Self medication can be dangerous..

Taking antibiotics on a self-
prescription basis can be dangerous,
experts tell Lisa Antao
Most of us lead busy lives today and
sometimes, busy to such an extent
that we don't find the time to visit
a doctor. So whether we are having a
fever, bad cold or sore throat,
sometimes we resort to taking
antibiotics to compensate our lack
of time to visit the doc. But little
do we know that doing so on a self-
medication basis can be harmful.
Read on to find out why...
What are they? Antibiotics are also
known as antimicrobial agents or
antibacterials. Consultant physician
Dr Anil G Ballani defines them as,
"Substances that kill or slow down
the growth of bacteria and hence,
they are also termed as bactericidal
or bacteriostatic. Their basic
function is to stop and cure any
infection in the body." Though
antibiotics target microorganisms
such as bacteria, fungii and
parasites but they are not effective
against viruses.
When should one take them?
Antibiotics are administered by an
attending doctor. He/she
determines the choice, route, dose
and frequency of administration
after considering the possible
target microbe, extent and severity
of infection, and urgency of the
patient's condition. Dr Ballani says
that a person is given an antibiotic
when he harbours an infection in the
body. It may be at any region in the
human body e.g. tonsils, ears, liver,
soft tissue and urinary tract.
Specific antibiotics are available
which attack specific bacteria in
specific organs. If the infection is
mild then oral anti-biotics are given.
If the infection is moderate or
severe then parenteral (Intra-
muscular or intra-venous) are
administered.
Are they very strong? Internal
medicine specialist Dr Sunil Dalvi
explains that there is nothing like
strong or weak antibiotic. It's action
against the microbe has to give
desired results namely, complete
elimination which in turn depends
upon the effective blood levels of
the drug required to effectively
eliminate the microbe. These levels
are in nano or micrograms and
hence, the drug required also is in
milligrams or grams at the most. A
patient's body weight is noted to
calculate the extracellular fluid
volume. Other important factors
considered are lever and kidney
function, haemoglobin and other
blood anomalies, administration of
other medicines allergies and
hypersensitivity.
Side-effects Dr Vasant Nagvekar,
an internal medicine specialist
opines that all antibiotics have some
or the other side effects but does
not mean it will manifest in
everyone. It can be very rarely
severe at times like anaphylaxsis (a
severe allergic reaction which could
be fatal), Stevens Johnson syndrome
(severe skin drug reaction) to minor
side effects like loose motions, oral
ulcerations. Most of the time
antibiotics are well tolerated unless
patient is sensitive to that drug
which at times becomes difficult
for the doctor unless patient has
had a reaction in the past and
informs the doctor. Dr Ballani
agrees saying that antibiotics do
have side effects like diarrhoea,
vomiting, itching, acidity, jaundice,
allergic reactions, muscle pain and
vertigo. Hence, antibiotics should be
used under medical supervision and
always wise to ask the treating
doctor regarding the side effects in
advance. The frequent and
indiscriminate use of antibiotics
leads to increased resistance levels
and they do not work in the future.
Hence, a course of antibiotic should
never be left incomplete and they
should never be used as over-the-
counter products.
Precautions Oral antibiotics are to
be taken only when there is evidence
or a high suspicion of bacterial
infection, like urinary tract
infection, traveller's diarrhoea or
any pyogenic (pus) infection
provided simultaneously
investigated. Most important is to
take the complete dose as
prescribed by the physician and not
part doses thinking it is heavy. Also
in case of any adverse effect of
any drug, to stop the drug any
inform the doctor, advises Dr
Nagvekar.

World AIDS Day massage:

World AIDS Day on 1 December
brings together people from around
the world to raise awareness about
HIV/AIDS and demonstrate
international solidarity in the face
of the pandemic. The day is an
opportunity for public and private
partners to spread awareness about
the status of the pandemic and
encourage progress in HIV/AIDS
prevention, treatment and care in
high prevalence countries and
around the world.
Between 2011-2015, World AIDS
Days will have the theme of
"Getting to zero: zero new HIV
infections. Zero discrimination. Zero
AIDS related deaths". The World
AIDS Campaign focus on "Zero AIDS
related deaths" signifies a push
towards greater access to treatment
for all; a call for governments to
act now