You might be familiar with the scenario: A sore throat, cough or other nagging symptom has you running to your medicine cabinet seeking relief. There, you reach for antibiotics leftover from a previous prescription.
Maybe you know you shouldn’t. But 1 in 4 people say they would use antibiotics without contacting a medical professional, according to a study published online in July in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. The research focused on so-called self-prescribing by patients: “It’s the use of antibiotics that were not prescribed by a medical professional for that specific episode of illness,” explains Dr. Larissa Grigoryan, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Of the 400 survey respondents, 1 in 20 reported non-prescription use of antibiotics in the past 12 months.
The problems with this practice are manifold, experts say. Not only could you unwittingly contribute to the development of so-called superbugs that are resistant to available antibiotics, but you could also raise your risk of experiencing side effects or bad reactions to meds that may not be appropriate for your illness. “We may lose the effectiveness of antibiotics if continued indiscriminate use occurs,” says Dr. Barbara W. Trautner, senior author of the study and an associate professor of infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine. It’s a global problem — and also one that could impact your personal health.
[See: 10 Questions Doctors Wish Their Patients Would Ask.]
“When people feel bad and walk in and take whatever’s in their medicine cabinet, one, it may not help them, and two, every dose of antibiotic drives resistance,” says Jim Lewis, an infectious diseases clinical pharmacy supervisor at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland. What’s more, it may be that what you’re fighting is caused by a virus, which wouldn’t respond to antibiotics, since the drugs are designed to treat bacterial ailments. “It’s important to remember that colds typically get better in five to seven days irrespective of whether or not you took the antibiotic; and usually after a few days, that’s when people say, ‘I’ve had enough of this,’ and go to their medicine cabinet,” Lewis says. “So [you] may start to feel better, but it probably has nothing to do with the antibiotic. It probably has everything to do with the fact that your immune system woke up to the virus.”
Though research has found that often doctors overprescribe antibiotics, experts say patients still are better served by getting a medical opinion rather than attempting to self-medicate with antibiotics. “We know clearly that people are not good at determining when they need an antibiotic,” Lewis says. In addition, patients who take leftover antibiotics miss the mark in another critical way as well. Doctors prescribe antibiotics in seven- or 14-day courses, says Yen Pham, director of pharmacy services at Oregon Health and Science University. So even if a patient takes an antibiotic to treat an apparent recurrence of the same symptoms for which it was previously prescribed, now he or she doesn’t have the full course of that drug, undercutting the medication’s efficacy and upping the risk of spawning drug-resistant bugs.
[See: Old-School Cold Remedies That Really Work.]
The national prevalence of antibiotic use without a prescription is not known, but the recent study provides a first-of-its kind snapshot of how the problem spans demographics. While certain factors — like low education levels — are associated with higher rates of self-prescribing, many participants in the socioeconomically and ethnically diverse random sample of adult patients acknowledged they would take antibiotics without a prescription. Of those surveyed, 14 percent say they keep a stash of antibiotics in their home.
Some respondents reported getting antibiotics without a prescription outside of the U.S. And although it’s illegal to provide antibiotics over the counter in the U.S., Grigoryan says some respondents reported being able to purchase them without a prescription stateside, such as in ethnic stores or flea markets. Others said they got antibiotics from a relative or friend.
Whatever the source, experts say self-prescribing antibiotics increases the risk of harm while lowering the chances a person will benefit from the drugs in the first place. Highlighting the risk of one type of antibiotic, the Food and Drug Administration recently issued a safety advisory regarding fluoroquinolones. In the elderly in particular, these drugs can cause delirium; in all groups they can cause rashes, kidney failure, tendon rupture and cardiac arrhythmias, Trautner says, noting that serious side effects are rare. “However, if you’re taking a drug that you didn’t need in the first place, and you’re taking outside of prescription use, and you get the side effect, that really didn’t need to happen.”
Rather than building a small stockpile for yourself or your family, experts say it’s better to use antibiotics precisely as prescribed by your doctor, including for the full treatment course, even if symptoms improve. “You shouldn’t even have leftover antibiotics,” says Mohamed Jalloh, a spokesman for the American Pharmacists Association and an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Touro University in Vallejo, California. However, if you do, he recommends checking with your pharmacist about properly disposing of unused medicines — something some pharmacies and law enforcement agencies will do, including on designated prescription drug “take-back” days.
[See: 8 Questions to Ask Your Pharmacist.]
Troutner emphasizes that healthy adults shouldn’t need to take antibiotics frequently. But if you ever wonder if you need them, seek medical guidance rather than try to make that call on your own, experts advise. “Antibiotics have a downside,” Troutner says. “If you don’t need to take them, why would you take them?”
More from U.S. News
Pharmacist Recommended First Aid Products
5 Common Preventable Medical Errors
How to Help Aging Parents Manage Medications
Why You Should Never Take Leftover Antibiotics originally appeared on usnews.com
