Myth 1: Antibiotics = anti-inflammatory drugs
Most people mistakenly believe that antibiotics can treat all inflammatory conditions. In fact, antibiotics are only indicated for inflammation caused by bacteria and are not effective for inflammation caused by viruses. There are a large number of normal beneficial flora in the human body, if antibiotics are used to treat sterile inflammation, these drugs will suppress and kill the beneficial flora in the human body after entering the body, causing dysbiosis, resulting in a decrease in resistance. Antibiotics should not be used to treat local soft tissue inflammation, pain, contact dermatitis caused by allergic reactions, drug dermatitis, inflammation caused by viruses, autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, etc., which often occur in daily life. Duan Shaobin, Department of Surgery, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Myth 2: Nothing usually happens to take some antibiotics to prevent infection
Antibiotics are only suitable for inflammation caused by bacteria and some other microorganisms. It is not beneficial to give antibiotics to patients with viral colds, measles, mumps, colds and flu. The use of antibiotics to prevent infections should only be used in specific cases and with strict indications, such as before having colon and rectal surgery. On the contrary, in the absence of infectious diseases, moving to use antibiotics to prevent non-existent infections can cause bacterial resistance and disorders of the body flora instead of inviting infections.
Myth 3: Broad-spectrum antibiotics are better than narrow-spectrum antibiotics
The principle of antibiotic use is to use narrow-spectrum not broad-spectrum, low-level not high-level, one can solve the problem without two, mild or moderate infections generally do not combine the use of antibiotics. In the absence of a clear pathogenic microorganism can be used broad-spectrum antibiotics, if a clear pathogenic microorganism is best to use narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Otherwise, it is easy to enhance the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics.
Myth 4: New antibiotics are better than old ones, and expensive antibiotics are better than cheap ones
In fact, each antibiotic has its own characteristics and has different advantages and disadvantages. Generally, you have to choose according to the disease and the person, and insist on individualized administration. For example, erythromycin is an old antibiotic, which is very cheap, and it is quite effective for pneumonia caused by Legionella and mycoplasma infections, while the very expensive carbapenem antibiotics and third-generation cephalosporins are not as effective as erythromycin in dealing with these diseases. Moreover, some of the older drugs are more stable, cheaper, and have clearer adverse effects.
On the other hand, the birth of new antibiotics is often due to the occurrence of resistance to old antibiotics, and if the old antibiotics are effective, the old ones should be used.
Myth 5: The more types of antibiotics used, the more effective the infection can be controlled
Now generally speaking, the combined use of antibiotics is not advocated. This is because the combined use of drugs can increase some unreasonable medication factors, which not only can not increase the efficacy, but also reduce the efficacy, and easy to produce some toxic side effects, or bacterial resistance to drugs. Therefore, the more types of drugs are combined, the higher the incidence of toxic side effects and adverse reactions caused. Generally speaking, in order to avoid drug resistance and toxic side effects, you should never use two kinds of antibiotics if you can solve the problem with one.
Myth 6: Use antibiotics when you have a cold
Many colds are viral colds. Strictly speaking, there are no effective drugs for viral colds, only symptomatic treatment, without the need for antibiotics. You may have experienced this, after a cold habitually buy some cold medicine at the pharmacy, while adding a little antibiotics to use. In fact, antibiotics are useless at this time and are a waste and abuse.
Myth 7: Antibiotics are used when you have a fever
Antibiotics are only for inflammatory fevers caused by bacteria and some other microorganisms. It is harmful to give antibiotics to patients with viral colds, measles, mumps, colds and flu. Those with pharyngitis and upper respiratory tract infections are mostly caused by viruses and antibiotics are ineffective.
In addition, even fever caused by bacterial infection has many different types, and antibiotics such as cephalosporin should not be used blindly. For example, fever caused by tuberculosis can be delayed if antibiotics are used blindly and the regular anti-TB treatment is delayed. It is best to use drugs under the guidance of a doctor.
Myth 8: Take antibiotics when you are not feeling well
Often in pharmacies, such as feeling abdominal discomfort, vague pain, slightly bloated, then he thinks that the abdomen has inflammation, to buy antibiotics to eat. There are not many people like this. The pharmacies are also happy to sell antibiotics because they want to have revenue. This is why the government should strictly regulate antibiotics, and they must be purchased only with a doctor’s prescription.
Myth 9: Take antibiotics even for minor infections
Minor infections can heal on their own without the need for antibiotics as long as the body is healthy and the resistance is normal. For example, small boils on the surface of the skin. In general, antibiotics are needed only for infections that cannot be confined and have a tendency to spread and produce systemic symptoms, or systemic infections, or serious infections that are expected to be less likely to be confined, or those with poor immunity and resistance. There are also specific infections such as tuberculosis that require antibiotics. In any case, the use of antibiotics should be decided under the guidance of a doctor.
Myth 10: Frequent change of antibiotics
The efficacy of antibiotics has a cycle problem, if the efficacy of a certain antibiotic is not good for a while, the first thing to consider is that the duration of use is not enough. In addition, improper route of administration and the immune function status of the whole body can also affect the efficacy of antibiotics. If it is related to these factors, the efficacy will be improved if it is adjusted.
Frequent medication changes can cause confusion in medication administration, which can harm the body. Moreover, frequent drug changes can easily make bacteria resistant to multiple drugs.
Myth 11: Stop the medication once it is effective
Continuous use of antibiotics should not exceed one week. However, if you don’t take the medicine for long enough, you may not see any effect at all; even if you do, you should take it for the necessary period under the guidance of your doctor. If you stop taking the medication after it has had some effect, not only will it fail to cure the disease, but even if the condition has improved, it may rebound due to residual bacteria.
Likewise, stopping the drug once it works and using it again when the symptoms return, so repeatedly, is tantamount to increasing the natural selection time of the drug on the bacteria, which can also make the bacteria resistant to the drug.
But no matter what, regulators, hospitals and doctors should be more responsible for the phenomenon of antibiotic abuse, after all, the people do not have the expertise in this area, need hospitals, medical staff to explain and guide, in addition to strict supervision is essential, so that all people only rely on consciousness to comply with a certain system, is tantamount to a nightmare.