Health experts caution against antibiotics misuse: Patient’s ordeal sends a message

A renowned medical professional page issued a warning against unnecessary consumption and prescription of antibiotics. The caution comes after a case where a patient diagnosed with influenza took antibiotics and subsequently suffered stomach pain and diarrhoea. The incident, reported today by the Hospital Tales page, revealed an X-ray of the patient’s abdomen full of gas, a side effect of unnecessary antibiotic use.

The patient, who had been diagnosed with influenza a week prior, had been prescribed the antibiotic Augmentin. After a week of consumption, the patient experienced diarrhoea and stomach pain. An X-ray revealed the patient’s abdomen was filled with gas, a symptom of excessive antibiotic usage.

In normal circumstances, a human’s intestines harbour beneficial bacteria, also known as commensal bacteria, which maintain the body’s balance. However, the consumption of antibiotics, especially broad-spectrum ones, can kill these beneficial bacteria. This can cause disease-causing bacteria to proliferate and lead to diseases, and in this case, abnormal symptoms.

Interestingly, even though the patient was confirmed to have influenza, they still consumed antibiotics. It’s a common scenario where patients insist on receiving antibiotics even for symptoms like coughing and sore throat, which are often just signs of the common cold, not requiring antibiotics. It often takes long explanations to make them understand that it’s not necessary and could even lead to harmful effects, reported KhaoSod.

Many doctors, too, aren’t confident enough to avoid prescribing antibiotics. Some prescribe them out of habit, ignorance, or to avoid confrontation with patients who insist on receiving them.

Therefore, apart from advising the public not to consume antibiotics unnecessarily, it’s also essential to tell doctors not to prescribe them unnecessarily.

For quite some time, Thai medical experts have long been cautioning about the excessive use of antibiotics. They emphasize that these medications are frequently prescribed, sometimes without genuine necessity, by doctors in the country. Read more HERE.

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