This question or demand has always dazed me. Random people enter random pharmacies and ask for just this single capsule.
The use of this “one capsule” is numerous.
•Some claim it “washes” their system clean
• Some claim it has a good sexually transmitted infection prevention ability
• A man said that he pours about 3 capsules of ampiclox™ into his cough syrup and drinks it because it is the best regime for his cough
• Some women claim it prevents them from getting pregnant after sexual intercourse without contraceptives, hmmm!
• Some even demand for just one capsule of ampiclox™ when they have a boil on their skin and that is all the drug they take.
This act has caused more harm to the health-world of antibiotics through the principles of ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE.
Using ampiclox™ as an example, a capsule of ampiclox contains 250mg each of ampicillin and cloxacillin (both are penicillin-classed antibiotics). For these drugs to be used for complete care or eradication of a susceptible microorganism, a total of at least 20 capsules must be taken (5grams), that is 4 capsules per day for at least 5 days. Now, imagine taking just one of these capsules (250mg), it achieves nothing but the likelihood of future problems.
The use of antibiotics has saved millions of lives but its pervasive use to treat any infection, whether serious, minor, or even viral has led to the increased antibiotics-resistance.
It has been repeatedly said that one of the causes of antibiotics resistance is ANTIBIOTIC MISUSE where patients fail to complete their medication as prescribed and dispensed. Antibiotic dosages are designed to eradicate the entire population of the pathogens, when antibiotics are not taken completely as rightly recommended for the infection they are prescribed, pathogenic bacteria adopt measures to thrieve in the presence of low dose antibiotics, and eventually form a population that is completely resistant to the antibiotic regardless of the dosage used.
This simply implies that the misuse of ampiclox in treating skin infections (when not yet recommended) may lead to resistance of the pathogen, making ampiclox inactive to the pathogens that caused the skin infection.
The spat of antibiotics resistance is not limited to the negligence of patients alone but the negligence to this by all other members of the healthcare society.
Other causes of antibiotic resistance are INAPPROPRIATE PRESCRIBING. Incorrectly prescribed antibiotics also contribute to the promotion of resistant bacteria. Studies have shown:
°that treatment indications
°choice of agents and
°duration of antibiotic therapy are incorrect in 30% to 50% of cases where these agents are prescribed.
Incorrectly prescribed antibiotics have questionable therapeutic benefits and exposes patients to potential complications of antibiotic therapy. Subinhibitory and subtherapeutic antibiotic concentrations can promote the development of antibiotic resistance.
In conclusion, it is the collective responsibility of everyone to tackle this problem of resistance. Antibiotic resistance leads to the inappropriateness of previously useful agents and this creates more burden for pharmaceutical companies to meet up with the pace of demand for new antibiotic that further widens the problems of effective therapeutics.
As a patient, always contact your doctor or pharmacist before the use of any antibiotic on medical conditions, whether major or minor to ensure that it is correctly used and you get the best outcome from the treatment process.
For health practitioners, prescribing physicians and pharmacists alike, the correct use of these agents is important and all antibiotics prescription must be thoroughly scrutinized before release for dispensing.
Editors note:
Resistance to antibiotics by microorganisms presents:
1. Treatment failure
2. Increased cost of treatment
3. Poor quality of life
4. Death
Now that you know, why not cease self-diagnosis and self-medication and prevent the vices of the practices.
Self-diagnosis lead to self-medication which in turn presents drugs overdose, antibiotics resistance, poor health and death.
Let us refrain, and live healthy.
Author: Dr. Justice Enoma (The everyday pharmacist)
Justice.enoma@gmail.com
Editor: Dr. Chuka Amukamara (Pharmacist @ health medium International)
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