An antibiotic overdose occurs mostly because the general population holds the mistaken belief that they are beneficial to a wide array of illnesses, both bacterial and viral. Additionally, many physicians are inclined to prescribe them to their patients – as shown in Rutgers's study.
The study reviewed more than two hundred peer-reviewed studies to examine the causes behind overdose, which can lead to harmful bacteria in our bodies building up an immunity to the drugs and having a harmful effect on the microbiome (the beneficial bacteria that live in our bodies).
The director for the Centre of Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine at Rutgers, Martin Blaser, said that between the years 2000 and 2015, the use of antibiotics rose by 38 percent globally, 77 percent in low to middle-income countries.
Reasons for this great rise in the use of antibiotics can be boiled down to misinformation, money, and the sped-up nature of today’s society. Misinformation in the public results in many people adopting a “germs are germs” kind of attitude and lumping together all pathogens, believing antibiotics to be effective against illnesses caused by both bacteria and viruses. Other people believe that taking antibiotics can’t hurt and end up taking them as a ‘safety measure’. Studies have also shown that people are now less willing to wait for the disease to run its course and want an immediate cure to get over it as quickly as possible. Doctors who don’t want to tarnish their relationship with their patients may then be inclined to prescribe the medicine to offer a material solution to the troubles the patient came to them with. There is then the case of pharmacies that sell antibiotics without any sort of prescription, sometimes by untrained medical practitioners. The monetary gain that comes from selling antibiotics is immense and so, naturally, so is the industry.
However, contrary to popular opinion, antibiotics are not harmless, and care with them several health concerns.
In children, improper use can lead to alterations to their microbiomes while immunological, neural, and metabolic systems are still developing. This results in a higher risk of allergic, cognitive, and metabolic diseases that have become so common in this recent antibiotic era.
In adults, excessive use could enhance the probability of metabolic and neuroplastic diseases, such as diabetes, kidney stone, and growths in the colon and rectum that can lead to cancer.
How to fix it?
The first law of order would be to better educate clinicians on the effects and risks to the microbiome and teach them better ways to communicate the risks of use to their patients. It is also necessary to find better ways to inform them about the consequences of antibiotic treatment and identify antibiotic alternatives.
Resource: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210127/Study-examines-the-causes-behind-antibiotic-overuse.aspx
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