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Antibiotics – The Positives And Negatives

Antibiotics can be positive, but they can also lead to negative affects
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Antibiotics is one of the greatest advancements in the medical field. Antibiotics help individuals fight against infections such as pink eye, the flu, and strep throat. These powerful medicines help alleviate the affects of these infections; however, they can come with detrimental side affects.

In the world, there is an average of 270 million antibiotic prescriptions each year. In antibiotics, there are specific chemicals that help the user’s body eliminate germs in the specified area.  For example, if given an antibiotic for pink eye, the patient would apply medicine to the infected area which would help heal the infection. Additionally, in antibiotics, there are certain materials for specific actions. Penicillin is an antibiotic that destroys the bacteria’s cell wall.  However, in tetracycline, the antibiotic intervenes with the bacteria’s ability to reproduce and expand.  Whenever someone is prescribed an antibiotic, they must ensure that they obtain the most effective medicine to counter the specific germ infestation.

While there are benefits to using antibiotics, there is research that shows that they can lead to negative affects. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), serious side affects of antibiotics can lead to life-threating allergic reactions, antibiotic resistance, and diarrhea that can be fatal. Furthermore, when infections become more resistant to antibiotics, the infections can prove to be more dangerous and lethal to the recipient. This is because the infections are more capable of spreading and reproducing within the patient’s body, and with a less effective antibiotic, there is no medicine capable of preventing the bacteria’s reproduction. If too many unnecessary prescribed antibiotics are used, it can risk the efficiency of these important drugs.

In the medical field, this important medicine can prevent death, dangerous infections, and much more. However, people must make sure to only take what is necessary or else it can lead to deadly after affects.  These include lethal allergic reactions, antibiotic resistant infections, and more. However, with professional help from pediatricians, pharmacists, and doctors, people can prevent misuse, and unnecessary usage of antibiotics.

Related Stories:

https://medlineplus.gov/antibiotics.html#:~:text=Antibiotics%20are%20medicines%20that%20fight,pills%2C%20capsules%2C%20or%20liquids.

https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/q-a.html#:~:text=Antibiotics%20are%20medicines%20that%20fight,and%20outside%20of%20our%20bodies.

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/antibiotic-overuse.html#:~:text=Taking%20antibiotics%20too%20often%20or,resistance%20is%20a%20growing%20problem

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/treatments/Pages/How-Do-Antibiotics-Work.aspx#:~:text=Some%2C%20such%20as%20penicillin%2C%20kill,nutrients%20they%20need%20to%20survive..

https://www.nps.org.au/consumers/antibiotics-explained#:~:text=Antibiotics%20work%20by%20blocking%20vital,are%20many%20types%20of%20antibiotics.

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