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Ohio State study shows social smokers at same risk as daily tobacco users

<p>I know we&#8217;ve covered this topic before, but last week I was surprised to hear from a very well informed and sophisticated acquaintance that they had &#8220;reused&#8221; an old prescription of a family member for a potent antibiotic because they themselves had a cough.</p><p>Ouch! Wrong on <em>so</em> many levels.</p><p>One, never use someone else&#8217;s meds; two, antibiotics are <em>not</em> appropriate for many mild illnesses, especially those more likely to be viral; three, you need an adequate course of an adequate dose, not just what&#8217;s left over; and four, the drug <em>may</em> be outdated.</p><p>So you see, it&#8217;s really easy to misuse antibiotics. Many of us are guilty of not following our doctor&#8217;s instructions when we&#8217;re prescribed antibiotics for a bad sinus infection, UTI, strep throat or other bacterial infection. Once you start feeling better after a few days of taking your medication, it&#8217;s easy to miss a dose or two, and then stop taking it completely. What&#8217;s worse is that many people will then reach for those old, unused antibiotics the next time they feel sick, which only compounds the problem.</p><p>Using antibiotics improperly is bad for the patient and society as a whole. It gives bacteria a chance to develop resistance to antibiotics and paves the way for so-called superbugs to emerge.</p><p>In the United States and Europe, treatment-resistant infections &#8212; the types of illnesses that don&#8217;t respond to antibiotics &#8212; are responsible for 50,000 deaths a year. Globally, 700,000 people die every year from infections that can&#8217;t be treated with antibiotics. Using antibiotics correctly and as recommended helps to protect everyone&#8217;s safety and stem the tide of superbugs.</p><p><strong>New report questions current antibiotic recommendations</strong></p><p>A group of infectious disease doctors has sparked a new debate over whether or not patients should complete the full course of antibiotics they are prescribed, or if they should discontinue use when they feel better. Their argument is that overuse, not underuse, is what causes the rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. They suggest that stopping antibiotics when you feel better instead of completing the entire course helps to reduce the risk of overuse.</p><p>The authors of this opinion piece raise an important question about our long-held recommendations about antibiotic use. However, what&#8217;s lacking at this point is strong evidence that we should change our approach.</p><p>Until that evidence is uncovered through careful research and thorough analysis of data, the current recommendations for antibiotic prescriptions are still the safest and most effective approach.</p><p>Unfortunately, this debate has created some anxiety and questions among patients about how they should use their antibiotic prescriptions. The short answer is that nothing has changed, and the healthiest strategy is to follow your doctor&#8217;s advice precisely.</p><p><strong>The importance of following your doctor&#8217;s advice</strong></p><p>In fact, most doctors are already very judicious in how they prescribe antibiotics. Hopefully, you will not be prescribed antibiotics for conditions that don&#8217;t really need them, and you&#8217;ll receive the exact dosage and duration of medication you need to beat your illness. Second-guessing the doctor or stopping when you feel better can be dangerous.</p><p>You should also never &#8220;self-prescribe&#8221; antibiotics (or any other drug for that matter) that you may have left over for a new illness. Antibiotics are effective only for infections caused by bacteria, not for illnesses caused by viruses; and antibiotics are <em>not</em> all the same. It can be very hard to tell the difference between bacterial, viral and fungal diseases and to select the right treatment for each. Rely on your medical team to make this call.</p><p>Most of these common illnesses cannot be reasonably treated with standard antibiotics since they&#8217;re more likely to be viral than bacterial:</p><p>&#183; All colds and flus</p><p>&#183; Most sore throats and coughs</p><p>&#183; Many cases of bronchitis</p><p>&#183; Some ear and sinus infections</p><p>&#183; Most stomach bugs</p><p>Without good medical training and often some carefully chosen tests, it&#8217;s impossible to know exactly what&#8217;s causing your symptoms. You should always talk to your doctor first before reaching for antibiotics or other medications that you think will benefit you, since being wrong <em>can</em> hurt.</p><p>So, go through your medicine cabinet and nightstand drawers this week and dispose of any leftover meds by bringing them to your pharmacy for disposal &#8230; before you&#8217;re tempted to do something dumb.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Alfred Casale To Your Health </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_casale-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Alfred Casale To Your Health </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Alfred Casale</p><p>To Your Health</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Dr. Alfred Casale, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is Associate Chief Medical Officer for Geisinger Health and Chair of the Geisinger Cardiac Institute. Readers may write to him via ae@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

To your health: Unprescribed overuse of antibiotics can be useless, harmful