How long will antibiotics last?

Using excess drugs from family, friends or anyone is a must.

A beautiful day you suddenly feel headache, runny nose, sore throat. After rummaging through the medicine cabinet you found some old medicine before the doctor prescribed, he wondered: "Can these antibiotics still work?" So in the hour of that miserable illness, you clicked your tongue and kept drinking it right? So you are not the only one.

According to Consumer Reports, in a survey of 400 patients at Houston clinics, one in four said they would take antibiotics without a doctor's approval. 5% admitted to doing so in the past year.

According to a study published July 11 by Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 14% of the respondents also said they always had antibiotics at home. People who use antibiotics without a prescription from doctors often find them from different sources - left over from the previous illness, from friends or family. A few of them even use medicines that are only used for pets.

In most cases, antibiotics have no effect.

In most cases, antibiotics have no effect. They often use them to treat colds and sinus symptoms, although they often go away without medication.

"Respiratory symptoms such as cough, sore throat, runny nose are usually caused by viruses and antibiotics do not work with viruses," said Dr. Larissa Grigoyan, a guide from the Family Medicine and Plus Medicine Department. at Baylor College of Pharmacy, Houston. Antibiotics are used to kill bacteria, but different species need to use different drugs. So even if you are infected, using excess antibiotics is unlikely to help you.

She also warned about pet drugs: "Reaction to drugs of humans and animals is not the same". Antibiotics for animals are not only ineffective for humans but can even be harmful.

Grigoryan gave evidence of the above affirmation. Antibiotics often cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea."Rarely, they cause allergies and cause more side effects." Typically, they can kill intestinal protective bacteria, making the intestine vulnerable to other bacteria attacks, even at risk of death.

Moreover, misuse and misuse of antibiotics makes viruses appear more often. They are strains of bacteria that are resistant to different antibiotics.

Do not use excess antibiotics

Do not try to retain excess medication.

"It doesn't really matter how long antibiotics are, because - whether or not it expires - you should never ignore the doctor and use the extra medication on your own," said Dr. Marvin M. Lipman. , Consumer Reports' chief medical advisor. "This is exactly whether your symptoms seem similar to the previous illness."

If you are seriously ill and chicken soup with a few simple medications is not enough, call the medical support provider. If antibiotics are guaranteed, take everything you are prescribed unless medical staff advises you to stop.

And don't try to keep the leftovers . Remove all unused antibiotics. The simplest is to mix with soil mud, coffee grounds or cat litter and put it in a bag and throw it away.