Are doctors finally starting to abandon the whole "antibiotics for everything" practice?

Question

I never took antibiotics except in emergencies, and now I've got a great immune system. I'm not even worried about the avian flu. I've gotten the flu only once my whole life, my body has been able to prevent a normally permenant virus from manifesting it's symptoms or shedding. I'm constantly around people when they're sick, and I take care of them. I never get sick from them.

My doctor never prescribed me antibiotics unless there was a serious threat, and now doctors prescribe antibiotics for every little thing. What's the point in our bodies trying to produce antibiotics if we're always providing them? I think all doctors should follow my child-hood doctor's practice.

Just for reference, my brother had the same doctor, never any problems. My sister had a different doctor, who prescribed antibiotics all the time, and guess what? She gets sick all the time too!

Answer 1

Consider, a hundred years ago medicine was practiced completely differently, it is an evolving practice. Personally I would prefer to take homeopathics that have been used for thousands than an antibiotic that has been used for less than a hundred years. Yes, each doctor has his or her own idea of how to treat an ailment, however there are certain socio-economic conditions affecting treatment. Antibiotics are cheap, commonly accepted and easily prescribed, they are monitored to be the same in each dose and the individual only has to understand to take the medication as prescribed whereas an individual trying to take a more natural route has to understand when, how in what combination to take herbal supplements, dietary needs and changes and possibly the finances to see a doctor that is less likely to prescribe antibiotics. I, like your sister took many antibiotics as a child (perhaps girls are prescribed more antibiotics than boys, generally men go to the doctors less than women do) was freguently sick and as a result have worked hard to improve my immune system with the assistance of an excellent holistic healer and get sick rarely.

Answer 2

I can testify to this question. When I was little, I was diagnosed with neutropenia, which is a low white blood cell count. Basically it was like having the beginning or end of mono all the time. I had to use nutritional supplements such as cod liver oil and asparagus. I was also on 'preventative' antibiotics. The thought of using antibiotics to prevent illness on a regular basis seems absurd, now. As I was pretty young, I can't say that I remember getting sick a lot less. I also wouldn't know if it was stress (my parents divorced then), environment (daycare), or the disease that caused the bulk of my problems. I guess the long and short of it now is that I avoid antibiotics unless I am sick for several days and no supplements have worked. And even though I avoid asking for them, I have still had doctors decide not to write a prescription. So it seems that they have definitely wised up a bit and are prescribing less.

I agree with the questioner. I don't get sick very often even thought I started out with a disadvantage. I have a friend who uses antibiotics almost casually and he seems to have much more trouble staying well. He gets the antibiotics from the doctor his mother works for in another city, so I don't know if this doctor is any more conscientious with the patients he sees or if he's just old school.

Answer 3

You are absolutely right, antibiotics will not cure a viral infection. Sometimes however antibiotics are given to patients with viral infections to prevent/help prevent secondary infections. The cold sore thing does make it sound as though he may be just giving you a script so you feel you have been listened to but then again if this cold/cough is being so resistant and you now have other symptoms as well it could well be because you do have a secondary infection or he suspects you might have one. A virus can easily knock your immune system on it's backside and leave you open to bacterial infections. Taking the penicillin (and completing the course) is likely to be a good idea as, given the length of time you have been ill and the development of other symptoms, if it is not a seconadary bacterial infection it soon will be. I hope you feel better soon.

Answer 4

I think most doctors are aware of the overuse of antibiotics. The problem has become the consumer who demands a pill for everything. As soon as a person goes to the physician not feeling well, they assume that the doctor should be giving them "something" to treat how they feel. I am a nurse and would like to see doctors get away from this practice by being firm with their patients and treating only the symptoms. It would be nice to have people who can fend off some illnesses without the help of the almighty pill......

Answer 5

The biggest problem with antibiotics is baterial resistance. When a specific antibiotic is administered, unless the full dose is taken during the whole course as prescribed, not all bacteria are killed completely, and those that are not killed mutate by just a little bit of change of its DNA, and develop resistance. So now you have to take a different type of antibiotic to fight this new strain of bacteria, and this could be like triggering an endless chain reaction...

Answer 6

I am the mother of two small children. It seams everytime that I take one of my sons to the doctor for some small thing. The doctor wants to give them antibootics. the last time was my 6 month old son. he had a small rash on his arm that was almost gone and the doctor gave him two diffrent kinds of antibiotics and nothing happened the rash cleared up on its own. I stopped the meds because my son started to get sick from them. I think that if a doctor is going to give a small child or any person meds they better make sure they need it first. To this day I can't give my son antibiotics they have to find another way to treat him.

Answer 7

I think some doctors are starting to follow this again. I know my doctor hasn't given me any antibiotics since going to him. I believe it is very important not to give any antibiotics unless there is reason to. They will only help if there is a bacterial infection, and people keep pushing doctors to give them a prescription for a cold. A cold is a virus and will not be cured by antibiotics. It will just make bacteria more resistant.

Answer 8

I think the younger Drs are starting to not give antibiotics for everything, but some of the older, saltier ones are still in the caveman mentality that penicillin can cure everything. I was always given them growing up and I was sick all the time. My 4 year old son was found to be allergic to penicillin and he is healthy as a horse.

Answer 9

Yes. They're becoming more aware of the dangers of overusing antibiotics.. Even when they're effective, using antibiotics incompletely will leave the bugs most resistant to it, alive. They'll multiply making even more resistant bugs.
For along time, many doctors would bow to their patient's demand for antibiotics for things like the flu, or common cold. (in order to not lose the patient to another, more pliable doctor.) Flu's and colds, being viral illness, are NOT AFFECTED by antibiotics. Any relief would be purely psychosomatic.

Answer 10

Humans started the anti-biotic for everything as a miracle cure. Well, they need to be educated as to what a VIRUS is as opposed to BACTERIA. While a virus can lead to a secondary infection requirung antibiotics, people to need to lay off the whining and get their bodies try and get over the malady before they go demanding anitbiotic treatment. This stupidity is rendering antibiotics inefective against very serious bacterial organisims.