Table of contents:
- Taking too long on antibiotics increases the risk of antibiotic resistance
- What are the consequences if you take antibiotics for too long?
- Take antibiotics for the recommended duration
The most common recommendation for taking antibiotics is "drink it until it runs out". However, recent studies have suggested the opposite. Taking antibiotics until they run out can actually cause the body to become resistant to antibiotics. So the next time you have an infection or other wound, it will be harder for your body to heal even after taking antibiotics. How come?
Taking too long on antibiotics increases the risk of antibiotic resistance
A new study published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) gathered the opinions of 10 health experts who said that taking antibiotics should still be exhausted, however its use should be evaluated by a doctor - including whether your condition has improved or not. If according to the doctor the length of time to drink is enough while your condition is also quite OK, you are allowed to stop taking antibiotics even though the "deadline" is still long.
The rule of taking antibiotics until they run out for a certain duration must be under the strict supervision of the doctor concerned. The reason is, over time taking antibiotics can present a risk of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotics generally function to treat diseases caused by bacterial infections by killing or inhibiting the growth of disease-causing organisms (such as parasites, fungi, and bacteria). When patients take antibiotics, dangerous types of bacteria can grow on the skin and intestines. If the use of the drug is getting longer, it is feared that antibiotic resistance could occur.
Lleweylyn's fear was driven by the explanation of Alexander Fleming, the founder of the antibiotic penicillin, who said that the use of antibiotics could lead to more dangerous diseases. Even in Fleming's speech at the acceptance of the Nobel Prize in 1945, he said that using penicillin in moderation is not excessive.
What are the consequences if you take antibiotics for too long?
As explained above, if you take antibiotics for too long or the duration of taking the medication is made too long, it is feared that the side effects will trigger drug resistance. Antibiotic resistance, aka resistance to antibiotics, is the ability of bacteria to resist the effects of drugs and actually get stronger. As a result, the bacteria do not die after giving antibiotics.
In addition, in the BMJ article, experts argue that when a patient takes antibiotics, it is likely that harmful bacteria will grow on the skin and intestines. Where these bacteria can cause other health problems later. To make matters worse, in the UK, an estimated 12,000 people die from antibiotic resistance. More deadly than breast cancer deaths.
Take antibiotics for the recommended duration
However, this does not mean that you can simply stop using antibiotics without your doctor knowing. One-on-one, even antibiotic resistance occurs because the duration of taking antibiotics is too short.
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the association of general practitioners in the UK (Royal College of GPs) said that determining the duration of taking antibiotics is not without basis. The difference in the duration of taking antibiotics does vary based on the type and severity of the disease. For example, for urinary tract infections, often taking antibiotics for 3 days is enough to kill bacteria. However, for tuberculosis infection caused by acid-resistant bacteria, six months is the minimum duration of antibiotic use and further evaluation is necessary before deciding to stop antibiotics.
Better, if you are given antibiotics try asking your doctor how long the duration of taking antibiotics is needed. Don't forget to also ask, if your condition starts to improve, whether antibiotics should be taken or stopped. Because basically, each person's antibiotic consumption is different, depending on the history and health conditions of each.
