The Danger of Antibiotic Overuse
Every year, your family probably faces its share of colds , sore throats, and viruses. When you bring your child to the doctor for these illnesses, do you automatically expect a prescription for antibiotics? Many parents do. And they’re surprised, maybe even angry, if they leave the doctor’s office empty-handed — after all, what parent doesn’t want their kid to get well as quickly as possible? But your doctor could be doing you and your child a favor by not reaching for the prescription pad. How Antibiotics Work Antibiotics, first used in the 1940s, are certainly one of the great advances in medicine. But overprescribing them has resulted in the development of resistant bacteria , that don’t respond to antibiotics that may have worked in the past. Plus, whenever kids take antibiotics they run the risk of side-effects, such as stomach upset and diarrhea or even an allergic reaction. To understand how antibiotics work, it helps to know about the two major types