translated from Spanish: Correct use of antibiotics: a behavior that protects your health and everyone’s health

Antibiotics are medicines to treat diseases of bacterial origin. Every time we consume any of them, they make contact with the bacteria and destroy or prevent them from continuing to grow. However, when we misuse these drugs, we can make bacteria learn to defend themselves
causing more complex infections, the same patient or the community when it spreads.
That’s why Loreto González, pharmaceutical chemist at the West Metropolitan Health Service1, considers it essential to know your good that and delivers recommendations to ensure the correct use of antibiotics
Don’t change the antibiotic prescribed by your doctor
Antibiotics remove different types of bacteria and reach different places in our body. These and other factors should be taken into account before prescribing them. So if you’ve used the prescription antibiotic before and experienced any discomfort with it or have another one at home and think it’s similar, tell your doctor before you leave your appointment and make sure you take the names of the drugs to those who and you have an allergy.
Don’t use antibiotics that you have left from previous treatment, without talking to your doctor
Although the symptoms that occur are very much alike resembling those you felt with a previous infection, only your doctor can determine if your picture corresponds to a bacterial infection and what the right antibiotic is this time.
Don’t use antibiotics for viral infections
This behavior won’t cure the infection, it won’t prevent others from getting it, and it won’t help you feel better. Also, if you take an antibiotic when you have a viral infection, it will attack bacteria in your body, including beneficial or non-beneficial ones.
Use the antibiotic for the right time
Treatment needs to be completed to kill disease-causing bacteria. Even if you feel better, not following your doctor’s instructions when you take a prescription antibiotic can cause you to have to start treatment again later; In addition, it can increase antibiotic resistance from other harmful bacteria.

Original source in Spanish