iStockphoto
Antibiotics save lives, eliminating infections that can be difficult or impossible to treat any other way. But antibiotics aren't foolproof. In fact, they can cause serious health problems when used incorrectly. And because they buy in to common misconceptions about antibiotics, many Americans do just that.
With the help of antibiotic expert Dr. Allan Lieberthal, a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, CBS News has assembled seven common myths about antibiotics - and the truth about each.
Reading the list might just save your life...
Myth: Antibiotics Are Great for Colds
istockphoto
Antibiotics are effective against infections caused by bacteria, fungi, and some parasites. They don't work against viruses - which cause colds, flu and most coughs and sore throats.
Myth: It's OK to Take Antibiotics Prescribed for Someone Else
iStockphoto
The best antibiotic for you depends upon the specific illness you have. An antibiotic prescribed for someone else might not work for what ails you, and may actually make the illness worse.
Myth: It's OK to Stop Early
iStockphoto
If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, it's best to take all the prescribed doses - even if you feel better. Stopping early could mean the infection hasn't yet been fully eliminated - and could continue to make you sick.
Myth: It's a Good Idea to Save Leftover Medication
iStockphoto
Some patients try to save on drug costs by stockpiling medication they did not take during an illness - thinking they can simply take it next time they get sick. But medications -especially liquids - can lose their potency over time. What's more, the leftover medication might not work against your latest illness and could actually make it worse. Of course, if antibiotics are taken appropriately, there shouldn't be any leftover medication.
Myth: Antibiotics Can Prevent Bacterial Illness
istockphoto
Taking an antibiotic when there is not a bacterial illness will not improve the course of the illness or prevent secondary bacterial illness.
Myth: Antibiotics Are Worth Taking Just in Case
iStockphoto
Some consumers think it's a good idea to take antibiotics even if there's little chance they will help. Not true.
Antibiotics can cause side effects, including diarrhea and rash, in a significant number of people. What's more, the overuse of antibiotics may cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics - making them harder to treat in the future.
Myth: Antibiotics Are Always Effective
iStockphoto
If symptoms persist after you've completed a course of antibiotics, alert your doctor. There's a chance the germs that made you sick were caused by germs that are resistant to the antibiotic you took. You might need an alternative.
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Your Privacy
Essential
Analytic & Performance
Functional
Marketing and Advertising
Social Media
Your Privacy
This page provides an overview of our use of cookies and similar technologies (from here we will refer to all those as “Cookies”) and how to manage them. For more information please visit our Privacy Policy.
When you visit our properties and use our products and services (“Services”), we use Cookies to analyse and measure our performance, customize content and serve personalized advertisements. We may place our own Cookies (First-party Cookies) or allow our service providers to place Cookies (Third-party Cookies) on your device and collect information such as your device ID, browser type and IP address so they can help us better understand your interaction with our Services. Advertisers and other advertising technology partners may also use their own third-party Cookies to collect information about your visits, deliver advertisements tailored to your interests, keep track of the number of views of a specific advertisement, analyses the effectiveness of advertisements, or provide auditing, research and reporting for advertisers. Such third parties may also match you to an existing interest category (e.g. automobiles) that they’ve developed and provide you with more relevant advertising over time and across different websites.
When you click on save settings below, your preferences will be saved. You can change your settings at any time by using the consent settings module. Note that saving settings is linked to the particular browser and/or device you use to visit our Services. Saving your settings within one particular Service will not affect your choices on other Paramount Services, or if you visit this Service with another device or from a different browser. In addition, it won’t affect any of your activities on third-party services. You have other choices to manage cookies and other tracking technologies on the internet such as using industry choice programs or managing your preferences within your browsers or devices. For more Information refer to our Privacy Policy.
Essential
Always Active
These cookies are essential for the proper functioning of our Services. Essential cookies cannot be switched off in our systems. You can set your device to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the Service will not work.
Analytic & Performance
Always Active
These Cookies allow us to collect information about how visitors use our properties. Some examples include counting visits and traffic sources, so we can measure and improve the performance of our services. If you do not allow these Cookies we will not know when users have visited our properties and will not be able to monitor performance.
Functional
Always Active
These Cookies enable the services to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our services. If you do not allow these Cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Marketing and Advertising
Always Active
These Cookies may be set by us or through our services by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertising on this and on other properties. If you do not allow these Cookies, you will still see ads, but you will experience less relevant advertising.
Social Media
Always Active
These Cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the services to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites, building up a profile of your interests to show you relevant content and advertisements on the relevant social networks. If you do not allow these Cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
