Why Do People Use Antiscription Antibiotics?

Antibiotics are inarguably one of the greatest advances in medical science of the past century. Although the first natural antibiotic Penicillin was not discovered until 1928 by Scottish biologist Alexander Flemming, evidence exists that certain plant and mold growths were used to treat infections in ancient Egypt, ancient India, and classical Greece (Forrest, 1982). In our modern world with the advent of synthetic chemistry synthetic antibiotics like Erithromycin and its derivative Azithromycin have been developed. Antibiotics have many uses including the treatment of bacterial and protozoan infection, in surgical operations and prophylactically to prevent the development of an infection. Through these applications, antibiotics have saved countless lives across the world and radically altered the field of medicine. Though a wonderful and potentially lifesaving tool, antibiotic use is not without its disadvantages. Mankind has perhaps been too lax in regulation and too liberal in application of antibiotics and growing antibiotic resistance is the price we must now pay. A recent study showed that perhaps 70% of bacterial infections acquired during hospital visits in the United States are resistant to at least one class of antibiotic (Leeb, 2004). Bacteria are not helpless and their genetic capabilities have allowed them to take advantage of society’s overuse of antibiotics, allowing them to develop

Since the introduction of penicillin to the public in 1942, antibiotics have gained widespread use throughout the world. The drug has allowed society to make advancements in medicine, increase an individual’s personal well-being, extend life expectancies, and stop and prevent infections. Antibiotics are one of the largest backbones to maintaining personal health in society today, yet there may be a day when we are no longer able to depend on antibiotics to fight infections. In the essay “Imagining the post antibiotic future”, Maryn McKenna establishes the importance of antibiotics to juxtapose how devastating life would be without them.

Antibiotics differ from many other drugs in the fact that the treatment is for a very short time compared to drugs used to treat hypertension, diabetes, Parkinson’s, or cancer. The latter disorders have in common that the treatment, from the moment of diagnosis, is life-long. The treatment period for antibiotics is only a few weeks, making the return of investment poor. Increasing demands of authorities in both development and marketing phase and in legislation increase the costs of new antibiotics.[1] [3]

A huge advancement was made in the world of medicine when antibiotics were first invented. Suddenly, deadly diseases such as Staphylococcus could be cured. (Tan, 2014) Before antibiotic discovery in 1928, and their prescription in the late 1930’s, Streptococcus pyogenes caused 50% of post-birth deaths, and was a major cause of death in burn victims. Staphylococcus aureus killed 80% of people with infected wounds, and tuberculosis and pneumonia ran rampant within the population. Through the use of antibiotics, these diseases could be easily treated. Between 1944 and 1972, human life expectancy leaped by eight years, primarily accredited to antibiotics; and the number of people dying due to bacterial infection dramatically fell. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 1999) Therefore, antibiotics are beneficial as they are able to save lives, and treat various types of bacterial diseases. In addition they are easily administered - they may simply be taken orally, or injected. They are also cost-effective, and have few side effects. Moreover, the cost of antibiotic regulation, public ignorance of the threat, and adherence to routine are major factors preventing regulation laws to be put in place. (Krans,

Scientists have proved a direct relationship between antibiotic dosage and the emergence and spread of drug-resistant bacteria. Firstly, the overuse of antibiotics clearly drives the evolution of resistance. In many countries where antibiotics are unregulated and can be bought without a prescription. The lack of regulation leads to antibiotics being easily available, plentiful and cheap, which results in overuse. With the emergence of online shopping, people in countries where antibiotics are regulated also can get antibiotics from foreign countries. Secondly, incorrectly prescribed antibiotics also contribute to the promotion of resistant bacteria. Up to half of antibiotics used in humans are unnecessary and inappropriate. For example, a third of people believe that antibiotics are effective for the common cold, and the common cold is the most common reason

Antibiotics were a huge deal 70 years ago at the advent of penicillin, what started it all. Since 1935, more than 150 antibiotics of various classes have been discovered – each adding to the stability of doctors being able to cure their patients. Physicians saw unprecedented rates of survival for previously almost entirely lethal infections.

The misuse of antibiotics has the potential to set society back in time to the dark ages. It is time to end the careless use of these valuable antimicrobial that so many take for granted. Antibiotic resistance continues to expand and evolve and solutions to this epidemic need to implemented. By establishing stewardships, educational programs, and restrictions it teaches the severity of this issue and action that must be taken in order to decrease resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a multifactorial issue. Introducing preventative measures in hospitals will be most effective in reducing resistance, as well as eliminating the trend of misusing antibiotics.

Modern day society is constantly in motion. The miracle drug, known as antibiotics, was a remarkable scientific advancement of the 1940’s era and seems to keep up with our demands. It has become the foundation of medicine and health care in today’s society.

Fleming in 1928. Penicillin helped to treat some common infections: step throat, boils, it would heal wounds quicker, as well as treat more serious infections such as meningitis and pneumonia. Antibiotics usually kill only weak bacteria and after some years of antibiotic usage stronger bacteria have not only survived but also became resistant to the old cure. “Doctors have started to prescribe antibiotics to cure conditions such as ear infections, sinusitis, bronchitis, non-specific upper respiratory tract infections and even common colds and flu… According to the Director of Antimicrobial Resistance, Dr. Richard Besser, each year US physicians write $50 million worth of prescriptions that are ineffectual and unnecessary.” (Elisa Bussey). The more doctors were prescribing antibiotics, the bigger the number of people who become resistant to them. Most of the European countries prescribe antibiotics to kill bacteria only in cases of life threatening conditions. Patients in the US have become accustomed to receiving antibiotics for almost any health concerns and with time, patients have started to expect such prescriptions as a norm.

When antibiotics were discovered in the early 1900’s, it revolutionized the medical world forever. Before this discovery millions and millions of people died from minor infections; there was not anything to fight off the growing bacteria. There are many types of antibiotics but the discovery of penicillin was first and it would leave everyone amazed and alive to this day.

Antibiotics revolutionized in medicine and research, providing treatment of different infections that were before fatal. For more than 50 years they have been used to improve both human and animal health since and during the antibiotic golden age and post-antibiotic golden age (Livermore, 2004). The discovery of antibiotics after World War II was revolutionary for science and medicine in general. The broad availability of penicillin during the 1940's gave hope that modern medicine had „conquered“ most human pathogens.

An increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria has been currently progressing and researchers are beginning to link the causes to the overuse of antibiotics. Studies of antibiotic overuse are few and as a result concrete information on antibiotic use in the U.S. is lacking. The problem with the low studies of antibiotics is that a full research on antibiotic prescription in the U.S. has not been created and a definite plan cannot be obtained. This paper covers the analysis on the information from five different sources to identify major constituents of the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics and provides possible steps to reduce antibiotic overuse.

Antibiotics have become a very important part of medicine. It is used to treat all kinds of bacteria, infections, diseases. Sadly, antibiotics have been coming to an end, they are being used more and more often everyday. They are being used so much that the bacteria they are being used to treat have been starting to become resistant to these antibiotics. Many infections that were once so easy to be treated have been gaining a stronger resistance. This is because of how the bacteria have a special enzyme that kills and eats up the antibiotics. As well as how the resistance that bacteria have can easily be passed off from one bacteria to another. This makes the resistance to antibiotics spread faster and increase rapidly. Much of the bacteria with resistance usually have it in their genes.

Throughout the centuries the improvement of medicine has always been on the run. Whether the cure for a viral or bacterial infection to the simple cure of a common cold, advances in medicine can be said to have had a great impact in the lives of many in the U.S. and around the world. In the U.S. alone, the life expectancy of an American increased from 49 years to 77 years because of the new way of life in the health aspect. There is no doubt that antibiotics specifically, not to say the prevention of diseases by public health regulations including over-the-counter drugs and surgical procedures, have saved thousands or even millions of lives in the U.S and around the world. However, there are many cases in which antibiotics are being overused, which in effect cause more harm than good.

The overuse of antibiotics has been a problem for well over a decade. This misuse leads to many nonvisible problems arising within the human population. As the use of antibiotics increases, the number of antibiotic resistant bacteria also increases. When bacteria become resistant to an antibiotic, another antibiotic must be used to try and kill it and the cycle becomes vicious. Michael Martin, Sapna Thottathil, and Thomas Newman stated that antimicrobial resistance is, “an increasingly serious threat to global public health that requires action across all government sectors and society” (2409).