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Medical Video: Antibiotics and Colds | Video FAQs - UCLA Family Health Center
When non-prescription drugs are no longer effective in dealing with coughs and colds, you might think of asking for a prescription for a doctor's antibiotic in order to solve this endless suffering. In fact, there is no need to take antibiotics for coughs and colds. Failing to take antibiotics to treat coughs and colds can actually bring more harm than benefits. Why, why is that?
Antibiotics for coughs and colds will not work against viruses
Coughs and colds accompanied by a feverish body are one of the reasons for sick permission that most often occur in school children or working adults. Every year, adults suffer from an average of 2-3 cases of cough and runny nose, while children may get more frequent.
But taking antibiotics for regular coughs and colds won't cure your problem. Antibiotic drugs only work against infections caused by bacteria. While in most cases of coughs and colds, this troublesome disease is caused by a virus. In fact, most cases of bronchitis and sinusitis are both characterized by symptoms of coughing and runny nose also caused by viruses. There are more than 200 different types of viruses that can cause coughs and colds. Rhinovirus is one of the most common viruses that cause coughs and colds.
The danger is if you carelessly take antibiotics for coughs and colds
Taking antibiotics for coughs and colds will be of no use, because this disease is caused by a virus. However, this phenomenon is still very common in society. In fact, the side effects of carelessly taking antibiotics for coughs and colds can be dangerous for you.
For example, about one in 40 thousand people worldwide are reported to show fatal allergic reactions when taking antibiotics. Antibiotics can cause side effects, such as diarrhea or vomiting, and about 1 to 5 of every 100 children have an allergy to antibiotics. Some of the allergic reactions can have serious and life-threatening effects.
Antibiotics are specifically intended to treat bacterial infections. When you continue to take antibiotics to treat diseases that cannot be killed with this drug, antibiotics will eventually become ineffective in fighting bad bacteria. The reason is related to the bacteria themselves. Bacteria are cunning organisms. When bacteria are repeatedly exposed to antibiotics for a long time, they are even stronger against the effects of drugs and even develop resistance so that it will be difficult to treat.
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics causes your disease to stay longer in the body without any signs of improvement. Your doctor may need to try several different antibiotics until you find out which one is effective. In most cases, some diseases can get worse before the most appropriate drug is found. People around you may also be able to catch your resistant bacteria and have similar diseases that are difficult to treat. Some bacteria that cause fatal infections in hospitals, such as MRSA, are resistant to some antibiotics.
So, when to take antibiotics?
Only a doctor knows for sure whether you need an antibiotic prescription for your problem after undergoing various examinations. So discuss with your doctor if you think you are sick and may need antibiotics, rather than taking antibiotics from the rest of your family used to treat the disease last month. But remember, you don't need antibiotics for regular coughs and colds.
