Every November 18, the European Day for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics is celebrated. The intention of highlighting this day on the calendar is to make the population aware of the risks involved in misusing antibiotics, something that can become a major health problem. Because the risks of taking antibiotics improperly, as well as the growing practice of self-medication can significantly alter the functioning of our body.
Prudent use of antibiotics
- Antibiotics are those medicines that can fight an infection, but not all infections, only those caused by bacteria. Viral infections such as the flu are thus excluded, and even today we see how many people continue to take antibiotics to cure a cold. The most important consideration before the use of antibiotics is that the medical recommendation must be followed at all times. In no case is it convenient to self-diagnose the infection, much less take the antibiotic on our own.
- The problem is that with the repeated use of antibiotics, the medication loses effectiveness against the infection and there comes a time when the bacteria become resistant to the antibiotic. The alarm arises from the high number of people who misuse antibiotics, something that could become a global health problem because there will be no drugs capable of curing the most frequent infections.
- That is why it is important to use antibiotics prudently and to assume our own responsibility when it comes to taking medications. The only person who should decide whether or not to take an antibiotic in the face of a health problem is the doctor, and another very common mistake is to save leftover antibiotics for another time.
The irresponsibility of self-medicating
- It is not just about antibiotics, it is increasingly common that when faced with a health problem, people go to the pharmacy for the medicine they think is convenient. Many times, we look for the symptoms of some disease on the Internet and, recognizing it, we decide to fight the problem ourselves. Thus, self-medication of flu, analgesics and anti-inflammatories is widespread, in addition to medications to control gastrointestinal problems.
- Self-medication is, in any case, a very irresponsible practice, which can seriously endanger our health, since the improper use of any medication makes it lose effectiveness and our body is left unprotected and weakened. In addition, there are some health problems that arise from self-medication such as allergic reactions, poisoning, and gastritis and, above all, chronic infections.
- The habit of self-medication is something that we should reflect on and that we should stay away from our lives, and although it is a dangerous practice for everyone, self-medication poses an added risk in the elderly, in children and in all those people who have any condition, be it altered blood pressure, circulation problems, heart disease, diabetes or any chronic disease.