Dangers of Taking Other People’s Medication
Many people often wonder why is it important to finish a course of antibiotics because after taking a few days of it they’re feeling better and believe that they don’t need to take it anymore. This leads to people building up a supply of antibiotics and possibly sharing them with others when they are feeling sick. Here we will break down why you shouldn’t share antibiotics, the dangers of taking other people’s medication and answer your questions of why is it important to finish a course of antibiotics.
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What are Antibiotics?
Antibiotics are medications that kill or weaken bacteria in the body from multiplying. Antibiotics have changed lives, making infections now curable that once killed people. Bacteria can be both beneficial and harmful to the body, depending on the type. Pathogenic bacteria is the type of bacteria that needs antibiotics to be treated. These types of bad bacteria can cause varying types of infections like pneumonia and ear infections.
Dangers of taking other people’s medication, or even your own leftover antibiotics
Thinking of taking some of that left over antibiotic that you had when you had strep throat may come to mind when you wake up feeling sick. You shouldn’t revert to old antibiotics because it’s very possible that what you have going on isn’t related to bacteria. It could be a virus and if you have a virus going on, your antibiotics will not help you. When you start taking unnecessary antibiotics without a doctor’s recommendation you could build up a resistance to antibiotics which will hurt you in the long run.
You may be tempted to take some of your friend’s antibiotics when you’re not feeling well because they recently had something similar going on and took antibiotics. One of the reasons why you shouldn’t share antibiotics is because only your doctor is the person able to decide if you need antibiotics or not. Or maybe you think that you’ll take some antibiotics just to be safe… This can cause bacteria to change, making it develop certain characters that make it indestructible to antibiotics.
Not all antibiotics treat the same thing. Specific antibiotics affect certain infections and bacteria. When you take antibiotics that weren’t prescribed to you, you could be putting yourself at risk. It’s possible that your body can’t handle certain types of medications or that it could have a negative reaction when other medications you are taking.
Why is it important to finish a course of antibiotics?
You’ve heard it before, anytime you’re prescribed an antibiotic from your doctor they always stress the importance of finishing the course of the antibiotic. This is because it will not only help stop the infection from returning but it can also reduce the risk of the bacteria in your body building up a resistance to the antibiotic.
Weather you forget to finish the course of antibiotics or are taking it just in case, if your body begins to build up a resistance to antibiotics the outcome can be superbugs. Superbugs are very serious bacterial infections that are difficult to kill and need very powerful antibiotics to overcome them. The bad part of taking powerful antibiotics is that you may need to be monitored in the hospital while on them, or they can cause incurable compromises in the body.
Good Health Practices
- Wash your hands frequently
- Get flu vaccines
- If you fall sick, see a doctor
- If you are prescribed an antibiotic, take all of it
- Don’t share medications with others even if there are similar symptoms
At the end of the day, make sure you speak to your doctor about any concerns you have with antibiotics and make sure they explain to you why you may need certain medications over others to cure illnesses.
