stop asking your doctor to give you antibiotics

[soulcougher73]

I go all natural. No drugs, antibiotics, medicine for me. I rarely get sick because I've built up a kick ass immune system over 40 years.

 

[Anubis]

we need to start with banning ads on TV for Px meds

 

[Juddog]

I know there was some chicken feed(s) that just had tetracycline in it. Not special feeds for sick chickens, just normal every day feed. Hard to imagine just how much antibiotic that adds up to in the grounds and water around the coops. Then there are the influenza drugs that were given to chickens, something like billions of doses... the drugs are now useless, as about 99% of circulating influenza strains are resistant.

Exactly - it was given out to perfectly healthy livestock, because it had a side effect of making them weigh more, so the farmer(s) would get a better profit out of it.

The farmers giving their livestock antibiotics when they weren't sick to begin with are more to blame than doctors being too liberal giving out prescriptions, in my opinion. Prescription antibiotics are heavily regulated, versus farmers buying literally tons of feed with the antibiotics already in them.

 

[Juddog]

I go all natural. No drugs, antibiotics, medicine for me. I rarely get sick because I've built up a kick ass immune system over 40 years.

/queue the George Carlin skit where he talks about swimming in raw sewage as a child.

 

[Juddog]

So basically going to the doctors was worthless.

In that instance, yes.

 

[Nintendesert]

Antibiotics are over prescribed. I don't think there's any doubts about that. Too many doctors give them out without properly diagnosing whether or not an infection is even bacterial or viral. Too many whiny parents demand antibiotics at the first signs of their little pristine darlings getting the sniffles.

We also have another problem, all the Triclosan and it's derivatives in all our soaps, plastics, socks, toothpaste, dish soap and anything else they can add that toxic shit to. Not only is that stuff poisoning us, but those bacteria that aren't killed are starting to become immune to chemical agents that normally kill bacteria and in general more hardy.

 

[lxskllr]

we need to start with banning ads on TV for Px meds

I'm reluctant to infringe on the speech rights of others, but banning them would improve our medical practices. Rather than ban the commercials, I'd rather see good news shows covering medical advances, and good medical practices. That would be different from what we have now, where much of it is pseudo science, and medical findings that aren't yet ready for public consumption, but purport to be factual.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I go all natural. No drugs, antibiotics, medicine for me. I rarely get sick because I've built up a kick ass immune system over 40 years.

Congratulations. You're one of the lucky ones.

The rest of the world isn't as lucky as you are. Or people in sub saharan africa living in their own sewage without medication would probably be superhuman disease free hulks.

 

[mmntech]

The BBC called this a crisis nearly as bad as global warming. So I guess we've got nothing to worry about then.

Antibiotics are way over-prescribed though. Doctors get commission from the pharmaceutical companies for pushing the drugs. So really it boils down to an issue of money, for them, not whether it makes you well.

 

[Staples]

They need to stop giving them to all the farm animals first. That has a bigger affect than 10% of the human population taking them incorrectly.

 

[blankslate]

Not to mention the fact that patients usually don't know that antibiotics are not much help (if any) when they catch the flu...

But doctors give in anyway when patients ask for antibiotics. Perhaps placebos would be a solution? but then given how litigious people can be that might be a bad idea as well.

 

[ichy]

Our genetics are already fucked.
Poor eating habits & nutrition. Drugs. etc etc

Human genetics have nothing to do with antibiotic resistance you idiot.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Most of the things that require antibiotics are things that simply don't go away on their own. For example, strep throat. If you don't treat it, it will stay forever. You treat it, it's gone the next day.

Here's hoping over time they simply figure another way to kill these type of viruses that will work in the long term.

 

[ichy]

Before that, the last time I had a script for any antibiotics was probably about 7 years ago for a bad case of strep, which was when I was working on a phone support help desk and it was my job to talk all day, so I needed to be back up and functional asap. Got strep a few other times since, and didn't give a fuck enough to get any antibiotics filled.

It turns out that antibiotics aren't really beneficial for strep throat.

 

[ichy]

I go all natural. No drugs, antibiotics, medicine for me. I rarely get sick because I've built up a kick ass immune system over 40 years.

That attitude is just as stupid as demanding antibiotics for a cold.

 

[ichy]

Doctors get commission from the pharmaceutical companies for pushing the drugs.

This thread is so fucking full of fail it makes me want to scream. Most commonly prescribed antibiotics are generics at this point, big pharma is barely making any money on them.

 

[ichy]

Most of the things that require antibiotics are things that simply don't go away on their own. For example, strep throat. If you don't treat it, it will stay forever. You treat it, it's gone the next day.

I don't think it's possible for you to be wronger on this:

http://www.epmonthly.com/whitecoat/2009/03/antibiotics-more-harm-than-good-for-strep/

http://www.epmonthly.com/columns/in-my-opinion/antibiotics-for-strep-do-more-harm-than-good/

There are, arguably, other reasons to consider antibiotics for pharyngitis, but the evidence does not rise to support them. The Cochrane group estimates a 16-hour reduction in symptoms with antibiotics, but ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or a single dose of corticosteroids is as good or better, with fewer side effects. And while peritonsillar abscess may be minimally reduced by antibiotics, abscesses typically present primarily rather than after strep throat, and in most cases are easily treated. No studies have shown that antibiotics reduce the transmission of strep or reduce other complications.

 

[Juddog]

It turns out that antibiotics aren't really beneficial for strep throat.

Clinical studies show that it does indeed help:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/0301/p383.html

Of course, whether or not the doctor should prescribe antibiotics for strep throat is a bit more complicated than a yes / no.

-- edit --

There are some interesting comments in that link you posted from epmonthly. Going by the aafp article, it shows a direct correlation, versus the epmonthly, where the author states using ibuprofen instead of using antibiotics, when they are really two separate treatments that can be used in conjunction. I have to disagree with the conclusion from the epmonthly article, but there is still a great deal of contention on this issue within the medical community regarding this.

 

[SunnyD]

It turns out that antibiotics aren't really beneficial for strep throat.

That's because most people that think they have strep don't, but actually have a viral infection. Which, as we all know, antibiotics don't do jack shit for.

 

[ichy]

Clinical studies show that it does indeed help:
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/0301/p383.html

Of course, whether or not the doctor should prescribe antibiotics for strep throat is a bit more complicated than a yes / no.

16 hour reduction in symptoms on average, same as the other article I posted. It also mentions a 1 in 1000 reduction in the chance of an abscess. That's a pretty small benefit when you consider the possible risks of a negative reaction to antibiotics.

 

[ichy]

That's because most people that think they have strep don't, but actually have a viral infection. Which, as we all know, antibiotics don't do jack shit for.

Read the article.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I had strep throat once, did not know what it was. Lasted for weeks then months, then finally decided I need to go see a doctor. Got antibiotics, the first pill I took it was gone within hours. I get it every year now, so I know to go see the doctor to confirm it's strep, and it always is. I get antibiotics, gone within hours or at least within the next day.

Last time I got it they gave me these other pills though, there was only like 6 of them. It worked, but I ended up with a huge cold after that lasted for weeks. The actual strep throat was gone though.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

If somebody I... know... as an acquaintance... gets UTIs every couple times she has sex... aren't antibiotics kind of the only option? (As opposed to becoming a nun.)

Or does her BF just need to stop shitting up her urethra?

 

[Juddog]

16 hour reduction in symptoms on average, same as the other article I posted. It also mentions a 1 in 1000 reduction in the chance of an abscess. That's a pretty small benefit when you consider the possible risks of a negative reaction to antibiotics.

Check my edit; in short, the second post from epmonthly is an opinion piece, and the first has some things that I disagree with. For example read the post by "Enya" in the comments section.

A main function of taking antibiotics during strep throat is to avoid complications. Yes the complications are rare but they do happen, and when they do, it can be extremely bad. In regard to people having a negative reaction to the antibiotics themselves, most people know whether they have an issue during allergen testing while they are growing up. I would rather remove the chance of a complication causing severe issues than chance a negative reaction to something I've already been tested for.

Furthermore I find the idea of taking ibuprofen instead of antibiotics, for a bacterial infection such as strep throat, to be ridiculous, given the fact that they treat different symptoms and can overlap. The key to true understanding is a balanced approach instead of a black or white "don't ever take this" versus "take this". The aafp article shows a more balanced approach.

 

[ichy]

I had strep throat once, did not know what it was. Lasted for weeks then months, then finally decided I need to go see a doctor. Got antibiotics, the first pill I took it was gone within hours. I get it every year now, so I know to go see the doctor to confirm it's strep, and it always is. I get antibiotics, gone within hours or at least within the next day.

Last time I got it they gave me these other pills though, there was only like 6 of them. It worked, but I ended up with a huge cold after that lasted for weeks. The actual strep throat was gone though.

Anecdote is not a synonym for evidence.