Avoid unprescribed medicines part -2

Author: 
Dr. Rula Batarseh
Publication Date: 
Mon, 2012-03-26 18:29

Can you imagine how the world was before the discovery of antibiotics? How various epidemics such as tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid and plague used to kill huge numbers of people in just a few days?
Today, can you guess what could happen if the effectiveness of antibiotics got lost and those epidemics and other life-threatening diseases returned?
Antibiotics are made from a natural material derived from or produced by certain bacteria and fungi, which have the potential to kill or inhibit the growth of bacteria that cause various diseases. With time, the definition of antibiotics came to include any "manufactured drugs that owns this property.”
Antibiotics play an important role in the treatment of many diseases. By optimal use, i.e. following the doctor and pharmacist’s instructions, antibiotics have a positive and effective impact on one’s health. However, if misused or used indiscriminately, they lead to generate the phenomenon of "resistant bacteria," which is defined as the mutation of the bacteria, altered in a way to limit the effect of antibiotics.
The poor human use of antibiotics is a major cause of loss of antibiotic effectiveness and of the return of deadly bacterial diseases.
Among the most important aspects of the misuse of antibiotics is use to treat viral instead of bacterial infections, despite the awareness among doctors of the serious consequences this behavior has, such as generating the phenomenon of resistant bacteria, causing the weakening of immunity in the patient as well as causing the killing of beneficial bacteria in the intestine. Nevertheless, tens of millions of antibiotic prescriptions are written annually in doctors' offices for the treatment of viral infections. And many doctors attribute this behavior to a variety of reasons, including uncertainty about the correct diagnosis, prevention of the development of an inflammation, and patients exerting pressure on them through their determination to get this kind of medication.
The phenomenon of resistant bacteria in its turn has several negative consequences, among others the increased duration and severity of an illness and its complications; the need to use stronger and a broader spectrum of antibiotics, which cause more side effects; an increased number of visits to doctors' offices, resulting in higher treatment costs; and a growing number of deaths due to bacterial diseases.
In this regard, we are pleased to offer some tips on the correct use of antibiotics in order to protect the sick person and his family and society in general:
The doctor is the only person responsible for the antibiotics, so he may not refer the patient to a pharmacy for self-treatment of his illness;
The patient must tell his doctor and pharmacist if he has a sensitivity to any drug or preparation;
The patient must adhere to the guidance his doctor and pharmacist give him when getting the antibiotic. He must commit to the prescribed number of pills a day and the duration of the complete treatment. It is necessary for the patient to complete the specified period of treatment. In other words, he should not stop taking medication when his health improves, but take the medicine until he completes the period of treatment his doctor described;
The patient must abide by the instructions given to him with the antibiotics in terms of timing of treatment (e.g. before eating food or together with the food) or in terms of the possibility of exposure to sunlight during the treatment period and with regard to the instructions concerning the handling of the antibiotic;
The patient must get rid of any remaining amount of the drug after the end of the treatment period, and not keep it for later use in case of another infection, as each antibiotic treats particular bacterial infections and must be prescribed by your doctor. The inappropriate use of drug will make the patient’s health situation worse;
Do not use any medication that has been prescribed to another patient, even if the symptoms are similar;
The patient needs to inform his doctor in case of any side effects, so that his physician can take the necessary action.

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