Welcome to BEHCON's Drug Awareness Page, where you will find accurate, relevant information about all kinds of drug-related issues occurring today. Some articles are inspired by specific cases at our practices, while others reflect global trends. This information should not be regarded as medical advice; rather it is intended to promote consumer awareness and encourage our patients- and the public- to educate themselves about healthcare issues relevent to them.
Creating Superbugs
According to an article by on the Center for Disease Control's website (found here: http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/community/
anitbiotic-resistance.htm; content from National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases/Division of Bacterial Diseases, retrieved February 22, 2007), resistance to antibiotics "has been called one of the world's most pressing public health problems." The problem is not that antibiotics are becoming ineffective in themselves, but rather their overuse has spawned super-resistant strains of bacteria which are very difficult, if not impossible to eliminate with conventional antibiotic use. According to the same CDC article, "Every time a person takes antibiotics, sensitive bacteria are killed, but resistant germs may be left to grow and multiply. Repeated and improper uses of antibiotics are primary causes of the increase in drug-resistant bacteria."
Amanda Milner, a P.A. at Canyon Family Physicians, has this to say about antibiotic use: "We try to educate patients/parents in the clinic and reassure them that antibiotics are more often than not, NOT the proper medical intervention for their illness/cold. It is a tough sell and often parents leave frustrated that they left the office with "nothing" meaning no antibiotic." A common misconception is that antibiotics kill viruses, however they do not- they kill bacteria (http://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/
community/anitbiotic-resistance.htm; content from National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases/Division of Bacterial Diseases, retrieved February 22, 2007). So the next time you visit your healthcare provider for an illness, remember that an antibiotic prescription may not be an appropriate treatment for you; any questions or concerns you have should be discussed with your provider.
Some other articles relevant to this topic:
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=ebe7ad79-c1eb-4a4e-8b04-b43f6615a629
http://www.fda.gov/FDAC/features/1998/698_bugs.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/19/48hours/main522536.shtml
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