In everyday life, antibacterial drugs are often used as “one-size-fits-all drugs” to treat various diseases, yet many people use them with many errors, which may affect not only the effectiveness of the treatment but also the health risks. Let us now look at these common areas of error through specific cases.
Case one: The cold used antibacterial drugs – Ms. Lee’s misperception.
Every time Ms. Lee comes to the cold season, as soon as symptoms such as snot, sneeze and cough appear, she goes to the pharmacy to buy antibacterial drugs, which she believes can quickly get herself better.
But in fact, most of the cold is caused by viruses, such as the common nasal virus, influenza virus, and so on, and antibacterial drugs are used to treat bacterial infections that do nothing to the virus. Every time Ms. Lee takes an antibacterial drug, cold symptoms continue to improve slowly for about a week, and there are problems in her gastrointestinal function due to the abuse of the antibacterial drug, which often causes abdominal swelling and nausea.
This is typically the wrong place to treat antibacterial drugs as a routine drug for cold. In the case of colds, the correct approach should be more rest, more water, appropriate use of a number of palliative drugs, such as precipitating, coughing, etc., based on symptoms, and the use of antibacterial drugs under the direction of a doctor only when there are signs of a combination of bacterial infections, such as high fever, stale, etc.
Case II: Decomposition of symptoms – hasty behaviour by Mr. Zhang
Mr. Zhang was given a seven-day course of antibacterial medicine because of an inflammation in his throat. In the first few days, Mr. Zhang experienced a significant reduction in his throat pain and, after four days, he decided to stop the medication.
However, shortly thereafter, Mr. Zhang ‘ s larynitis has resumed and is more severe than before. This is because antibacterials take time and sufficient treatment to completely eliminate bacteria when they kill bacteria. If there is a premature stoppage, the remaining bacteria are likely to reproduce in large numbers again, leading to repeated cases.
Thus, the use of anti-bacterial drugs must be carried out strictly in accordance with the treatment prescribed by the doctor, even if the symptoms are mitigated and there is no unauthorized stoppage, and the whole course of treatment must be completed in order to ensure that the bacteria are completely eliminated and to prevent recurrence.
Case III: Any attempt to change antibacterial drugs – The blind attempt by Wang’s mother
Aunt Wang’s not well. She’s always got a problem. On one occasion she went to a doctor for infection with the urology system, who gave her an anti-bacterial drug. After two days of administration, Wang felt that the effects were less evident, and she went to the pharmacy without the consent of a doctor and replaced her with another antibacterial drug.
As a result, instead of getting better, Aunt Wang ‘ s urology system has developed new symptoms such as rashes, itching, etc. Different antibacterial drugs have their specific antibacterial spectrometry and functioning mechanisms, and random replacements can lead to a mismatch of treatment that does not effectively target the bacteria that cause the infection, and may also cause adverse drug reactions.
When anti-bacterial drugs are used, if it is felt that they are not working well, they should be fed back to the doctor in a timely manner, who will determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether there is a need to adjust the drug programme and not to change it blindly.
Case IV: Using anti-bacterial drugs as a preventive drug – Mistake by Zhao
Zhao’s school students had flu, he feared that he would be infected, and he took antibacterial drugs to prevent it every day.
But the flu is virus-induced, and antibacterial drugs do not prevent it. Moreover, the prolonged and irrational use of anti-bacterial drugs can disrupt the normal balance of the fungus in the body, reduce the body ‘ s resistance and make him more susceptible to other diseases.
Antibacterial drugs cannot be used at will as a preventive drug, and only in certain circumstances, such as the risk of infection, as assessed by a doctor prior to certain operations and after exposure to patients with infectious diseases, is their use regulated.
In our daily lives, we must be properly aware of anti-bacterial drugs, move out of these areas of misuse and strictly follow the guidance of doctors in the rational use of anti-bacterial drugs so that we can treat the disease while safeguarding our health.
