Guide To Understanding Antibiotic Side Effects

Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is the most serious potential consequence of antibiotics, but it can often be avoided if patients take antibiotics as they are prescribed. Every course of antibiotics lasts a certain amount of time for a reason. If individuals stop halfway through, even if they feel like they're better, the bacteria can immunize themselves against the antibiotic and come back twice as strong. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause untreatable infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers them a serious threat to public safety because they can cause disability and death. Patients with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Strains of these bacteria thrive in hospital settings, and misusing antibiotics just adds to the problem. Even if some patients don't end up hurt by it, someone else can and will be.