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High-School Essay

Essay on why antibiotics should not be overused

why antibiotics should not be overused – 250 and 500 Words Essay

Index



Introduction

Cases of cold, cough, virus and sore throat, are often seen during change of a season. People start rushing to doctor in hopes that they will prescribe an antibiotic to them. Leaving the doctor’s clinic empty often leaves them disappointed as they want them or their close ones to get cured quickly. You may not realize, but he could be doing a favor on you by not writing the prescription. Antibiotics are not all that good. Though they are considered to be an effective treatment that works against virus, bacterial, parasitic and fungal infections, their overuse can result in causing severe health issues.

250 words essay on why antibiotics should not be overused

Antibiotics are basically medicines that when consumed help in the treatment of infection caused due to bacteria. It is done by killing the bacteria that causes the disease or by stopping its growth. It is important to know that antibodies are only effective in the treatment of specific types of bacteria. They are not effective against diseases caused due to viruses.

Most of the people can’t differentiate between a bacterial infection and viral infection and so they consume antibiotics without any proper knowledge. Taking it unnecessarily cause harm to their body. All the diseases of upper respiratory system such as cold, flu, cough etc. are induced by virus. They are incurable by antibiotics. They need a different treatment. It is thus advised to discuss with your doctor about it and take medicines under their supervision.

Though our immune system is powerful to attack and eliminate foreign bodies and disease-causing elements in the body. It is only when our immunity system becomes weak, we need help of antibiotics to eliminate the infection.  Also, it has been seen that people instead of reaching out to a doctor, begin self-medicating themselves or their dear ones.

Over use or unnecessary use of antibiotics harms out body by killing good bacteria present in the body with bad bacteria. This in turn weakens our immune system. This makes our body more prone to infections. So, in place of deterring infection from the body, antibiotics invite infection to happen in the body. To avoid such situations, one should remember to take antibiotics only after consultation with doctor.

 

500 words essay on why antibiotics should not be overused

Consuming antibiotics to treat colds and viral ailments will not just fail to work but also can result in dangerous consequence. When antibiotics are consumed in the body for a prolonged time, then it starts to create bacteria that are difficult to destroy. Let us see why is overuse of antibiotics harmful for the body.

Inappropriate and frequent consumption of antibiotics can cause microbes and bacteria to change. This will make antibiotics ineffective in working against them. This is known as antibiotic resistance and bacterial resistance. It is a very serious concern for all. Treating such resistant bacteria need stronger antibiotics or higher than normal dosage of medicine. Due to excessive use of antibiotics, a few types of bacteria in the body have been seen to become resistant towards the powerful antibiotics that are available in the market today.

Antibiotic resistance is regarded as one of the most persistent public health issue in the world. Bacteria that were highly responsive towards antibiotics, after continuous usage of antibiotics becomes resistant. They become difficult to treat and take form of pneumococcal infections that is the cause behind a wide range of infections such as ear infections, pneumonia, meningitis, sinus infections, tuberculosis and skin infections.

Besides antibiotic resistance, overuse of antibiotics leads to a few other issues as well. Antibiotics can also destroy several different bacteria found in our body. This includes the good ones too that keeps our body healthy. Due to deficiency of good bacteria in our body, one becomes more susceptible to infections like diarrhea and other intestinal infections. Lack of good bacteria poses problems in digesting food properly. In a few cases, it has been seen that bad bacteria, Clostridium difficile can overgrow and result in infections in the body.

Tips to consume antibiotics safely
Having known the side effects of improper consumption of antibiotics, it becomes necessary to learn about the right way to use antibiotics. Here are a few tips that will assist you to reduce the chances of bacterial resistance:

Don’t take antibiotics inappropriately
It is advised to never use any antibiotics that has been lying all around the home. Never take antibiotics that was prescribed to any other family member. Often people save antibiotics for the next use. This is a bad practice. You should throw any remaining antibiotics after completing the course of the treatment as prescribed by the doctor.

Let the doctor decide
Leave it to the doctor to decide whether the disease is “mild” or severe. Let him prescribe the medicine. Don’t be your own doctor. Discuss with him about the benefits, and side effects of the antibiotics. Let the doctor prescribe the best treatment for your infection. Don’t pressure him to prescribe antibiotics.

Do take the antibiotic for the prescribed time period
It is advised to consume antibiotics for the completed duration as advised by the doctor for the treatment of bacterial infection. Leaving the treatment in the middle will not cure the problem. Also, don’t consume medicines for a period longer than the prescribed period as its overuse can also cause harm to the body.