Antibiotic Use and Misuse

By Paula Mueller, RN, NCSN

Apponequet Regional High School

While antibiotics are amazing drugs whose discovery changed the face of modern medicine it is important that people understand their appropriate use. Antibiotics generally work by stopping or altering some metabolic process of bacteria, causing them to die or be unable to reproduce. Because of this they are only useful for conditions with a bacterial cause, such as strep throat (sore throat cause by streptococcal bacteria), skin infections, ear infections, sinus infections, and bacterial conjunctivitis (pinkeye). Antibiotics have no effect on viruses and therefore are not effective for virally caused diseases such as the common cold, the flu, mononucleosis, viral pharyngitis (sore throat), and viral conjunctivitis.

When antibiotics are prescribed for an illness there are two keys to their use, which will maximize their effectiveness:

• The drug should be taken as prescribed. If the medication is to be taken three times a day, for example, then we should aim for taking a dose every eight hours such as 6am, 2pm, and then 10pm. Spreading the doses out evenly keeps a more constant level of the medication in the blood, allowing for the best effect on the target organisms. If the doses are more frequent or the person gets more than eight hours of sleep, then do the best you can at spreading the doses out evenly without unreasonably interrupting the ill person’s needed sleep.
• The drug should be taken until it is gone. If the medication is prescribed for 14 days then it should be taken correctly for the full 14 days. The most common mistake people make is they stop taking the medicine when they feel better. The point of the antibiotic is to eradicate the causative bacteria and the dosage time is calculated for this. If the medication is stopped before it is gone most likely some of the strongest bacteria will survive. They may then reproduce and the person will have a relapse of the illness within a few weeks.

By understanding appropriate use of antibiotics we can minimize their unnecessary use and maximize the health of our children and ourselves.