may not always be successful. If you have any questions or start to feel under the weather, we at Physicians Immediate Care Center are there to help you however we can. We are just across from Walmart at 243 Cheney Drive, 7 days a week, from 8am-7pm, no appointment necessary. Although we hate for people to get sick or hurt, we hope to be able to provide relief from your pains and ailments when they do occur!
References: https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/