PKU Pharmacist says: Common misunderstandings in the use of antibiotics, have you fallen into this trap?

The World Health Organization has designated November 18th to 24th of each year as "Antimicrobial Awareness Week" to enhance society's awareness of the rational use of antimicrobial drugs. Today, microbial resistance has become a global public health issue that poses a serious threat to human health. Taking bacterial resistance as an example, experts estimate that if no action is taken, by 2050, about 10 million people will die each year from super-resistant bacterial infections. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain the effectiveness of existing antimicrobial drugs and avoid drug resistance induced by drug abuse. Today, pharmacists from the Pharmacy Department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital will review common misunderstandings about the use of antimicrobial drugs with everyone——

Myth 1: Antimicrobial drugs are a panacea!

Xiao Li

I have a headache, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, and a slight fever. I feel so bad.

Little Li's mother

Take some cold medicine immediately. By the way, if you have a sore throat, take amoxicillin or cephalexin to reduce inflammation immediately!

Little Li's father

Taking medicine will heal you too slowly, get an IV drip as soon as possible and you will get better faster!

Do you need to take antibiotics for a cold? Not really!

The pharmacist of Peking Union Medical College came to dispel the rumor: I believe everyone is familiar with the above scene, but this is also one of the common misunderstandings of ordinary people in using antibiotics. Colds are a common upper respiratory tract infection, mostly caused by rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, and coronavirus. Most colds are self-limiting diseases and there is no specific medicine. Most patients can recover by drinking more water, resting more, eating a light diet, and taking symptomatic drugs. Antibacterial drugs are only used when there is a clear bacterial infection, and they are usually not needed. The abuse of antibiotics is not only easy to induce the production of drug-resistant bacteria, but also has a variety of side effects such as digestive tract discomfort. Therefore, doctors need to judge whether antibiotics need to be added based on the patient's condition.

Myth 2: The more advanced the antibiotic, the better!

Xiao Li

Doctor, I heard that cephalosporins come in several generations. Please use the highest grade one for me.

Little Li's mother

Yes, use the most expensive one, as long as it gets better quickly.

Does the newer and more expensive antimicrobial drug mean it is more effective? Not really!

The pharmacist of Peking Union Medical College came to dispel the rumor: We understand that patients are eager to recover. But in fact, the choice of antimicrobial drugs is closely related to many factors such as the patient's infection site, the place where the infection occurred, and the patient's own basic conditions. In addition, the sensitive flora of different antimicrobial drugs are not the same, and their distribution in the body is also different. Therefore, it is necessary to combine the above-mentioned factors to speculate the possible pathogens, and then combine the characteristics of the drug itself and other factors to make an appropriate choice. Using so-called new drugs or expensive drugs to treat insensitive bacteria is like shooting an arrow off the target, which is meaningless and a waste of money. At the same time, high-level drug abuse can easily induce bacterial resistance, resulting in the loss of the last line of antibacterial defense.

Myth 3: Changing the medication regimen without authorization will not affect the efficacy of the drug!

Xiao Li

Doctor, I have been taking amoxicillin for two days, but my skin infection hasn't healed yet. Not only that, my stomach also feels uncomfortable. Can I stop taking the medicine?

Union Pharmacist

How do you use this medicine in your daily life?

Xiao Li

I take 3 pills a day as prescribed, but I am so busy at work that I usually take all three in the morning after dinner.

Unauthorized changes to the doctor's medication regimen may not only reduce the efficacy of the drug, but may also increase the side effects of the drug and cause pathogenic bacteria to develop drug resistance.

The pharmacist at Peking Union Medical College said: Taking medicine as prescribed by the doctor is the prerequisite for achieving good treatment results. The efficacy of a drug is related to the drug concentration in the body. Some antibacterial drugs require that the drug concentration in the body is above a certain value within a certain time range to exert a better therapeutic effect. Therefore, patients must strictly abide by the frequency of medication in the prescription (for example, if the medication is taken 3 times a day, it should be taken every 8 hours). If the interval between taking the medication during the day is too short, the drug concentration in the body at night will not reach the effective antibacterial concentration.

In addition to the above three misunderstandings, misunderstandings about the use of antibiotics also include patients using antibiotics for long-term prophylaxis and extending the use of drugs on their own for fear of reinfection. The existence of these misunderstandings may lead to adverse reactions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and also lay hidden dangers for bacterial resistance.

The rational use of antibiotics and the containment of drug resistance require the efforts of each of us. The misuse of antibiotics will lead to a lack of drugs in the future. Let us work together to contain drug resistance and paint a beautiful blueprint for a healthy China.

Content from: Yang Yang, Li Shan, Shao Mingjing, Peking Union Medical College doctors said